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Office Hours: TBA

Cell Phone: (405) 201-0842

Email: sherry.l.martin-1@ou.edu

Dr. Sherry Labyer-Martin

 

THE UNIVERSITY OF OKLAHOMA  JEANNINE RAINBOLT COLLEGE OF EDUCATION

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATIONAL LEADERSHIP AND POLICY STUDIES

EACS 5333 Politics in Educational Administration Summer 2023

Scheduled Meeting Time

July 24-28, 2023 – 4:30-9:30 pm (Hybrid Model; Face-to-Face, Zoom, Independent Work Time)

July 31-August 3, 2023 – 4:30-9:30 pm (Hybrid Model; Face-to-Face, Zoom,

Independent Work Time)

Face-to-face classes will be held at Norman North High School: 

          1809 Stubbeman Avenue, Norman, OK 73069

Instructor: Dr. Sherry Labyer Martin – Adjunct Professor, Educational Leadership & Policy Studies

       Telephone:  405-201-0842 – Email:  sherry.l.martin-1@ou.edu

Course Catalogue Description for EACS 5333 Politics in Educational Administration

Prerequisite: Graduate Standing. An overview of political activities at the local, state, and federal levels that will enhance the professional development of school administrators. Issues addressed include micro-politics at the school site and district offices; superintendent and school board relations; lobbying legislators and dealing with interest groups; the state political process, federal aid; and analysis of current political controversies.

COURSE OUTLINE:

 Focus & Goals

The course objective is to provide aspiring school leaders with practical skills and basic insights into the dynamics of education politics including broader policy studies and the policy environment of schooling.  The class examines the political conflict seen in public education and addresses political interactions in the internal and external context. Participants will be better equipped to excel in an increasingly political environment. The course attempts to align with national leadership standards (ELCC, CAEP, NELP) and state administrative certification requirements.

Format

Class sessions will be delivered in a blended learning format; face-to-face, Zoom and independent work time.  The nine-day format is from 4:30-9:30 pm and there will be independent work time where students are tasked with research and writing assignments.  Class members must assume a major responsibility for their own learning in this course.

  Materials Required:

Textbook:  Schoolhouse Burning; Public Education and the Assault on American Democracy by Derek W. Black.

There will be supplemental readings assigned in class and distributed by the instructor. The distribution of readings will typically take place in advance of when the readings are due or during our class sessions together.

Strongly Suggested:

American Psychological Association. (2010). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (sixth Ed.). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

Electronic Resources:

The Politics of Education Association http://politicsofeducationassociation.wikispaces.com/

National Education Policy Center/Policy Briefs page http://nepc.colorado.edu/publications/policy-briefs

Technology:

Students should have their OUNet ID (4+4) to access their web mail account and to use university library services. Students will also use their 4+4 to access course information in Canvas, https://canvas.ou.edu/.

Overview of Topics

The Current Crisis

A Nation Funded on Education

Education as Freedom

Reconstruction:  A National Recommitment to Education and Democracy

A Constitutional Chorus for the Right to Education

The Fall

The Second Reconstruction

The Civil Rights Backlash

Rediscovering the Constitutional Right to Education

Through History’s Eyes

The major basis for evaluation in the course is through written work, participation/discussions, and presentations.  In a graduate level course, it is assumed that papers will conform to professional standards. Students should consult the most recent edition of the APA Publication Manual for specific guidance about writing conventions and style.

 It is obvious that school building level administrators must have knowledge of best practices regarding management of school organization, operations, and resources for a safe, efficient, and effective learning environment. This includes knowledge of effective practices of management, politics, and leadership. It must be understood that school outcomes are the results that accrue from decisions or actions from those responsible for leading a school. The results can be expressed in terms of student learning measures. Research has demonstrated the principal’s ability to use time effectively and to provide time as a resource for teachers is critical to quality instruction and student achievement. To exercise power principals must have the capacity to change their environment in some way or have the capacity to work with and through others to change a school in specific ways to attain desired goals and outcomes.   

 Students will develop a plan that addresses leadership skills needed to professionally work with and develop faculty and to address community needs.

