Educational Administration EDAD 811
Practicum Syllabus
Program Affiliation: Educational Administration
The practicum experience is designed to be the capstone experience of the course of study for the M.Ed. or Administrative Certification program at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL). Candidates should complete the practicum prior to or concurrently with the last course in their prescribed course of study.
Relationship to Departmental Goals/Student Outcomes
The program goals in educational administration adopted by the Department as the core program for the preparation of K-12 administrators are applied in this course. They include:
1. Personal Qualifications. Judgment, decision making and problem solving, educational values, philosophy, and sensitivity;
2. Leadership. Demonstrate the capacity to manage change, demonstrate vision, analyze and understand political context, diagnose and resolve conflict, demonstrate relation skills.
3. Program Development. Involve significant others.
4. Pupil Services and Management. Plan approaches to capitalize on community agencies.
5. Community. Analyze community structure.
6. Management. Problem analysis, communication, resource management, apply research to practice, and apply organizational theory and policy development.
The practicum is a field based experience that occurs in a public or private accredited school(s). The program will include work that is monitored by a certified building administrator and supervised by a member of the Educational Administration staff of UNL. The practicum is a three hour, graduate level, course of study.
The practicum experience will include the completion of various projects, participation in selected seminars, engagement in a variety of school leadership activities, and the development of a personalized practicum plan. The course has been organized around three guiding documents: 2015 Professional Standards for Educational Leaders, the National Association of Secondary Principals (NASSP) Breaking Ranks: 10 Skills for Successful School Leaders, and the Nebraska Department of Education (NDE) Principal Frameworks.
This is a required course in UNL preparation programs for school principals.
2015 Professional Standards for Educational Leaders
The Professional Standards have been developed by the Council of Chief State School Officers in collaboration with the National Policy Board on Educational Administration (NPBEA) to help strengthen preparation programs in school leadership (Van Meter & Murphy, 1997). These standards are also endorsed by NDE and UNL and were revised in 2015.
Standard 1: A school administrator is an educational leader who can develop, advocate, and enact a shared mission, vision, and core values of high-qualityeducation and academic success and well-being of each student
Standard 2: A school administrator is an educational leader who can act ethically and according to professional norms to promote each student's academic success and well-being.
Standard 3: A school administrator is an educational leader who can strive for equity of educational opportunity and culturally responsive practices to promote each student's academic success and well-being.
Standard 4: A school administrator is an educational leader who can develop and support intellectually rigorous and coherent systems of curriculum, instruction, and assessment to promote each student's academic success and well-being.
Standard 5: A school administrator is an educational leader who can cultivate an inclusive, caring, and supportive school community that promotes the academic success and well-being of each student.
Standard 6: A school administrator is an educational leader who can develop the professional capacity and practice of school personnel to promote each student's academic success and well-being.
Standard 7: A school administrator is an educational leader who can foster a professional community of teachers and other professional staff to promote each student's academic success and well-being.
Standard 8: A school administrator is an educational leader who can engage families and the community in meaningful, reciprocal, and mutually beneficial ways to promote each student's academic success and well-being.
Standard 9: A school administrator is an educational leader who can manage school operations and resources to promote each student's academic success and well-being.
Standard 10: A school administrator is an educational leader who can act as agents of continuous improvement to promote each student's academic success and well -being.
The Nebraska Department of Education Frameworks
The purpose of the Nebraska Teacher and Principal Performance Framework is to define effective practices in order to improve teaching and learning. The NDE Frameworks address the roles of teachers and principals, defined as those educators whose primary task is working directly with students, in a school setting.
Nebraska’s Performance Framework for Principals
(1) Vision for Learning: The principal establishes and communicates a vision for teaching and
learning that results in improved student achievement.
(2) Continuous School Improvement: The principal leads a continuous school improvement process that results in improved student performance and school effectiveness.
