Education professionals in this course explore and analyze the issues, complexities, responsibilities, and opportunities associated with leading schools with diverse student populations. By acknowledging differences among learners, as well as biases, discrimination, prejudices, and stereotypes, school leaders can identify diversity as a dynamic contributing factor to a rich learning environment in which individual differences are honored and respected. A focus of the course is also on one of the most challenging tasks facing schools today: to substantially increase the achievement of students placed at risk because of limited facility with English, and physical, mental, and emotional disability. Candidates will study diverse and inclusive approaches that have proven most effective in supporting all language learners and students with special needs to reach high standards of performance.

Research on effective schools provides guidance on the most productive ways to organize time, people, money, technology, and other resources. To use these resources most effectively, leaders need to have a strategy that defines the most important priorities, the overall educational design, and the organizational structures that best match the necessary goals for improvement. Effective leaders need to be able to (1) link whole-school strategic plans to effective instructional practices and improved use of time and money; (2) ensure individualized attention where needed in subject areas; (3) evaluate alternative paths to school improvement; (4) invest wisely in improving teaching quality; and (5) organize staff and use other resources in new ways that allow focused investment in teaching and learning.

Effective educational leaders develop capabilities to foster cultures for learning based on mutual respect among students, teachers, staff, parents, and the larger community. Strategies for fairly and effectively administering discipline and resolving conflict are addressed. This course is intended to help leaders understand and treat individual and group differences and potential conflict as opportunities for developing the dispositions, knowledge, and skills that result in social competencies essential to civic participation and interpersonal effectiveness in school and beyond. Candidates also study issues related to safety and violence in schools, considering both methods of prevention and ways to respond to unsafe and violent situations.

Effective educational leaders influence the quality of teaching by understanding how to recognize outstanding teaching and facilitate improvement by communicating how and why learner-centered teaching enhances the learning outcomes of every student. This course introduces candidates to the latest research on education, teaching, and learning, and fosters the development of an understanding of how effective approaches to instruction are informed by research.

Candidates study human resources policies and practices for recruiting, selecting, hiring, inducting, developing, evaluating, and retaining or dismissing school personnel. Identifying teachers¿ needs for professional growth is important, but leaders must also ensure that teachers have the opportunity and motivation to use their professional expertise and to participate in ongoing professional development focused on enhancing the learning of every student. As well, school leaders must be able to identify characteristics of productive teacher evaluation processes and programs; distinguish between supervising teaching and supervising learning; and utilize a process and structure for evaluating school personnel that is productive and supportive, motivates improvement, results in retention of highly competent staff members, embodies standards of due process, and takes into account the provisions of the contractual agreements for staff.

To be considered for this master’s program, you must have a bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university, teaching experience, and meet the general admission requirements. All applicants must submit a completed online application and transcripts. Depending on program specialization, additional requirements may apply.

More information for international applicants.