500

This course emphasizes the instructional components of teaching and learning by focusing on strategies, techniques and theories pertaining to the teaching/learning situation. Attention to learning theories, learning styles and teaching styles is included.

Special emphasis will be on candidate development as a teacher leader professional and/or candidate’s implementation of professional development and analysis for teachers.

This course provides an introduction to the historical, political, social and cultural issues that affect culturally and linguistically diverse students in schools. Local, state and federal policies regarding entitlement and appropriate services for English language learners are studied. Current theories regarding second language acquisition and specific program models are examined for their impact on student achievement.

Candidates will engage in the implementation of integrating technology in the classroom. A variety of teaching strategies and pedagogical practices for learning will be explored. The candidate will design and implement lessons to meet curricular objectives with a focus on equality and equity. The candidate will also design and implement professional development plans with the goal of assisting teachers in the use of technology across the curriculum in equitable ways.

The dimensions of language acquisition especially as it relates to first and second language acquisition are introduced. Phonetics, phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics, and communicative competence and their implications for ESL and bilingual teachers are addressed.

The selection, administration, and interpretation of measurement instruments for bilingual and English language learners is the focus of this course. Language proficiency, academic achievement, mandated norm and/or criterion referenced assessments and their appropriate uses are considered. Fairness and equity in test selection, administration, and interpretation are addressed. State and national standards for content and language proficiency and the assessment of those standards at the state and classroom levels are examined.

This course provides an overview of the identification, assessment and instructional needs of English Language Learners at the elementary and secondary levels. The importance of culture in addressing the educational and social needs of immigrant students is explored. Candidates will investigate strategies to assess and teach English language skills to limited English proficient students. Accommodations for content area lessons and assessments to foster the success of all students in a multi-language, multi-ethnic learning community are also included.

This course is based on the idea that teachers are critical partners in transforming schooling. It redefines traditional leadership in education and elevates the perception, status, and role of classroom teachers. This course will review, in detail, what teacher leadership means, how it can be implemented, and what support it takes from the school system to be effective.

This course examines the roles of educational leaders as they express and impact the values of the communities of learners served by the school systems. The core of the course is the social contract between the school and the public, in particular the expectations of society that the school will be a proactive institution in helping its clients pursue the good life promised by the American Dream.

This course prepares teachers in the methodology to teach content and language to English Language Learners. Historical and current program models and the pedagogy of teaching ELL’s are examined. Candidates will prepare units based on these models, applying state and national standards and using appropriate assessment strategies.

This course prepares teachers to use native language instruction (L1) to teach P-12 academic content to English language learners. Historical and current program models in the use of native language instruction as well as sheltered English strategies for teaching academic content are examined. Candidates will prepare units to meet the needs of a variety of English language levels while addressing state and national content standards in mathematics, science and social studies. This course is open to teachers who speak another language in addition to English and is part of the required sequence for the Bilingual Endorsement by ISBE.

This course covers the legal foundations of educational institutions in America. Particular emphasis is placed on the evolving roles, responsibilities and relationships of school administrators and agencies. Lighthouse cases and legislation are examined in detail, from "Old Deluder Satan" to current school finance and special education suits. Emphasis is placed on the balance of local, state and federal roles in educational matters.

An examination of the ways judicial interpretation of the law and federal and state statutes shape the ways in which school policy impacts upon curriculum and teaching. Candidates will review several statutes and cases in connection with current issues within their schools. Special emphasis will be placed on issues of differences within school communities.

The exploration and examination of schools and school communities as complex and diverse sociocultural entities will serve as the foundation of this course. Candidates will integrate theoretical and practical implications of schools and school communities with fieldwork to better understand their role as educational leaders.

The impact of culture on society and the educational system, and the importance of culture in addressing the educational and social needs of immigrant students and English language learners (ELLs) are examined. The dual processes of acculturation and cultural conflict are explored, as they relate to learning styles, academic and behavioral expectations. Participants will develop strategies for designing culturally relevant learning opportunities to foster the academic success of diverse groups in a multi-language, multi-ethnic learning community.

This course covers the development in educational institutions in America from colonial times to the present. Emphasis is laid on the social and cultural context in which educational institutions arose to meet the needs of society. Trends are examined in the growth of systems of organization, curriculum, methodology and legal and financial supports.

