Syllabus

Master of Science in Education

EDU 703 Educational Change/School Reform – Spring A 2017

Credits - 3

Description

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.

Materials

Learning Objectives and Outcomes

Competencies (Interstate School Leaders Licensure Consortium-(ISLLC) Standards)

Week 1

Students will:

• Examine emerging issues and trends that potentially impact the school community (6C)
• Compare the political, social, cultural, and economic systems and processes that impact schools (4B, 6B, 6C)
• Analyze the dynamics of policy development and advocacy under our democratic political system (4D, 6B)
• interpret the background, concepts and contemporary issues of educational reform and school change (6C)
• Analyze assessment and accountability that aligns to the vision of the district (1,2)

Week 2

Students will:

• Apply consensus building and negotiation
• Explain the principles of organizational development (1B, 2A)
• Apply the community relations and marketing strategies and processes that impact schools (4B, 6B, 6C)
• Categorize models and strategies of change (1A, 1E)
• Apply conflict resolutions as related to the larger political, social, cultural and economic contexts of schooling (2A, 4B)

Week 3

Students will:

• Investigate emerging issues and trends that potentially impact the school community (6C);
• Analyze models and strategies of change (1A-1E);
• Examine and apply research to better understand a complex issue (1B).

Week 4

Students will:

• Students will:
• Apply effective consensus building and negotiation skills (1A, 2A);
• Summarize the principles of organizational development (1B, 2A);
• Interpret emerging issues and trends that potentially impact the school community (6C);
• Analyze case studies, a cross-case analysis of the research in student centered learning, (1, 2);
• Assess resources and support for teachers evaluation and retention; (2, 5, 6)
• Describe supportive relationships between students and teachers in academic environment (4)

Week 5

Students will:

• Explain and apply continuous improvement, accountability, and action planning for reform 1C, 1D, 1E);
• Describe desired results, standardized state tests and standards-based education (2E, 2H, 2I, 3E);
• Analyze, study and use research to better understand a complex issue (1B).

Week 6

Students will:

• Evaluate emerging issues and trends that potentially impact the school community (6C);
• Interpret models and strategies of change (1A-1E);
• Explain continuous improvement, accountability, and action planning for reform 1C, 1D, 1E).

Week 7

Students will:

• Apply effective consensus building and negotiation skills (1A, 2A);
• Demonstrate the principles of organizational development (1B, 2A);
• Support Continuous improvement, accountability, and action planning for reform 1C, 1D, 1E);
• Desired results, standardized state tests and standards-based education (2E, 2H, 2I, 3E).

Week 8

Students will:

• Apply the concepts of school change and articulate the benefits and pitfalls (1B,D)
• Synthesize different school reform initiative and determine how they relate to effective learning environments (3 C, E)
• Recommend  school reform initiative that supports successful school change  2( B, E, G)
• Apply effective consensus building and negotiation skills (1A, 2A);
• Demonstrate the principles of organizational development (1B, 2A);
• Support Continuous improvement, accountability, and action planning for reform 1C, 1D, 1E);
• Desired results, standardized state tests and standards-based education (2E, 2H, 2I, 3E).

Assignments

Week 2:  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. All that is needed is that they know something about the reform and have some responsibility to lead implementation

Week 3: Annotated Bibliography Assignment

Create an annotated bibliography with at least three articles on the same topic. Your articles must be from a peer-reviewed journal. Your bibliography should summarize the findings and explain how the information relates to reform.

Week 4: 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.

Week 5: CBAM Assignment What’s your stage of concern? What’s your level of use?

First select any reform or innovation that you have been responsible for using in your classroom or school. Then apply the questions in the Stages of Concern and Levels of Use charts on the nationalacademies.org web site to your own practice with the innovation.

Report about your own stage of concern and your own level of use with the innovation. Provide clear and concrete information about what you have or have not done to implement the innovation as it was designed.

Week 6: Reform and Change in your School Assignment

Research a reform being implemented/used in your school or district. Write a short paper on the elements of the reform, what elements are to be implemented, training provided, issues with the reform, etc. Be sure to identify the key elements in the reform that will have or have had the biggest impact on your school. Make a direct connection between your identified reform and the Stages of Concern dimension in CBAM.

The reform you select may be one you have written about before (Response to Intervention, for example). The important difference is that this assignment considers how the reform affects real local level issues.

Week 7:  Research Article Analysis

Select one research article that completed an annotated bibliography for in Week 3. Take one of the peer reviewed articles and critique the article for its strengths and weaknesses. Report the findings in the article and what they mean for the reform in question. Your report should be in APA format and be two to three pages long.

Weekly Threaded Discussions: In addition to written assignments, students will participate in threaded discussions with classmates.

Each Week Students are Expected to:

• Post a response to a question or problem presented in the threaded discussion prompt. This initial post must be completed by the end of the day on Wednesday (wk 1 exception: post due on Friday). Your initial post must include at least one in-text citation and reference in APA format. You must submit a second post/reply by the end of the day on Sunday. 
• Make substantive comments on the postings of at least two other students.
• Be sure to read and understand the definition of “substantive” that follows.

A typical substantive post:

• Has adequate length to communicate new learning or information to the other learners in your class
• Goes beyond your personal opinion by providing new or supporting information in references and/or examples.
• Integrates theory, research, and/or specific examples from professional experience
• Includes specific examples and/or substantiating evidence 

Note: In some cases a posting that asks pertinent, insightful, and/or helpful questions can be substantive even without a reference. These discussions require students to carefully read assigned material and then make connections among key ideas and synthesize their learning through thoughtful written responses.

Grading Policy

Your grade in this course will be determined by the following criteria:

Grade Breakdown

Assignment	Points
School Reform Interview Report	10
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 (8 @ 5 Points Each)	40
TOTAL	100

Grade Scale

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