Leading Change - Pleasant Hill R

Volume 1, Issue 1
Fall 2010 Semester
University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Education
Leading Change
Newsletter for UMKC School of Education’s
Educational Leadership Preparatory Programs
Preparing school and district leaders committed to educational excellence and equity for all students.
Dr. Rob Leachman and the UMKC Northland Campus
Special points of
interest:
Written by Janelle Laudick, Graduate Research Assistant, UMKC
• Now Accepting
Applications for the
Spring 2011 Semester!
Get Started Now!
• We want your opinion!
Join us for a focus group
interview!
• Learn about our UMKC
Northland Campus!
• Open Advising Nights in
November 2010!
INSIDE THIS
Inside Story
ISSUE:
2
pK-12 Program Advisory
Board Meeting Updates
2
Missouri Assistant
Principal of the Year NASSP Finalist
3
UMKC SOE Focus Group
Invitation for Students,
Faculty and Staff
3
Missouri Charter School
Center with Dr. Jerry
Cooper
3
SOE Graduate Program
Highlights, Application
Process & Requirements
4-5
Program Coordinator
News & Updates
6
As an extension
of the UMKC Volker
Campus, the UMKC Northland campus offers
current and prospective
students another convenient location to pursue
their graduate degrees in
education.
Program Director Dr. Robert Leachman
has been at the UMKC
Northland campus since
retiring from his district
superintendent position in
August of 2009, and
deeply enjoys the work
that he is able to do
there.
The campus is
located off of N.W. 112th
Street, and can be easily
accessed by I-29 and I435.
UMKC
Northland
Campus
located
near the
KCI
Airport
Programs at the
Northland
campus
include advanced education degrees such as:
M.A. in Counseling and
Guidance, Curriculum and
Instruction, and Educational Administration; as
well as Ed.S. and Ed.D. in
Educational Administration.
“We continue to
maintain a high quality of
education programs that
are focused on the students; that in itself is a
great success,” said
Leachman.
The administration at UMKC felt that
there was a large community of students that was
not being reached, and by
offering the graduate
education programs at
(Cont’d on page 6)
Become a Leader in Education! Attend One Of Our
Information Sessions at the School of Education!
Whether you are seeking advanced certification or simply want to
become a more dynamic leader within your school, programs are designed to
help you succeed in a variety of roles in school, district, and community settings.
Learn more about our innovative graduate degrees in educational
administration and receive information about local and state licensure
requirements for principal or superintendent certification.
•
Wednesday, Nov. 3 from 55-6 pm in room #307
•
Tuesday, Nov. 16 from 77-8 pm in room #307
Sessions held at the UMKC SOE:
615 E. 52nd St. Kansas City, MO
Already enrolled ? We will also be hosting open advising sessions for current students.
Come speak with our knowledgeable faculty and gain insight on course schedules and other
program requirements.
Wednesday, Nov. 3 from 4-7 pm in Suite #328
Tuesday, Nov. 16 from 4-7 pm in Suite #328
PAGE 2
LEADING CHANGE
Program Coordinator News and Updates
Dr. Jennifer Friend, Associate Professor/Program Coordinator, UMKC
“It would be
counterintuitive to put
such limits on the
schools and then expect
them to perform.”
-Dr. Jerry Cooper,
Director,
UMKC Charter School
Center
As a middle
school administrator in the
post-NCLB era, I have experienced first-hand the
expectations placed upon
educational leaders to
promote
continuous
improvement toward the
vision of every student
achieving at high levels. In
any school or district system, there are always
needs for transformational
leadership to promote excellence and equity for every student. The cultures
of most educational administration
preparatory
programs,
however, do not help
candidates to “dig
beneath the surface” to understand how to use
data
both
to
Dr. Jennifer Friend, Program Coordinator
improve
and
to
UMKC School of Education
re-culture schools and districts.
What is unique
about UMKC’s school and
district leadership programs is the commitment
to preparing principals,
special education administrators, and superintendents who have the knowledge, skills, and dispositions to positively impact
student performance in K12 schools within diverse
contexts. These learning
progressions are aligned
with the UMKC School of
Education’s conceptual framework that
includes: (1) academic
(Continued on page 5)
pK-12 Program Advisory Board Meeting Notes and Updates
Provided by Dr. Jennifer Friend, Associate Professor/Program Coordinator, UMKC
UMKC SOE
Graduate
School
KNOW-HOW!
Thinking about graduate
school? Come learn what UMKC
can offer you, and how to get
there: Programs offered, Financial
aid & scholarship opportunities,
Entrance exams & APA writing
style, Getting admitted, and More!