(3) Instructional Leadership: The principal provides leadership to ensure the implementation of a rigorous curriculum, the use of effective teaching practices, and accountability for results.
(4) Culture for Learning: The principal creates a school culture that enhances the academic, social, physical, and emotional development of all students.
(5) Systems Management: The principal manages the organization, operations, and resources of the school to provide a safe, efficient, and effective learning environment for all students and staff.
(6) Staff Leadership: The principal uses effective personnel practices to select, develop, support, and lead high quality teachers and non-teaching staff.
(7) Developing Relationships: The principal promotes and supports productive relationships with students, staff, families, and the community.
(8) Professional Ethics and Advocacy: The principal acts with fairness, integrity, and a high level of professional ethics, and advocates for policies of equity and excellence in support of the vision of the school.
The National Association of Secondary School Principals Breaking Ranks: 10 Skills for Successful Leaders
In this NASSP document, ten leadership skills are organized according to four separate themes. During the EDAD 811 Practicum, students should engage in activities to develop competencies in each of the ten skill areas. The skills to be explored and developed during the practicum experience are shown on the chart below:
Practicum requirements include the following:
1. Practicum participants must be enrolled in EDAD 811 and complete all the necessary documentation requirements with the local school district in which the practicum field experience will occur.
2. The practicum will include the completion of various projects; required participation in seminars held on the UNL campus; attendance at selected professional meetings, workshops, or conferences as identified in the student’s practicum plan; and engagement in various school leadership experiences.
3. Each student must compile an Activity Log which documents 135 hours of administrative experiences during the Practicum. These experiences should be planned with their mentor and engage the student in experiences related to various ways in which school administrators spend their time. Practicum experiences must be approved by the UNL Instructor. 50 points
The Activity Log should note how the activity is related to the Professional Standards, the NDE Frameworks for Principal Evaluation criteria, and the NASSP 10 Skills for Effective Leaders. These details for each activity should be included in each individual Activity Log:
1) date and time of the activity
2) description of the activity
3) total hours engaged in the activity
4) Professional Standard(s), NDE Standard(s) and NASSP theme and skill(s)
5) reflection about the activity
NASSP has identified a list of the leading ways in which principals spend their time. Students are required to document in their Activity Log at least one experience in each of these 13 different categories. The ways in which principals spend their time include the following:
- dealing with parents - discipline
- community relations - facilities management
- teacher evaluation - program development & evaluation
- school safety - curriculum development
- budget - strategic planning
- professional development - student assessment
- lesson demonstration
The Activity Log is to be submitted electronically to the UNL professor on the due date specified on the Assignment Details schedule. Communicate with me about your individual situation.
There will three (3) required seminars held during the EDAD 811 Practicum.
The seminars will be held on campus at the NCSA building in Lincoln. These three required sessions are designed to allow students the opportunity to interact with other students in the 811 Practicum, and to establish a professional network of collaboration and support, and discuss issues in leadership. Seminar dates are listed in the Announcement section of the class, as well as on the Assignment Details schedule.
Out-of-State Students:
Out-of-state students enrolled in the EDAD 811 Practicum who are unable to attend the seminars should plan to attend on-line via Skype or Zoom. Instructors will send instructions sometime this week. For those students who cannot attend on-line due to prohibitive time differences, you will be given alternative assignments. These alternative assignments may be submitted on-line to the professor. These papers are due one week after the date of each of the seminars.
4. Students are to select one 21st Century Leadership Skills identified in the text, Breaking Ranks: 10 Skills for Successful School Leaders.
