Overview

M.S.Ed.: School Building Leadership (SBL)
M.S.Ed.: School Building Leader (SBL) and School District Leader (SDL)

Dr. Diane Reed and Dr. William B. Stroud, Co-Program Directors

Mission

The mission of the Educational Leadership programs is to prepare highly capable, compassionate, and ethically responsible school leaders who can meet the challenge of providing a high-quality education for all learners. The core of the programs centers on the philosophy of social justice and the fundamental belief that all children, regardless of background, can learn and that learning occurs best in environments that foster high expectations, shared responsibility and accountability, standards of excellence, mutual respect, and equity of results.

Vision

The Educational Leadership programs will provide a high-quality program of study and practice that prepares future administrators to have the skills, knowledge, and values necessary to provide effective leadership in a variety of complex and diverse school settings. To this end, the programs and faculty are committed to providing the highest level of professional preparation that will enable our candidates to address the challenges and to recognize the opportunities in leading a school/district organization toward achieving standards of excellence.

Educational Leadership Admission Requirements

In addition to the materials and credentials outlined in the general admission requirements, the following are required:

• The applicant must be certified as a teacher and have at least two years of teaching experience before admission to the program.
• The applicant must have completed three years of classroom teaching service and/or educational leadership service and/or pupil personnel service experience in public or non-public schools, N–12, by the time of program completion.
• At the discretion of the Educational Leadership Admissions Committee, any applicant with an undergraduate and/or graduate GPA lower than 3.00 may be required to take the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) and score 500 or higher on each of the two tests.
• The applicant must provide two letters of recommendation from certified school administrators familiar with the applicant’s potential to be successful as an educational leader.
• At the discretion of the program Admissions Committee, an applicant may be required to come to campus for a personal interview and provide an on-demand writing sample.

For information regarding application and admission to the Master of Science in Education: Educational Leadership program, please contact the office of Graduate Admissions at (585) 385-8161 or e-mail at grad@sjfc.edu.

For specific information regarding the Master of Science in Education: Educational Leadership program, please contact Dr. Diane Reed or Dr. William Stroud at (585) 385-7250 or by e-mail at dreed@sjfc.edu or wstroud@sjfc.edu.

School Building Leader and School District Leader Admission Requirements

In addition to the materials and credentials outlined in the general admission requirements and the Educational Leadership admission requirements above, individuals applying for admission to the School Building and School District program must hold a master’s degree from an accredited institution with a minimum of 30 credits in an area that leads to permanent or professional teacher or pupil personnel services certification.

For information regarding application and admission to the Master of Science in Education: School Building Leader and School District Leader program, please contact the office of Graduate Admissions at (585) 385-8161 or by e-mail at grad@sjfc.edu.

For specific information regarding the Master of Science in Education: School Building and School District Leader program, please contact Dr. Diane Reed or Dr. William Stroud at (585) 385-7250 or by e-mail at dreed@sjfc.edu or wstroud@sjfc.edu.

About the Program

Description

The Educational Leadership programs are for candidates who hold a New York State (NYS) teaching certificate (professional or permanent) and are seeking NYS certification at the school building, or school building and school district level. They are also designed to provide high-quality and innovative standards-based educational experiences for ethical future educational leaders.

The programs use an integrated approach by combining theory, authentic case studies, class discussions, candidates’ experience, and field-based internships to address current and emerging issues impacting the quality of education. This integrated approach infuses theory with practice to support the acquisition of the skills, knowledge, and values necessary to create optimum school conditions that promote a high-quality learning environment for all students. The case studies and field experiences both teach and measure candidate competence against national and state standards.

The Educational Leadership programs require 24 credits of coursework and 8 credits of internship for a total of 32 credits. The programs are designed around a weekend format. Each semester’s studies constitute a module, and each module is comprised of two three-credit courses and one two-credit internship experience. Each three-credit course will meet on alternate weekends for a total of four weekend sessions. Candidates take two courses and an internship each semester including the summer session. Most candidates complete the program in 18 months.

The field-based clinical internships are crucial elements of the programs' curricula. The programs have four internships of two credits each that are taken concurrently with the courses offered each semester. Each internship requires a minimum of 160 hours per 16-week semester, plus one full week (40 hours) sometime during the program. The internships will total 680 clock hours (four internships of 160 hours each plus one full week). Through the internship experiences, candidates define and analyze problems of practice, acquire the skills and knowledge needed to deal effectively with such problems, and integrate their theoretical studies with practical applications. At least one internship is in a diverse setting. At least one internship needs to be at the building level and one at the district level. Internship assignments and times are arranged by the College in collaboration with the candidate and the candidate’s home school district or partnering district.

Weekend Format

The Educational Leadership courses meet in an every-other-weekend format. Classes meet on Fridays from 4:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. and on Saturdays from 9:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. with a working lunch.

Faculty

Our faculty members are committed to providing the highest level of preparation for candidates participating in the program. All full-time faculty members have extensive and successful experiences as administrators in a variety of educational settings and possess New York State administrative certificates and doctoral degrees.

Learning Outcomes

Program Goals

The goals of the Educational Leadership programs are to prepare administrators who:

• Are knowledgeable in both the theories and best practices in education.
• Can help shape positive teaching and learning environments that support the educational, emotional, and social development of all students.
• Are committed to the proposition that all children can learn and insist that all children have the opportunity and resources needed to learn.
• Place the interests of children at the forefront of all school-related decisions.

