Educational Leadership, Administration and Foundations

Post-Master's Non-Degree License Program- School Administration& Supervision

Program Description: The 39 credit hour maximum Non-Degree Program for School Administration Licensure prepares students who already hold a master’s degree in education for positions of leadership as school administrators. The program fulfills, in part, the requirements for the Building-Level Administration License prescribed by the Division of Professional Standards, Indiana Department of Education. In order to qualify for the Building-Level Administration License, the student must complete the program, must hold an Indiana teaching license, must present evidence of at least two years of teaching experience, and must pass the state licensure examination.

The distinct features of the program include:

• Blended distance education delivered program via interactive television and/or the Web augmented by on-campus Saturday sessions three times per semester.
• Designed to serve public and private sector working professionals for positions of school leadership in either setting.
• Nationally recognized internship experience by the American Association of School Administrators (AASA).
• Linkages with large network of alumni for mentoring and support, many of whom have won statewide honors for their work.
• Graduates that achieve among the highest scores on the School Leader Licensing Assessment (SLLA) exam among administration preparation programs in the state.
• ISLLC and Indiana Professional Standards guided curriculum.
• Rolling admission (students can start any semester or during the summer).
• Assessment of previous masters degree coursework that may be substitutable for select courses in the program.

Principal Internship Experience:

The Principal Intern Program, founded in 1971, is designed to provide students with a rich, 8 month long field experience (Fall and Spring semesters) under the guidance of a principal mentor and faculty supervisor. Students engage in 10 hours/week of school administration work in one’s own school or in another easily accessible school. In-field work is augmented by once per month Saturday seminars with other interns. The program is structured to provide an opportunity to apply course content knowledge to real issues of administrative practice and to the development and refinement of leadership skills and competencies. The Principal Intern Program is a 12 credit hour experience (ELAF 758 & ELAF 793) that students take sometime after completing ELAF 650, 681, and 655 at a minimum. For more information, please consult the Principal Intern Handbook.

Participation in the Principal Intern program requires a supplemental Intern Program Application, signed by the supervising principal mentor and that also includes 3 letters of recommendation using the evaluation form included in the Intern Program Application packet. Applications are to be submitted in the spring semester prior to beginning the experience in the Fall semester.

Program Curriculum:

While course sequencing is generally patterned, the curriculum is sufficiently flexible that a person can begin coursework in any semester or over the summer. A student who takes 2-3 courses per semester, including during the summer, can be finished with the program in two years.

ELAF605 Philosophy of Education—3 hours. Educational theories and practices are analyzed using the concepts and skills of philosophy.

ELAF650 Foundations of Educational Leadership—3 hours. Emphasis on theories of leadership, management aspects of leadership, vision building, professional ethics, working with groups, educational program development, and the political, social, cultural and legal aspects related to educational leadership.

ELAF655 Legal Aspects of School Administration—3 hours. Origin and development of school law with emphasis given to its application in contemporary school problems.

ELAF656 School and Community: Collaborating for Effective Schools—3 hours. Practices and procedures that may be employed to develop mutual understanding between the citizens of a community and their public schools.

ELAF681 The School Principal: Leadership for Changing Schools—3 hours. A study of the role of the school administrator as it is concerned with instructional staff and programs, educational vision and values, diverse student needs, team leadership, continuous school improvement, change, and the effective leadership and management of the school setting.

ELAF683 Leadership for Learning Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment to Support Improved Student performance—3 hours. Designed to provide emphasis on foundations and concepts of curricular and instructional leadership related to organizational patterns and practices, staff productivity, team building, special needs students, instructional technology, curriculum trends, and the change process. Students and program assessment will focus on applying assessment to improve teaching and learning in the classroom.

CIMT 660 Curriculum Fundamentals (or ELED 660)—3 hours. An introductory course in curriculum which includes the foundations and meaning of curriculum, principles and patterns of curriculum, forms and ways of organizing curriculum, development of curriculum for special groups, forces and processes in curriculum change, current criticisms of curriculum, and curriculum for the future school.

EPSY 621 Life Span Development—3 hours. Students will undertake a thorough examination of developmental changes that occur throughout life. In addition to milestones of development, mechanisms of development and psycho-educational strategies to facilitate optimal development are considered.

CIMT 610 Research in Education—3 hours. Instruction in the skills, knowledge, and competencies needed to plan and understand research. Topics include library use, scientific methodology, observation, measurement, selection of a question, design, data collection, analysis of data, and generalization from data.

OR

COUN 620 Foundations of Research—3 hours. Instruction in behavioral research. Topics covered include scientific methodology, measurement, observation, data collection, statistical analyses, design of experiments, interpretation of and generalization from data.

OR

EPSY 620 Foundations of Qualitative and Quantitative Research—3 hours. Introduction to qualitative and quantitative research methodologies in behavioral sciences. Topics covered include scientific methodology; measurement; evaluation; quantitative/qualitative designs; data collection; data analysis; interpretation of and generalization from data.

PLUS the Culminating Principal Internship Experience

ELAF 758 Principal Internship—6 hours. Practicum for students in the principal internship in a school under the joint supervision of a certified school administrator and the University. This course is designed to provide students with practical experience related to principal certification standards. A portfolio will be developed to show performance activities that meet certification standards.

ELAF 793 Seminar in Effective Practices for Principals—6 hours. On-campus, regional seminars, and directed study on a variety of contemporary topics related to effective practices for principals. Such topics may be related to leadership and human relations, culture and climate, curriculum and educational program improvement, career planning, staff development, crisis intervention, educational technology, maintenance of facilities, professional ethics, and power and politics.

How to Apply:

Admission Requirements:

1. Bachelor’s degree with a major in an appropriate area from an accredited college or university with minimum GPA of 2.50.

2. Minimum GPA of 3.25 on all graduate work attempted.

3. Hold or eligible for an Indiana teaching license.

4. Minimum of 2 years full-time teaching experience.

5. Additional requirements for admission and/or progress toward the degree may be applicable. See the Graduate Catalog from the School of Graduate Studies.

Application Materials Required:

1. The bulleted items below are to be sent to the ELAF Department via
   email attachment : ELAF@indstate.edu or Fax : 812-237-8041 or Mail to : ELAF Office, 1202 College of Education,
   Indiana State University,
   Terre Haute, IN 47809
   • Resume/vita
   • Personal Narrative of professional goals and past experiences.
   • Documentation of all licenses and certifications held.
   • Letter of recommendation from one’s school principal or other person able to comment on one’s potential as a school administrator.
     
2. The items below are to be submitted to the School of Graduate Studies:
   • School of Graduate Studies Non-Degree Admission application submitted on-line.
   • Official transcripts from each undergraduate and graduate institution attended sent to the School of Graduate Studies.
     
3. Students preparing for their principal internship experience are to fill out the application available for download.
   
   Failure to submit all of the above items in a timely manner can delay your admission decision.

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