Syllabus

Master of Science in Education

EDU 706: School-Community Relations & Communications – Spring B 2018

Credits - 3

Description

An effective educational leader promotes the success of all students by communicating the learning community’s vision, policies, and successes to staff, students, parents, community, decision-makers, legislators, and media. This course provides 80 hours of field-based work, in which aspiring leaders will develop a plan to build and maintain partnerships with multiple constituent groups within the community in a way that positively impacts the education of students.

Materials

Learning Objectives and Outcomes

This course is aligned with Standard 8 of the Professional Standards for Education Leaders 2015.

Students will:

• Integrate the concepts and skills from various prior learning experiences and focus them to meet Standard 8 of the Professional Standards for Education Leaders 2015.
• Apply the knowledge and skills acquired through coursework and previous experience to authentic school leadership settings and situations.
• Plan, organize, coordinate, direct, and evaluate how schools engage families and the community in meaningful, reciprocal, and mutually beneficial ways to promote each student’s academic success and well-being.
• Plan and implement solutions to educational issues related to family and community engagement.
• Communicate and work with various education stakeholders in order to promote the academic success and well-being of all students.
• Explain the importance of understanding, appreciation, and use of the community’s diverse cultural, social, and intellectual resources as a way of leading successful schools.
• Use the tools of technology, research and data, and community resources to showcase how to effectively engage families and the community in meaningful, reciprocal, and mutually beneficial ways to promote each student’s academic success and well-being.

Assignments

Field Experience Journal Entries: Each week students will post a 1­ – 2 paragraph summary of the name and description of their field experience activity for the week as well as any reflections and insights about the week’s activities. This information should be typed into the “Field Experience Journal Reflection” document.

Field Experience Log: As part of the 8-week field experience, students must document and record all activities in the “Field Experience Log” document. The log will be submitted to the UNE Mentor halfway through the field experience and will be submitted in entirety as a part of the cumulative e­-Portfolio.

Discussion Forum: Students will respond to whole class or small group discussion questions each week that will provide an opportunity to think about broader issues related to the field experience, and to share ideas/insights with the other students in the course.

Leadership Project Progress Report: Students will write up a status report which provides a summary of the project, the tasks that have been accomplished, the tasks that are in progress, the tasks that are yet to be completed, the risks that may challenge the project, and any open issues support you may need from your mentor or instructor.

Leadership Project Summary: Students will reflect on the success of their internship and in meeting the goals set in their Leadership Proposal. 

ePortfolio Section:  Students will curate a section of their cumulative e-Portfolio, which is due at the end of the program (EDU 791). 

The cumulative e-Portfolio, which is submitted near the end of the course, is a product where you can share and shine! As you go through the course you have the opportunity to collect some of the artifacts and submit them for review by your UNE Mentor.

 

**The University of New England provides students, staff, and faculty with free access to RefWorks, a fantastic tool for collecting and managing references and making style-correct citations. Access the tool through the link on the left navigation bar. For instructions and tutorials in setting up your account and getting started, visit http://success.une.edu/blackboard-support/refworks/.

 

Grading Policy

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

Grade Breakdown

Assignments	Points
Journal Entries (5 @ 5 points each)	25
Field Experience Log (Mid-Point Submission)	2
Discussion Boards (6 @ 4 points each)	24
E-Portfolio	35
Leadership Project Progress Report	4
Leadership Project Summary	10
Total Points	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