This course is an in-depth study of topics relevant to instructional leadership and educational policy cycles. Topics include the policy making process, the role of values and interest groups, policy analysis, equality of educational opportunity, how policy efforts are reshaped, and systemic reform. Policy issues such as high-stakes testing, curricular mandates, and accountability are used as exemplars.

This course offers in-depth study of topics relevant to educational reform and policy-making, such as: substantive nature of selected reforms, ethical and value choices they entailed, programmatic strategies used in implementing them, and methods used to evaluate them

This course offers in-depth study of topics relevant to educational reform and policy-making, such as: substantive nature of selected reforms, ethical and value choices they entailed, programmatic strategies used in implementing them, and methods used to evaluate them

The goal of this course is to develop an extensive understanding of a range of recent and current educational policies: their rationale, objectives, methods, and likely success under different conditions. Educational policy will be discussed in the context of past and current reform efforts-as reasons for, constraints to, and facilitation of reforms.

Students acquire the knowledge, dispositions, and critical thinking skills necessary for initiating field research and apply these skills to conduct an applied research project that creates knowledge for solving dilemmas related to instructional leadership.

The purpose of this course is to provide a substantial introduction to the nature and use of qualitative methods of inquiry. Students 1) practicing some of the key skills, i.e. interviewing, participant observation, creating fieldnotes, developing appropriate research questions; 2) talking about other skills such as role management and site entre; 3) reading and critiquing research that uses qualitative methods, and 4) applying the skills in order to conduct and "write-up" a mini qualitative study/project. The goal is to assist students to become a group of informed users of qualitative research with enough skills in place to design, collect, and analyze data.

The purpose of this course is to provide a substantial introduction to the nature and use of qualitative methods of inquiry. Students 1) practicing some of the key skills, i.e. interviewing, participant observation, creating fieldnotes, developing appropriate research questions; 2) talking about other skills such as role management and site entre; 3) reading and critiquing research that uses qualitative methods, and 4) applying the skills in order to conduct and "write-up" a mini qualitative study/project. The goal is to assist students to become a group of informed users of qualitative research with enough skills in place to design, collect, and analyze data.

Students acquire the knowledge, dispositions, and critical thinking skills necessary for initiating field research and apply these skills to conduct an applied research project that creates knowledge for solving dilemmas related to instructional leadership.