This course presents the organizational and administrative structures of public and private educational institutions in America. Particular emphasis is placed on structure and function of public schools in Illinois.

This course explores methodologies for the design and implementation of classroom practices that meet the needs of diverse learners and lead to an improved educational environment. Candidates study a variety of instructional strategies and various methods of assessing student performance. Candidates will also learn how to evaluate classroom practices, curriculum and assessment tools as they relate to learning standards.

This course is designed to be a comprehensive study of the process of curriculum development that leads to effective classroom instruction. It is intended to be a basic introduction into the nature of curriculum planning and its relationship to classroom implementation. This course is comprehensive in its treatment, presenting models of the process of planning, analyzing, evaluating and implementing, while at the same time emphasizing curricular theories and practices from a historical perspective.

This course deals with the fiscal bases of the public and private school systems in America. The system of local, state and federal taxation is examined as it relates to school funding. State funding formulas are examined in detail, with particular attention to the funding methods of Illinois public school districts.

Candidates will examine equality and equity issues within various curriculum and pedagogical theories. An exploration of contemporary issues in curriculum design and instructional practice with a focus on community will be included.

Theory and practice in curriculum design, assessing learning, and evaluating curriculum and learning for diverse learners with a focus on equity will be the foundation of this course. This school-based course will focus on methods and materials for assisting teachers in developing comprehensive and equitable assessments based on a curriculum that values multiple ways of knowing.

This course provides an overview of principles of research and the history and practice of research in educational settings as a tool for leadership and change. The candidate selects a topic that addresses an issue or concern affecting the learning community or education professional. Through examination, participation, and application, the graduate candidate will develop a research proposal project that will reflect his or her understanding of how research can be applied in school settings for the improvement of educational practices and processes.

This course examines the demographic variables involved in the public/private school as a social system. Emphasis is on research into the correlations between the variables and student achievement, faculty empowerment and administrative effectiveness.

This course focuses on improving instructional effectiveness of the teaching staff. It explores the role of the supervisor as an instructional leader and develops skills in identifying staff needs and appropriate programs to meet those needs. Emphasis is placed on collaborative instructional decision making and empowering teachers in their classrooms. The relationship between supervision and evaluation is discussed.

This course introduces the candidate to the major issues confronting the school administrator. Topics include effective schools and effective teaching, public accountability and measurement-driven instruction, equity and adequacy in the financing of schools, faculty empowerment, site-based management and the host of studies and reports under the rubric, "School Reform".

The creation and administration of systems of support for educational programs that serve unique learners at the local, state and federal levels is reviewed. Emphasis is given to laws, mandates, policies and procedure. In addition, collaboration with general education, professional development, fiscal management and legal implications are considered.

This course is a survey course intended to be of value to candidates wishing to explore practical applications of selected principles and theories from the areas of education, psychology and the behavioral sciences to the field of counseling. The course covers significant aspects of group counseling, rehabilitation counseling, family counseling, counseling over a life span, crisis intervention counseling, cross-cultural counseling, personal counseling and community counseling. Emphasis, however, is given to the counseling processes that are directly related to special education roles.

Through the examination of current research in teaching, learning, and leadership, candidates will apply research-based solutions to current issues within their school, district, and/or school community.

This practicum entails the assignment of the candidate to a mentor working as an administrator in an elementary school, middle school, secondary school or central office level position in a public or private school district. The candidate completes Modules one, two and three that correspond to the first three ELCC and ISLCC standards. The candidate participates in leadership experiences that coincide with the three standard-based modules. The candidate reviews the projects with the University supervisor who monitors the experiences in concert with the site mentor.

This practicum entails the assignment of the candidate to a mentor working as an administrator in an elementary school, middle school, secondary school or central office level position in a public or private school district. The candidate completes Modules four, five and six that correspond to those ELCC and ISLCC standards. The candidate participates in leadership experiences that coincide with these standard-based modules. The candidate reviews the projects with the University supervisor who monitors the experiences in concert with the site mentor.

This course is a study or project done under the direction of a member of the Department of Educational Leadership.

Under the guidance of a faculty advisor and committee, the candidate composes a major research-oriented work on a topic appropriate to the candidate’s career.