Teacher Leader Endorsement

Teacher leadership is not an event, but a process which encompasses studying, practicing, and developing leadership skills and competencies, such as the development of knowledge, abilities and dispositions necessary for effective and ethical leadership that are essential for school improvement efforts. The teacher leadership candidates examine the principles and techniques required of teacher leaders. In addition, this course explores the expansion of the teacher role from the classroom to the school community. Teacher leaders learn to focus on research and best practices in leadership, the study of leadership frameworks and models of shared governance, professional accountability, and leading collaborative teams in setting results-oriented goals. This course includes a 10-hour practicum experience during which theory is applied to practice. Candidates must complete their practicum requirements in schools with a diverse population.

Teacher leaders evaluate effective models of professional development and apply them to the teaching and learning needs identified in their schools. They understand the needs of new teachers and facilitate induction and mentoring programs to enhance skills to improve student outcomes. They learn to observe instruction and provide constructive feedback through teacher evaluation models and training; they learn effective coaching and mentoring strategies; and they learn to design and provide professional development for their colleagues. This course includes a 10 hour practicum experience during which theory is applied to practice. Candidates must complete their practicum requirements in schools with a diverse population.

The learning environment continues to become diversified due to changes in students’ neurological wiring, mobility, family configuration, immigration, and socio-economic status. The teacher leadership candidates examine current knowledge about and resources available to make modifications for K-12 students in the regular classroom who have exceptionalities arising from disabilities, giftedness, and differences in culture and/or language. As a result, teacher leaders learn how to build school culture that focuses on student outcomes.
This course also provides opportunities for analysis of everyday situations and the impact of instructional models and practices on the teaching and learning processes. This analysis includes a focus on gender, ethnicity, race, religion, socio-economic status, and parents/family. In addition, teacher leaders learn to utilize the Social and Emotional Learning Standards to improve the learning environment. This course includes a 10 hour practicum experience during which theory is applied to practice. Candidates must complete their practicum requirements in schools with a diverse population.

Collecting, analyzing, and using data for creating change is a major component of the informational age. The teacher leadership candidates learn the difference between data-driven and data-focused approach to assessment and evaluation. The course explores how to match the types of data with specific need for information. Teacher leaders learn to analyze and interpret data around school culture, working and learning settings, and school climate. The course examines how data-focused assessments build support for student
achievement and school improvement. The teacher leadership candidates engage in the multiple techniques for gathering and analyzing data, evaluating the validity, and the methods for collaborative review. This course includes a 10 hour practicum experience during which theory is applied to practice. Candidates must complete their practicum requirements in schools with a diverse population.

Schools and their leaders cannot create effective and lasting change without the support of the community. It is imperative that all levels of leadership in the school build collaborative relations with all of the constituents of the school community. The teacher leadership candidates examine the theory, research, and best practices relating to school, family, and community partnerships. This course also explores the different types of partnerships, challenges to developing school-based partnership programs, the components of effective partnership programs that enhance student performance and success; and how to evaluate their effectiveness to achieve the over-arching goal of school improvement. This course includes a 10 hour practicum experience during which theory is applied to practice. Candidates must complete their practicum requirements in schools with a diverse population.

The TLED candidate will have a thorough understanding and framework concerning the foundational theories, process, and methodologies impacting reading instruction required for today's diverse K-12 student population. To understand current reading theory and the historical foundation; the candidate will explore the increasing complexities of current thought within the discipline. The impact of technology, as well as multicultural factors, will be explored in depth throughout the course. The candidate will reflect upon personal beliefs about reading and reading instruction in conjunction with the examination of current research and related introspection. This course includes a 10 hour practicum experience during which theory is applied to practice. Candidates must complete their practicum requirements in schools with a diverse population.

Whether instituted by federal, state, or local mandates, the inclusion of E.L.L. (English Language Learner) students into the U.S. K~12 mainstream is a reality within our schools. This course is designed to provide the K~12 mainstream teacher with two major skills sets: 1) the knowledge and tools necessary to accommodate the E.L.L. student’s English-language-learning needs inside and outside of the classroom; and 2) the teacher-leadership skills necessary to function in the capacity as both an educator and leader within the community, the family, the school, the classroom, and the profession.

The tools are practical; include components that allow for feedback regarding the on-going assessment of the tools themselves, and are utilized by the teacher, the student, and by the student’s family who are viewed as an extension of the classroom-learning environment. This course reaches beyond general TESL strategies by providing accommodations so the learner can attain English while studying in the content areas at school with supportive measures at home. Accommodation through awareness of cultural differences & similarities is the foundational theme upon which the tools are built. The workings of this topic are applied universally to the daily encounters the mainstream teacher, and the E.L.L. student and the family have with the student’s English-language-learning. This explorative theme will be implemented also into the areas of assessment, instructional principles & practices, and resources as they apply to accommodating E.L.L. students in the K~12 mainstream. This course includes a 10 hour practicum experience during which theory is applied to practice. Candidates must complete their practicum requirements in schools with a diverse population.

Differentiated instruction is a philosophical approach to teaching and learning which embraces the belief that all students can learn through curriculum, instruction, and assessment designed to maximize the potential of each individual. Participants learn to create an environment which meets the needs of an increasingly diverse population of students with varied abilities while addressing challenging state standards at the same time. This course will focus on the meaning of differentiation, ways to effectively implement it in the classroom through strategies that work, and means by which to lead and manage a differentiated classroom to fit the individual needs of each student. This course includes a 10 hour practicum experience during which theory is applied to practice. Candidates must complete their practicum requirements in schools with a diverse population.

The candidate will engage in a socio-cultural and education examination of learning achievement issues that culturally and linguistically diverse students face in American school communities. The candidate will also examine techniques and strategies to promote collaboration with colleagues and administrators to provide support and a learning environment that embraces differences built upon commonalities. Topics include family literacy, parent communication, models of co-teaching for ESL classrooms, and taking a leadership role in ESL education. ESL 607 includes a 20 clock-hour practicum in a school setting with bilingual or multilingual students.

This course examines applied learning theories and research. The candidate will be able to summarize and apply the basic tenets of the theories to his/her own area of specialization; use the appropriate vocabulary and concepts that have been developed by the educational theorists; apply the theories and concepts in a practical teaching setting; reflect upon the outcome; evaluate and design instructional strategies to meet the needs of the K-12 students in the classroom; and critique new ideas and proposals related to applied learning.

This course explores the unique composite of K-12 students in today’s classroom. To develop the best learning environment and curriculum for student diversity, this information is foundation for effective teaching and student learning. The course will cover this diverseness through the study of ethnicity, race, gender, and socioeconomic status of K-12 students who are a part of the American education system. The topics that will be interconnected with these types of diversity include the impact of home, society and school on the youth’s attitudes and behaviors, and especially on academic behavior.

Practice is the best tool for learning. This course is designed to give the candidates experiences in exemplary teaching, curriculum development, professional development, and leadership. The focus is student and overall school achievement in a P-12 learning environment. In this course, candidates will complete and then present research findings from their research projects begun in EDUC 607.