Learning Outcomes

The learning outcomes of these programs are to produce school leaders who:

• Have a thorough grounding in and understanding of the challenges and opportunities in education.
• Have the ability to work effectively with members of the school district and local community.
• Demonstrate effective leadership, management, and communication skills and are agents for effective and positive change.
• Have a strong sense of ethics and ethical responsibility to the children and families served by the school and school district.
• Have a broad understanding of the role of the school/district and its relationship to the broader community in which it operates.
• Have a broad awareness and knowledge of curriculum issues, the ISLCC 2008 standards, and the State’s learning standards and assessment program.
• Are prepared based on State and national leadership standards and assessments for school building and district leaders.
• Are knowledgeable about and committed to teaching and learning principles that support effective classroom practices and procedures based on the developmental learning needs of P–12 students and State learning standards.
• Are knowledgeable about educational research, research techniques, and interpretation of research findings in education.
• Have a general understanding of educational technology and its applications in research, communication, and instruction.
• Can design and implement effective programs for faculty and staff development.
• Have an understanding of education law, finance, and the legal issues facing schools and school districts.
• Have the knowledge and skills related to a school leader’s responsibility to establish a school or district budget and provide the necessary fiscal oversight required to support achievement of planned educational objectives and goals.

Program Requirements

M.S.Ed.: School Building Leader Degree Requirements

Upon successful completion of the Educational Leadership program, the candidate will receive a Master of Science in Education degree with a major in Educational Leadership and will be eligible for New York State certification as a School Building Leader.

M.S.Ed.: School Building Leader and School District Leader Degree Requirements

Upon successful completion of the School Building Leader and School District Leader program and successful completion of the NYS School District Leader Assessment, the candidate will receive a Master of Science in Education degree with a specialty in Educational Leadership and will be eligible for New York State certification as a School Building Leader and as a School District Leader.

*Required School Leadership Assessments

New York State school leaders must pass designated tests as a requirement for receiving state certification.

M.S.Ed: School Building Leader

Students graduating will be required to achieve satisfactory scores on the School Building Leadership assessment for certification.

M.S.Ed: School Building Leader and School District Leader

Students graduating will be required to achieve satisfactory scores on the School Building Leader and School District Leader assessment for certification. In addition, a satisfactory score on the School District Leader assessment is required for graduation from St. John Fisher College.

Program Modules

Both Educational Leadership programs have four interrelated modules comprised of three courses each.

Module I: Developing Effective Leadership

Strong and effective leadership has been shown to be a correlate to school success. This framework is designed to: provide candidates with an understanding of the major influences affecting American education and expose candidates to the research on motivational theory, leadership effectiveness, and best practices in school/district leadership that enhance learning for all students. The courses in Module I will employ lectures, discussions, assigned readings, case studies, and first-person accounts to provide students with a theoretical context and understanding of the various components of effective leadership.

Module II: Planning and Implementing School Improvement Strategies

This module is designed to increase candidates’ understanding of the various planning and implementation processes that promote and support school improvement. Specific emphasis will be placed on the study of various models and strategies that have been used to engage and guide the school community in the school improvement process. Candidates will examine case histories of high- and low-performing schools in diverse settings and develop school improvement plans that include the use of technology and information literacy for such schools. The courses offered in this module will focus on strategies that promote high-quality learning environments for all students, including the use of technology and information systems to enrich curriculum and instruction.

Module III: Effective Public Communication

The studies in this module will teach the candidate how to effectively engage the public in the school enterprise at all levels. The courses will focus on parent and community involvement, media relations, creating partnerships, and communicating results. The courses will also discuss strategies for communicating effectively with groups from diverse backgrounds. The goal is to make each candidate an effective communicator.

Module IV: Continuous School Improvement

This module is designed to provide candidates with the knowledge and skills required to apply a systems approach to continuous school improvement. The courses offered in this module will focus on systems that provide: frequent monitoring and assessment of student and staff performance; ongoing staff and student development; opportunities to express and include diverse perspectives, professional development initiatives, programs and practices to celebrate and reward success; and a framework for collaborative internal and external review of school programs, practices, and results. The courses also will include the examination and applications of model technology systems that collect, analyze, and use data to inform decision-making and improve results.

Capstone Project

The capstone project is an integral part of the program. The purpose of the capstone project is to provide candidates with an opportunity to demonstrate the skills, knowledge, and values necessary to provide effective leadership in a variety of complex and diverse school settings. The project should reflect the standards in the candidate’s program of study and demonstrate that the candidate has a clear understanding of the School of Education's conceptual framework of social justice and the five interlocking tenets of diversity, compassion, knowledge, service, and achievement. Where possible, the candidate should demonstrate or provide evidence that he or she has acquired facility in the use of technology and information literacy to support instruction and learning. The project requires candidates to complete a portfolio of their best work and make an oral presentation using various technologies on a topic that focuses on the state and national standards for effective school/district leadership, including but not limited to: Effective Leadership Behavior; School/District Assessment; Curriculum and Instruction; Diversity; Improving Student Achievement; Oral and Written Communication; Parent and Community Participation; and Staff Evaluation and Professional Development.

A review panel comprised of the Educational Leadership faculty and successful practitioners will evaluate the capstone project. The role of the review panel is to assess the extent to which each candidate demonstrates the essential skills, knowledge, and values of effective leadership based on New York State and national standards. The review categories include: Technical Aspects; Instructional/Programmatic Factors; Interpersonal/Human Relations; Conceptual Issues; Values; and Leadership. Course professors will provide written feedback to each candidate on his or her strengths and areas needing improvement. In addition, each candidate will be provided with a DVD of his or her oral presentation for self-evaluation purposes. Successful completion of the project is a program requirement.