Educational  Leadership Program

Background

Sense of Purpose

A Practical Knowledge Base

Facilitative Instructional Practices

Selection Procedures

Use of Technology

Background

The Program for the Preparation of School Principals and Supervisors began in the fall of 1989 following an eighteen-month study of school leadership by practicing administrators and supervisors, university faculty, and state department of education officials. The resulting cohort program is learning centered, field sensitive, team taught, technologically and resource rich, performance driven, and problem oriented. It is offered in northern Virginia, Hampton Roads, Roanoke, Abingdon, Blacksburg, and at other sites in Virginia. It is reviewed and revised annually to meet the changing needs of school leaders.  ( back )

Sense of Purpose

Talented educators are prepared through this program for positions in school administration and supervision. Graduates are able to work collaboratively with teachers, students, parents, and community leaders in the development of school programs that encourage and promote the growth of all students. They possess the management skills needed to support a productive learning environment for students and teachers. They have the ability to work side-by-side with educators, parents, and community agencies in developing, implementing, and evaluating programs designed to prevent or to confront learning and behavioral difficulties. They are able to work with teachers, children, parents, and community members with diverse needs, views, and values. They have a professional code of ethics and are able to function effectively within local, state, and federal laws, rules, and regulations. Above all, they are caring and competent human beings.  (back )

A Practical Knowledge Base

The program is based on the standards of the Interstate School Leaders Licensure Consortium (ISLLC), the standards of the Educational Leadership Constituent Council (ELCC)—the body that reviews leadership programs for the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education, and over 200 knowledge and skill objectives identified by practicing school administrators and supervisors. These standards and objectives are incorporated into the courses and internship experiences of the program. Heavy emphasis is placed on student learning, collaborative leadership, a productive culture, shared decision making, and planned change.  ( back )

Facilitative Instructional Practices

Courses are performance based and technologically rich. Students use case materials, simulations, in-baskets, and real-life problems to learn various approaches to decision making and problem solving. Both faculty and students favor problem-based learning; it is now used in one form or another in all courses. Both two-way interactive video and electronic courseware (CourseInfo) are used to facilitate communication among individual students and faculty, among small groups, and between cohorts.

An internship begins in the first semester and continues for the entire twenty-four months of the program. Students select a mentor and primary and secondary sites for their internship. They do most of their work with their mentor at the primary site (elementary, middle, secondary, central office), complete fifty clock hours in each of the secondary sites, and complete fifty clock hours in a community agency that has families and children as clients. A full internship is equivalent to one semester (ninety days) and is completed in blocks of time. A part-time internship has four hundred clock hours and is completed in hourly units during planning periods, after school, before school, and whenever the student can get away from regularly assigned duties. Some of the internship may be completed during summers. Part-time interns must be mentored during the first year of employment as a school administrator or supervisor to obtain the university's recommendation for an administrative license.  ( back )

Selection Procedures

Students are carefully selected for the program. Applicants submit an application form with the usual demographic information; a letter of application describing previous leadership experiences, motives for becoming a school leader, and commitments to education and school administration or supervision; and letters of recommendation from three persons, including the applicant's superintendent. An interview is conducted using a protocol to assess the applicant’s academic potential, commitment to becoming a principal or supervisor, commitment to completing the program, communication skills, educational values, interpersonal skills, leadership potential, teaching experience and performance, technological competence, favorable recommendations from the applicant's division superitnendent and two others. Just prior to the interview, the applicant is asked to respond to an educational issue for thirty minutes using a computer.

Faculty members, community members, practicing school leaders, and sometimes teachers serve on the interview committee. Each member of the committee scores each candidate on the criteria. Those with the highest scores are invited to join the program.  ( back )

Use of Technology

Faculty members integrate instructional technology in every course. Blackboard supplements on-site teaching. Two-way interactive video connects cohorts across sites.

Graduates use distance learning equipment and software, courseware such as Blackboard, spreadsheets, scheduling and record keeping software, and presentation software such as Corel's Presentations and Microsoft's PowerPoint throughout the program. They meet the state's technology standards for teachers and administrators, and they have the skills needed to evaluate instructional and managerial software.  (back )

Comments and requests to:

Preparation Program for School Principals and Supervisors
Virginia Tech / ELPS - 0302
219 East Eggleston Hall
Blacksburg, VA  24061

Educational Leadership and Policy Studies, Copyright (C) 1997
Designed by Jeanette McLingberg (mclingj@vt.edu ).
Revised: October 25, 2005
URL: http://www.elps.vt.edu/EDAD/