Description of the Assessment

This activity will require candidates to spend a minimum of 15-20 hours in the field working with school and district level personnel. These hours can be met through in class readings, outside research, videos provided in class, and guest speaker presentations.  Candidates are required to develop a plan that addresses leadership skills needed to professionally work with and develop faculty and to address community needs. Additional requirements for successful completion of the assessment include a description of school’s demographics, socio-economic strata, and programs for students with special needs. A rationale for all suggested changes and suggestions for competing interests are essential. 

 Final Paper/Presentation Instructions (200 points)

  1. Needs Assessment (Minimum 1 page + Tables/Charts (does not count toward page count)
    1. Provide context for the community/district/school you are working with.
    2. Identify a school-level need that will be addressed by your plan and describe.
      1. Quantitative Data – Charts, Tables, Numbers
      2. Qualitative Data – Interview Responses, Observations, Field Work
    3. Literature Review (Minimum 2 pages)
      1. Conduct an academic search on your area of need (should use primary, peer reviewed sources and/or government white papers/data).
      2. Write a review of literature on the area of need including 1) definition of your area of need, 2) current status of area of need, 3) major issues related to area of need, and 4) possible solutions.
      3. Write an analysis of how the area of need as described in literature is similar/different to how the area of need is addressed in the district/school you are working with.
    4. Plan for Improvement (Minimum 5 pages)
      1. Provide a summary of your proposed improvement related to the area of need.
        1. What is your proposed plan for change? Explain your vision.
        2. What impacts will the proposed plan have on the district/school staff/students/families?
        3. What is the anticipated outcome of the proposed plan? How will it improve the area of need?
      2. Explain the following:
        1. What stakeholders would you need to involve in your planning committee to initiate this change? Why are these stakeholders necessary? How would you involve them?
        2. What resources are needed to implement your change? What resources are currently available and which resources are needed?
        3. What budget changes would be necessary to implement your change?
        4. What staff/time/human capital are needed to implement your change? How you recruit/hire/train new staff/human capital?
        5. What organizational/structural changes are needed to implement your change?
      3. Explain how your proposed plan ensures equitable, inclusive, and culturally responsive actions that support families/teachers/students.
      4. Provide a communications plan for your proposed changes
        1. Who would you need to communicate the new plan with?
        2. How would you communicate the plan to stakeholders? (school staff, students, community members, families)
      5. Describe the process for evaluation.
        1. How will you continuously evaluate the plan to ensure it is meeting its intended goals?
      6. Conclusion (minimum 1/2 page)
        1. Summarize your proposed plan and changes.
        2. Explain the significance of your proposed plan to practice, students and families.
        3. This section should wrap up the “why”—why is this change important/necessary?
      7. References

Final Paper/Project Requirements

  1. The Final Paper should be a minimumof 8 pages (Tables, Charts, Graphs, References do not count toward page count.)
  2. Final Paper should be double spaced, 12-pt font and use headers to organize the sections.
  3. Final Paper should be written in narrative form, not numbered or bulleted.
  4. Final Paper should use internal citations in APA format and references should be formatted in APA.
  5. Final Paper should be free of grammar, spelling, and mechanical errors.
  6. Each group will prepare a PowerPoint and present their final project on the last day of class.

Evaluation

 Participation – 100 points

This includes attendance and active engagement. Active engagement means expressing your thoughts, perceptions, and insights in addition to reading and listening to the thoughts, perceptions and insights of others, engaging in respectful dialogue with the instructor and classmates, and being willing to challenge and to be challenged by the important ideas in this course. Students may also be expected to take leadership roles in particular class discussions, enactments, clinical simulations and/or share their expertise in other ways.

All assignments and meetings are equally important. There is also a sequencing of learning built into the course design that gets lost if an individual misses even one meeting or assignment. Responsibility for attendance lies totally with the student. If a student is aware in advance of a significant conflict, he or she should probably consider taking the course at another time. Absences due to emergencies or illness will be handled on an individual basis. The instructor will be reasonable. Those missing a scheduled class or activity are subject to a lower grade for participation. There is no participation makeup work for missed sessions.

