Syllabus

Master of Science in Education

EDU 706: School-Community Relations & Communications (Spring B 2023)

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. Before registration can be made available for this course, students must complete all of the required internship paperwork. Please contact your Student Support Specialist for details.

 

Materials

Required

Green, R. (2017). Practicing the Art of Leadership: A Problem-Based Approach to Implementing the Professional Standards for Educational Leaders (with Enhanced Pearson eText) (5th ed.) ISBN 978-0134290188. E-text 978-0134078656

Supplemental

American Psychological Association. (2020). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association: The official guide to APA style (7th ed.)

Additional resources are linked in the course.

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

Discussion Forum: Students will respond to whole-class 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.

Field-Based Experience Journal/Log: As part of the 80-hour field-based experience, students must document and record all activities in the “Field-Based Experience Journal/Log.” Each week students will post a 1­ – 2 paragraph summary of their field experience activity for the week as well as any reflections and insights about the week’s activities. The journal/log will be submitted in Week 2 for feedback from the instructor and will be submitted in entirety for grading in Week 7.

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 support needed from the mentor or instructor.

Leadership Project Summary: Students will reflect on the success of their field-based experience and in meeting the goals set in their Leadership Proposal. 

**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 in Course Resources. 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

AssignmentsPoints
Discussion Boards (4 @ 6 points each, 1 @ 3 points, 1 @ 8 points)35
Leadership Project Progress Report15
Field Experience Journal/Log (week 7 submission)25
Leadership Project Summary25
Total Points100

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

Schedule

Course Schedule

Week 1: Mar 1 – Mar 5
Week 2: Mar 6 – Mar 12
Week 3: Mar 13 – Mar 19
Week 4: Mar 20 – Mar 26
Week 5: Mar 27 – Apr 2
Week 6: Apr 3 – Apr 9
Week 7: Apr 10 – Apr 16
Week 8: Apr 17 – Apr 23

Week

Topic

Activities & Assignments

Due Dates

1

 

Introductions and sharing about projects

Reading:

  • Review syllabus and schedule
  • Familiarize yourself with the Field Experience Journal/Log, and the PSEL standards
  • Practicing the Art of Leadership, Ch. 8

Whole Class Discussion Forum

Sunday by 11:59 PM ET 

*Note: Initial discussion responses should be posted by FRIDAY night. 

2

Define leadership and discuss the importance of data

Reading:

  • How School District Leaders Can Support the Use of Data to Improve Teaching and Learning
  • Sharing Accountability and Results: How San Jose Unified School District is taking its College Readiness Indicator System (CRIS) to Scale and Transforming Leadership Culture on the Way

Viewing: 

  • Using Data to Improve Instruction
  • A Principal and a Teacher Talk About Data 

Discussion Forum

Assignment: Field Experience Journal/Log (submit Weeks 1-2 for feedback)

Sunday by 11:59 PM ET

*Note: Initial discussion responses should be posted by WEDNESDAY night

3 

Reflect on field experience and contribute as a leader

Reading:

  • Practicing the Art of Leadership: Chapter 3, pp. 71-88

Discussion Forum

Sunday by 11:59 PM ET

*Note: Initial discussion responses should be posted by WEDNESDAY night

4

Gain knowledge of resources of systems, organization and individuals

Reading:

  • Practicing the Art of Leadership: pp.  102-124 & pp. 135 (Scenario 6)-141
  • Diversity Responsive Schools
  • Getting Started With Culturally Responsive Teaching

Viewing:

  • Diversity Leadership Conference

Discussion Forum

Assignment: Leadership Project Progress Report

Sunday by 11:59 PM ET

*Note: Initial discussion responses should be posted by WEDNESDAY night

5

Articulate the achieved areas of growth in leadership skills and activities

Reading:

  • Reading: Practicing the Art of Leadership: Chapter 2

 

Sunday by 11:59 PM ET

*Note: Initial discussion responses should be posted by WEDNESDAY night

6

 

Define how to build positive relationships with various stakeholders

Reading:

  • Practicing the Art of Leadership: Chapter 6, pp. 175-193, 196-199 (Scenario: pg. 274 — Ch. 6 Problem Solving and Decision Making at Lovejoy High School)
  • Education & Community Building: Connecting Two Worlds

Discussion Forum

Work towards completing the PSEL Post Assessment and Final Assessment by Supervising On-Site Mentor.

