UNIVERSITY  OF NORTH CAROLINA                          UNIT: School of Education

AT GREENSBORO                                                      DEPT: Educational Leadership and Cultural Foundations

COURSE SYLLABUS

1.     Course Prefix and Number: ELC 790

2.     Course Title: Internship in Educational Leadership

3.     Credits:     3-18

4.     Course Prerequisites/Corequisites: Minimum of 24 semester hours beyond the master’s, or a minimum of all prerequisite courses and 24 additional semester hours for those admitted to the program without a master’s degree.  All such work to be approved in writing by the student’s Advisory/Dissertation Committee.

5.     For Whom Planned: Required course for the Ed.D. in Educational Leadership.

6.     Instructor Information:  Dale Brubaker, 232 Curry Bld., (336) 334-3460, Secretary—Karen Stacherski (336) 334-3490       

Professor Brubaker’s e-mail is   dlbrubak@uncg.edu

7.     Course Purpose/Catalog Description: Directed year-long internship in an appropriate educational administration field-based setting.  Supervision shared by department faculty and field-based mentors.  (Graded on S-U basis) (Same as CUI 790)

8.     Teachers Academy Conceptual Framework Mission Statement: The mission of professional education at UNCG is to prepare and support the professional development of caring, collaborative, and competent educators who work in diverse settings. This mission is carried out in an environment that nurtures the active engagement of all participants, values individual as well as cultural diversity and recognizes the importance of reflection and integration of theory and practice. UNCG's professional education programs are guided by shared commitments to: (a) equity and excellence in teaching, research, and service; (b) professional integrity and ethical deliberation in dealing with students and colleagues (university-based, school-based, and community-based); (c) the construction of a professional knowledge base through collaboration and collegiality; and (d) the dissemination of professional knowledge, skills and dispositions through the preparation and continuing professional development of teachers, principals and other school personnel.

9.     Course Goals and/or Objectives/Student Learning Outcomes:

(l) The internship provides doctoral students with the opportunity to INITIATE

     reflective action (PRAXIS) that may find its way into research papers and

     dissertations. [Theses and Dissertations is a reference book on this subject.]

(2) Good work during the internship may lead to job offers and opportunities of a

     professional nature.  In some cases these opportunities are on-site; in others,

     leaders on-site use their networks to link you with educators who make job offers.

(3) THE INTERNSHIP WORKS BEST WHEN THE DOCTORAL STUDENT

     IS PROACTIVE AND USES THE INTERN ADVISOR AND FELLOW

     STUDENTS AS RESOURCES.   [For example, “I would like to have you

     attend a controversial meeting we are having with the Athletic Boosters and

     the Band Boosters.  The marching band needs new uniforms and its director

     is asking the Athletic Boosters to help fund this effort.”]  Previous interns

     have invited me into their school and school-system settings to critique their

     leadership during a meeting or the like.  PLEASE INVITE ME INTO YOUR

     SCHOOL FOR SPECIAL EVENTS, MEETINGS AND THE LIKE.

(4) The conversations we have are an excellent way to learn together informally.

     many conversations will focus on the internship, coursework, the program of

     study, dissertation writing and dissertation work.

10.  Teaching Strategies: For example, lecture, class discussion, group work, conferences, student presentations, electronic chat room, etc.

11.  Evaluation Methods and Guidelines for Assignments: Statement of how students will be evaluated in the course and/or list of course requirements

Assignments:  I would like to have you write a brief (2-5 page) summary paper in which you adopt a thesis (big idea) about what you have learned during the internship after which you provide support for this thesis.  For example, your thesis might be that 90 percent of the time during the internship it was “one darn thing after another” of a routine nature.  But 10 percent of the time the educational leader faces critical incidents that determine personal and leadership team success. 

Four cases will be due.  These are critical incidents you experienced during the internship.  Please write a case ASAP after you have dealt with it so that it has “the ring of truth.”  Send it to me or give it to me in person so that I can respond in a timely manner.  Use the case study format in STAYING ON TRACK.

The brief paper and case studies will be part of a portfolio of materials I would like to have you construct as you experience events during the internship period.  Examples of materials are any notes you may take during a meeting or school-related event, e-mails to me, publications (such as newsletters) distributed by your school and/or school system, an ongoing journal in which you share ideas and feelings about what you experience as a leader and convention or conference handouts.  The portfolio will give us substantive materials to discuss.  I will do a final reading at the end of the semester.

12.  Required Text(s)/Readings/References:

STAYING ON TRACK.  (This book may be found under ELC 790 or Campus Authors in the bookstore.)

13.  Topical Outline: This might also be your calendar.  The course outline should contain sufficient detail to permit assessment of agreement between actual content and stated objectives and catalog description.

We will have an occasional meeting, probably in conjunction with a class or special event, to hear a speaker after which we will engage in discussion about the relationship between school and society.  In the past, Dr. Terri Mosley talked to us about the creation of a new health clinic in a middle school in Surry County and Dr. Tim Lee spoke about his dissertation that integrated quantitative and qualitative research.   Dr. Mosley’s presentation afforded us an opportunity to talk about ways in which the internship can be connected to special social action programs in your school, school system and community.  Working in such settings will make clear how school culture is linked to the larger society.  You are urged to discuss such linkages with professors at UNCG in general and your doctoral committee members in particular.  More on this as your doctoral program of study and internship plans become more concrete.

14.  Other Information:

ELC colleagues have spent the 1998-2001 academic years rethinking and reconceptualizing the EdD in Educational Leadership.  Special attention has been given to the internship.  From my point of view, the heart of the internship will remain critique, by both students and professor, and conversations between students and me.

15.  Recommended Text(s) and/or Readings: A bibliography or list of references highlighting recent scholarship (pedagogy and research) in the subject area

16.  Alignment with State and National Standards: Attach a matrix aligning the course goals/objectives with INTASC and/or NBPTS, DPI guidelines or competencies, standards of your professional organization (CEC, NCTM, NCTE, NCSS, NASD, etc.).  See the CUI 553 matrix as an example. If these were included as part of the course goals/objectives listed #9, you do not have to repeat them in a matrix.