Chapter Presentation – 100 points

Each student will be assigned a particular chapter from School House Burning; Public Education and the Assault on American Democracy by Derek W. Black.  You will be responsible for presenting this chapter to the class and you may also interject your own experiences in your presentation.  A PowerPoint is required for presentation as well as preparing thoughtful questions for discussion relative to the chapter.  Please upload your PowerPoint to Canvas.

Article Summaries – 50 points

There will be two article summaries (worth 50 points each) in this nine-day Politics course.  Dr. Martin will provide an article that you must read and provide a one-to-two-page summary on the due date assigned.  The article is intended to be relevant to issues and trends that you have encountered in your education journey.  As you are reading the article, ask yourself the following questions and document your answers in your summary:

Please use APA format that includes a reference page.  Your article should be uploaded to Canvas on the specified due date.

  1. “The What” - What is the challenge that you have experienced in education relevant to the article?

 

  1. “The Why” - Does the article give you a reason/reasons why this has or is occurring in education today? If so, include in your article summary the reason the author provided.  If not, then draw your own conclusions as to why this might be currently happening in education. 

 

  1. “The How” - Does the article give you solution/solutions to address the challenges? If so, summarize those solutions and if not, provide your own thoughts as to how to effectively address the stated challenges in the article.

 

  1. “The Conclusion”- Place yourself in the principal’s role for the upcoming school year and provide a best practice on how you would work toward solving the challenge/challenges in the article. Please provide additional research to support your best practice.  

 

ASSIGNMENT

POINTS POSSIBLE

TOTAL POINTS

Participation

100

100

Chapter Presentation

100

100

Article Summary #1 (article provided by instructor)

  50

  50

Article Summary #2 (article provided by instructor)

  50

  50

Final Project/Presentation

200

200

TOTAL POINTS

 

500

450 – 500  =    A

400 – 449  =    B 

350 – 399  =    C

300 – 349  =    D

348/Below =   F                      

All activities and assignments must be completed and submitted at the time they are due to receive full credit. Late work will be accepted, however, for each day late, 10% will be deducted from total points of the assignment.  Late work; after five days, the student will receive a zero.  This syllabus is not a contract, and the instructor reserves the right to make changes to the course at any time throughout the semester.

Academic Procedure Statements Special Needs Request:

Any student with disabilities needing any type of accommodation in this course or who have questions regarding physical access, are requested to inform the instructor as soon as possible. Students may also contact the Disability Resource Center for the Norman campus to request services or accommodations at

(405) 325-3852 (Voice), (405) 325-4173 (TDD), or email drc@ou.edu. Further information about the Disability Resource Center can be found on the web at: http://www.ou.edu/drc/home.html

Statement of Nondiscrimination:

This course follows and adheres to The University of Oklahoma’s statement on Equal Opportunity which can be accessed at: http://www.ou.edu/content/eoo/statements.html “Equal Opportunity is the right of all persons to enter, study and advance in academic programs on the basis of merit, ability, and potential without regard to race, color, national origin, sex, disability or status as a veteran” (The Board of Regents of the University of Oklahoma, 2005). Further information about the University’s policy on Equal Opportunity can be accessed at: http://www.ouhsc.edu/eoaa/AboutUs.asp

Academic Integrity:

This course adheres to The University of Oklahoma’s statement on Academic Integrity. For your own perusal, this document can be accessed at: http://integrity.ou.edu/students_guide.html. YOU ARE

STRONGLY URGED TO CAREFULLY READ THIS DOCUMENT. All students are expected to maintain university policies on Academic Integrity. ALL WORK THAT YOU TURN IN SHOULD BE YOUR OWN. Proper credit must be given to any ideas and work borrowed from or influenced by others. Failure to do so will result in automatic course failure and other disciplinary actions according to university policy.

Religious Holidays:

According to The University of Oklahoma, Faculty Handbook, Section 3 .15.2 states:

“It is the policy of the University to excuse the absences of students that result from religious observances and to provide without penalty for the rescheduling of examinations and additional required class work that may fall on religious holidays.” Students who plan to observe a religious holiday should notify the instructor as soon as possible to make appropriate arrangements for class work.  

Course Summary:

Course Summary
Date Details Due