Sunday by 11:59 PM ET

*Note: Initial discussion responses should be posted by WEDNESDAY night

7

Acquire an understanding of the administrative obligations, successes, and areas of future focus

Assignment: Final Field-Based Experience Journal/Log (Weeks 1-7)

Assignment: Leadership Project Summary

Sunday by 11:59 PM ET

8

Changes in Professional Practice

Whole Class Discussion Forum

FRIDAY by 11:59 PM ET

*Note: Initial discussion responses should be posted by WEDNESDAY night

 

Student Resources

Online Student Support

Your Student Support Specialist is a resource for you. Please don't hesitate to contact them for assistance, including, but not limited to course planning, current problems or issues in a course, technology concerns, or personal emergencies.

Questions? Visit the Student Support Education page

UNE Libraries:

UNE Student Academic Success Center

The Student Academic Success Center (SASC) offers a range of services to support your academic achievement, including tutoring, writing support, test prep and studying strategies, learning style consultations, and many online resources. To make an appointment for tutoring, writing support, or a learning specialist consultation, go to une.tutortrac.com. To access our online resources, including links, guides, and video tutorials, please visit:

Information Technology Services (ITS)

  • ITS Contact: Toll Free Help Desk 24 hours/7 days per week at 1-877-518-4673

Accommodations

Any student who would like to request, or ask any questions regarding, academic adjustments or accommodations must contact the Student Access Center at (207) 221-4438 or pcstudentaccess@une.edu. Student Access Center staff will evaluate the student's documentation and determine eligibility of accommodation(s) through the Student Access Center registration procedure.

Policies

Turnitin Originality Check and Plagiarism Detection Tool

The College of Professional Studies uses Turnitin to help deter plagiarism and to foster the proper attribution of sources. Turnitin provides comparative reports for submitted assignments that reflect similarities in other written works. This can include, but is not limited to, previously submitted assignments, internet articles, research journals, and academic databases.

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.

You can learn more about Turnitin in the Turnitin Student quick start guide.

Technology Requirements

Please review the technical requirements for UNE Online Graduate Programs: Technical Requirements

Course Evaluation Policy

Course surveys are one of the most important tools the University of New England uses for evaluating the quality of your education, and for providing meaningful feedback to instructors on their teaching. In order to assure that the feedback is both comprehensive and precise, we need to receive it from each student for each course. Evaluation access is distributed via UNE email at the beginning of the last week of the course.

Information Technology Services (ITS)

ITS Contact: Toll Free Help Desk 24 hours/7 days per week at 1-877-518-4673

Attendance Policy

Online students are required to submit a graded assignment/discussion prior to Sunday evening at 11:59 pm ET of the first week of the term. If a student does not submit a posting to the graded assignment/discussion prior to Sunday evening at 11:59 pm ET, the student will be automatically dropped from the course for non-participation. Review the full attendance policy.

Late Policy

Assignments: Late assignments will be accepted up to 3 days late; however, there is a 10% grade reduction (from the total points) for the late submission. After three days the assignment will not be accepted.

Discussion posts: If the initial post is submitted late, but still within the discussion board week, there will be a 10% grade reduction from the total discussion grade (e.g., a 3 point discussion will be reduced by 0.3 points). Any posts submitted after the end of the Discussion Board week will not be graded.

Please make every effort ahead of time to contact your instructor and your student support specialist if you are not able to meet an assignment deadline. Arrangements for extenuating circumstances may be considered by faculty.

Student Handbook Online - Policies and Procedures

The policies contained within this document apply to all students in the College of Graduate and Professional Studies. It is each student's responsibility to know the contents of this handbook.

UNE Online Student Handbook

UNE Course Withdrawal

Please contact your student support specialist if you are considering dropping or withdrawing from a course. The last day to drop for 100% tuition refund is the 2nd day of the course. Financial Aid charges may still apply. Students using Financial Aid should contact the Financial Aid Office prior to withdrawing from a course.

Academic Integrity

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:

  1. Cheating, copying, or the offering or receiving of unauthorized assistance or information.
  2. Fabrication or falsification of data, results, or sources for papers or reports.
  3. Action which destroys or alters the work of another student.
  4. Multiple submissions of the same paper or report for assignments in more than one course without permission of each instructor.
  5. Plagiarism, the appropriation of records, research, materials, ideas, or the language of other persons or writers and the submission of them as one's own.

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.