Students are to complete the planning format for the selected skill, then develop a
Skill Development Plan to be implemented during the Practicum experience. 20 points
5. The Self-Review Rubric is to be completed by the student. The Assessment Rubric is to be completed by the student’s mentor. Prior to the completion of the Practicum experience these two documents are to be compared and discussed by the mentor and mentee. This document is to be submitted to the professor with the Activity log and Skill Development Plan at the end of the semester. 20 points
6. The student will write a Principal Preparation Program reflection paper. This paper will address the learnings from course work you have completed in the Educational Administration Principal Master’s/Certification program. For each Professional Standard for Educational Leaders, list the course and assignments you have completed that meet that standard. After you have listed specific courses and assignments, write a reflection for each standard describing what you have learned in your educational administration course work, how you are different as a result of your learning, and how you will apply the learning in your current or future administrative jobs. This paper will be assessed by two Professors in the Education Administration Program (advisor and other) and must meet satisfactory specifications to be explained in seminar. This reflection paper replaces the portfolio that used to be required. 40 points
7. The student will also write a final reflection paper on the Practicum experience. In the paper, they are to address these questions:
1) What have you learned about educational leadership?
2) What are your educational values?
3) What are your expectations for teachers?
4) What your long-range career goals?
5) What progress did you make on your 21st Century Skill Development Plan? (include insight or understanding and possible next steps) 30 points
Course Outcomes
1. Design a personal learning plan for the 811 Practicum that includes a list of experiences, activities, observations, and interactions to occur during the course. 30 points
2. Create a personal Vision Statement, Values and Belief Statement, and Professional Goal.
20 points
3. Complete the NASSP Breaking Ranks Skills Assessment Inventory and write a personal growth plan to develop competencies for one selected skill. 20 points
4. Develop an Activity Log that documents the experiences that occur during the 811 Practicum. Individual entries in the Activity Log are to be categorized by Professional Standards for Educational Leaders, NDE Framework, and NASSP Leadership Skill and include a reflective summary of the activity.
5. Observe and evaluate at least 3 different types of professional meetings (i.e. Faculty Meeting, Board of Education Meeting, Administrative Team Meeting, Parent Meeting, State or National Conference, etc.) Summaries of the meetings are to be included in the Activity Log but should also be posted on the Discussion Board under the Professional Meeting tab. 20 points
6. Participate in all Practicum Seminars held during the semester.
The following books are required for the 811 Practicum:
• National Association of Secondary School Principals, (2010). Breaking Ranks: 10 Skills for Successful School Leaders. NASSP, 1904 Association Drive, Reston, VA.
· Sergiovanni, Thomas J., (2005), Strengthening the Heartbeat: Leading and Learning
Together in Schools, Jossey-Bass, San Francisco, CA 978-0-7879-65440
Diversity Statement:
The University of Nebraska-Lincoln is committed to a pluralistic campus community through Affirmative Action and Equal Opportunity. We assure reasonable accommodation through the Americans with Disabilities act. Students with disabilities are encouraged to contact the instructor for a confidential discussion of their individual needs for academic accommodation. It is the policy of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln to provide flexible and individualized accommodation to students with documented disabilities that may affect their ability to fully participate in course activities or to meet course requirements. To receive accommodation services, students must be registered with the Services for Students with Disabilities (SSD) office, 132 Canfield Administration, 472-3787 voice or TTY
Mentors and Mentees
A good mentor is more than a good role model. A mentor goes beyond being a role model by serving as a person who is inclined to prod the mentee to learn how to do things based on the individual’s personal skills, talents, and abilities. A good mentor will ask leading questions for the mentee to consider and resolve.
In an article titled, “Corporate Mentoring Tips: 7 Habits of Highly Successful Mentors & Mentees”, presented by Management Mentors in their June 2012 newsletter, they suggest that effective mentoring relationships take place when the mentors and mentees bring certain skill sets to the table. Here is a list of the skill sets that were described:
1. Active Listeners. People who listen actively don’t simply sit back and allow words to hit their eardrums. They sit up straight. They take notes. They ask questions. They repeat or “mirror back” what they’ve heard to ensure they’ve understood it properly. Active listeners provide non-verbal gestures that follow what you are saying.
2. Dedicated to Their Success. People who take pride in their work, who want to grow, and who truly care about their career trajectory are assets because of their high expectations.