5 credit graduate course credits
Credit/No credit

Program Overview and Outline

Overview

Ensuring equity and excellence for all students poses an enormous leadership challenge for all school leaders. The ability to "keep the flame alive" in the face of difficult social, political, cultural, and economic problems is fundamental for sustaining the kind of leadership schools need today. This course focuses on sustaining that passion by further developing the leadership capacity (knowledge, skills, tools, values, and will) of practicing principals and assistant principals, and rekindling the leadership spirit and desire necessary to sustain the pursuit of equity and social justice for all students.

Objectives

1) Participants will develop a deeper understanding of the organizational, political and social context of their current school and school district.

2) Participants will identify gaps between their own leadership values of equity and excellence for all and the reality they face within their current school and school district context.

3) Participants will develop a deeper understanding of the instructional, and systems leadership necessary to close the gap between the values they hold as leaders and the reality they face.

4) Participants will develop a conceptual framework for leading and managing an aggressive agenda of equity and excellence for all within their current school and school district context.

5) Participants will take instructional and organizational leadership action to advance their agenda of equity and excellence for all students.

6) Participants, through continued deep reflection and peer support, examine and will adjust their instructional and organizational leadership strategies.

7) Participants, through the program structure and support, will leave the program undaunted by the daunting leadership challenge they face; and, embrace this leadership challenge with a renewed passion, energy and commitment.

Meeting Times:

Six one and one-half day institutes: 4:30 - 7:30 p.m., 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. at the Seattle School District

Dates:

Requirements:

The course is credit/no credit. The requirements for credit include: active participation in all leadership content seminars; reading assigned articles; written response to the four prompts provided, in which participants reflect upon their learning during each seminar.

Prompts:

(1)What new information or insight have you gained from this session?
(2)What are you still wondering about or want to know?
(3)How will this new learning inform your plans for leading an instructional improvement agenda at your school?
(4)What evidence do you have that your leadership actions have made a difference in your school?

Curriculum Outline and Schedule
Institute I

Institute II

Institute III

Institute IV

Institute V

Institute VI

Initial Readings: Instructional Leadership for Equity and Excellence 2005-2006

Darling-Hammond, L. (Spring 2000) How Teaching Knowledge Matters. Thinking K-16-The Education Trust, 20.

Elmore, R. (Winter 2000) Building A New Structure for School Leadership. The Albert Shanker Institute.

Fink, E. & L. Resnick. (April 2001) Developing Principals As Instructional Leaders. Phi Delta Kappan. 598-606

Joyce, Bruce & E. Calhoun. (April 1995). School Renewal: An Inquiry, Not A Formula.
Educational Leadership.

Scheurich, J. & L. Skrla. (2003). Leadership for Equity and Excellence. Thousand Oaks: Corwin Press.

Stein, M.K. & B. Nelson. (Winter 2003). Leadership Content Knowledge. Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, Vol. 25, No. 4, pp. 423-448.