Regardless of how beneficial a desired change may seem, new initiatives are often difficult to implement. Each educational setting has its own culture, and innovations and changes that are incompatible with the prevailing climate may elicit resistance and hostility. The course examines change theory; studies case histories of successful and not so successful change efforts; and reviews change strategies to equip students with skills for introducing effective reforms.
The objectives for this course correspond with Professional Standards for Educational Leaders (PSEL) as listed below. In addition, student learning outcomes supporting the course objectives will be specified at the beginning of the week for each module.
Students will:
Weekly Discussion Boards – Group and Class discussions provide participants with opportunities to make meaning of new theory, key concepts, and applications of theory to practice. Participants contribute to the intellectual development of the class by offering insights, synthesizing understandings, and responding to the postings of others. The expectation is that students make an initial post and comment on the posts of at least two classmates each week. During Week 8, the discussion will focus on the curation of a Best Practice Artifact surrounding Student Discipline. The artifact may be used for the final course ePortfolio.
Interview Assignment – Identify a school reform currently underway in your school or school system. Interview a person charged with leading this reform in some way. It could be the curriculum director, the Title I director, a building principal, a department head, etc. Summarize the interview, highlighting the issues, challenges, and benefits from the perspective of the informant.
Annotated Bibliography Assignment – Research a topic related to school reform. Create an annotated bibliography on the topic, summarizing the findings and explaining how the information relates to reform.
School Reform Assignment – Select a school reform model or program from the last 20 years that has received national or regional attention. Examples include Blueprint 2000, No Child Left Behind, Race to the Top, Effective Schools, Coalition of Essential Schools, Success for All, Response to Instruction, Common Core State Standards, and Proficiency-Based Education. Research your chosen reform, and create a report on it.
CBAM Assignment – Select a reform or innovation that you have been responsible for implementing in your classroom or school. Apply the questions in the Stages of Concern and Levels of Use charts on the nationalacademies.org website to your own practice with the innovation.
Reform and Change in your School Assignment – Research a reform that is being implemented/used in your school or district. Write a short paper about the reform, including key elements, connection to Stages of Concern, training and other issues, and impact on local level issues.
Research Article Analysis – Select a peer-reviewed article from the annotated bibliography assignment completed in Week 3. Critique the article for its strengths and weaknesses, and summarize the authors’ findings and their implications for the reform in question.
Your grade in this course will be determined by the following criteria:
Assignment | Points |
---|---|
School Reform Interview Report | 15 |
Annotated Bibliography | 10 |
Report on a School Reform Model or Program | 10 |
CBAM Assignment: What's Your Stage of Concern? What's Your Level of Use? | 10 |
Reform and Change in Your School | 10 |
Research Article Analysis | 10 |
Discussion Boards (7 @ 5 Points Each) | 35 |
TOTAL | 100 |
Grade | Points Grade | Point Average (GPA) |
A | 94 – 100% | 4.00 |
A- | 90 – 93% | 3.75 |
B+ | 87 – 89% | 3.50 |
B | 84 – 86% | 3.00 |
B- | 80 – 83% | 2.75 |
C+ | 77 – 79% | 2.50 |
C | 74 – 76% | 2.00 |
C- | 70 – 73% | 1.75 |
D | 64 – 69% | 1.00 |
F | 00 – 63% | 0.00 |
Week |
Topic |
Activities & Assignments |
Dates |
1 1/2-1/6 |
Background and Examples from Recent History |
Reading:
Viewing:
Threaded Class Discussion |
Due: Sun., 1/6, 11:59 PM ET Initial discussion responses should be posted by FRIDAY night |
2 1/7-1/13 |
Active School Reform Models: RTI, CBE and CCSS |
Reading:
Viewing:
Threaded Group Discussion Assignment:
|
Due: Sun., 1/13, 11:59 PM ET Initial discussion responses should be posted by WEDNESDAY night |
3 1/14-1/20 |
Digging Deeper into the Research of School Reform |
Reading:
Viewing:
Threaded Group Discussion Assignment:
|
Due: Sun., 1/20, 11:59 PM ET Initial discussion responses should be posted by WEDNESDAY night |
4 1/21-1/27 |
Centered on Results: Student-Centered Learning and Teacher Support |
Reading & Viewing (Choose one of the three options): 1. Teacher Evaluation and Support (read all three readings)
2. Student-Centered Learning (view the video and select one reading)
3. Personalized Learning
Assignment:
|
Due: Sun., 1/27, 11:59 PM ET |
5 1/28-2/3 |
Knowing Reform when we see it: the Concerns-Based Adoption Model (CBAM) |
Reading:
Viewing:
Threaded Group Discussion Assignment:
|
Due: Sun., 2/3, 11:59 PM ET Initial discussion responses should be posted by WEDNESDAY night |
6 2/4-2/10 |
School-based Reform and Change |
Reading:
Viewing:
Threaded Group Discussion Assignment:
|
Due: Sun., 2/10, 11:59 PM ET Initial discussion responses should be posted by WEDNESDAY night |
7 2/11-2/17 |
The True Implementers of Change |
Reading:
Viewing:
Class Discussion Assignment:
|
Due: Sun., 2/17, 11:59 PM ET Initial discussion responses should be posted by WEDNESDAY night |
8 2/18-2/24 |
Synthesis of Learning |
Threaded Group Discussion
Assignment:
|
Due: FRIDAY, 2/22, 11:59 PM ET Initial discussion responses should be posted by WEDNESDAY night |
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Make sure to cite your sources appropriately as well as use your own words in synthesizing information from published literature. Webinars and workshops, included early in your coursework, will help guide best practices in APA citation and academic writing.
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The University of New England values academic integrity in all aspects of the educational experience. Academic dishonesty in any form undermines this standard and devalues the original contributions of others. It is the responsibility of all members of the University community to actively uphold the integrity of the academy; failure to act, for any reason, is not acceptable. For information about plagiarism and academic misconduct, please visit UNE Plagiarism Policies.
Academic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to the following:
Charges of academic dishonesty will be reviewed by the Program Director. Penalties for students found responsible for violations may depend upon the seriousness and circumstances of the violation, the degree of premeditation involved, and/or the student’s previous record of violations. Appeal of a decision may be made to the Dean whose decision will be final. Student appeals will take place through the grievance process outlined in the student handbook.