Thursday, Nov. 18
5:30-6:30 p.m.
SOE Room 264
RSVP by November 11:
hernandeze@umkc.edu
Or 816-235-1295
The
pK-12
Program Advisory Board is
comprised of individuals
who currently serve as
educational administrators
and are committed to the
standard of excellence
required while preparing
future educational leaders
in the Greater Kansas City
Metropolitan Area.
Meetings are held
once per semester, and
evaluative conversations
include topics focused on
the continual examination
and improvement of the
UMKC SOE graduate
programs.
The Spring 2010
meeting was called to
order at 5:00 p.m. on
Tuesday, May 18, 2010.
A t t e n d e e s
included: Jennifer Friend,
Program Coordinator,
UMKC; Steve Shelton, Asst.
Supt., Raytown SD; Tanya
Shippy, Asst. Supt. of HR,
Belton #124 SD; George
Curry, Supt., Smithville SD;
experiences for the M.A. in
Robert Leachman, Program
Educational Administration
Director, UMKC Northland;
program, newly offered
Loyce Caruthers, Associate
online courses in the Ed.S.
Professor, UMKC; Bob
Degree in District LeaderBartman, Supt., Center 58
ship); UMKC Program
SD; Tiffany Anderson,
Goals; and Community
Supt., University Academy;
Partnerships.
and Cynthia Johnson,
Principal, Attention District and School
Grandview Middle School.
Administrators:
The
main
Join us at our next
agenda included:
conversations on
pK-12 Advisory
current essential
l e a r n i n g
Board Meeting
outcomes for new
Wednesday Dec. 1, 2010
school and district
leaders; an over4 - 5 p.m. in room 307
view of the UMKC
educational
Education Building
administration
preparatory
UMKC Volker Campus
programs; review
RSVP to Gina Sanders:
of UMKC program
innovations
sandersgm@umkc.edu
(newly
required
courses
and
*Light refreshments will be
additional
field
served.
VOLUME 1, ISSUE 1
PAGE 3
UMKC SOE Graduate is a NASSP Finalist
Written by Jesse Riggs, Graduate Research Assistant, UMKC
Jeffrey Meisenheimer is the assistant
principal at Lee’s Summit
High School, the 2010
Missouri Assistant Principal
of the Year, and also a
graduate from the UMKC
School of Education. He
was also one of three finalists for the 2010 NASSP/
Virco National Assistant
Principal of the Year Award.
The NASSP website highlighted his leadership in Lee’s Summit’s
push for expanded collaboration among teachers as a
major factor in his selection as a finalist.
Meisenheimer
said he gave the credit for
his nomination to the high
quality of the professionals
with whom he works. He
said the other two finalists
(Nathan McCann of Tuc-
son, AZ, and Lisa Puccetti
of Louisville, KY) shared his
sentiments about their own
staff members.
“What we found
out was that it didn’t matter where you were – urban
school, suburban school,
rural school, big school,
small school – we’re all
trying to do the same
things,” he said. Keeping
current on latest research,
hiring good teachers, and
then supporting those
teachers are among the
basic effective practices
applicable across the
board in education, as well
as collaborating and communicating with others
instead of trying to work
independently.
Meisenheimer
received a Master's Degree
in Educational Administra-
tion in
2000
and an
Education
Specialist
degree
in
Educational Administration in
2006 at the UMKC School
of Education.
“What I really
liked about the UMKC program was that I felt it was
taught by practitioners,” he
said. With more focus on
practice rather than theory,
and the imparting of firsthand experience, he said,
the UMKC program is not
just training for educators,
but also a resource to draw
on once graduates enter
the workforce.
We Want Your Opinion! Focus Group Hosted at UMKC SOE
Help us to
improve our web site
pages, for you!
The
UMKC School of Education
administration will be hosting a focus group discussion on Wednesday,
December 1, 2010 from
5:30 to 6:30 p.m. The
discussion will be held in
room 307 of the Education
Building at the UMKC
Volker Campus.
We invite you, our
students, faculty, and staff,
to come and share your
opinion and recommendations on our current website and let us know how
we can better serve your
needs and reach our target
audience more effectively.
Light refreshments will be served.
UMKC Charter School Center and Dr. Jerry Cooper, Director
Written by Jesse Riggs, Graduate Research Assistant, UMKC
Under the direction of Dr. Jerry Cooper, the
UMKC Charter School Center takes a unique approach to overseeing its 10
charter schools.
Most charter
school sponsors take a
decidedly hands-off approach, providing oversight
to ensure that the charter
schools adhere to state
and federal regulations,
but providing nothing in the
way of support.
Cooper believes
that the center should offer
resources to its schools.
The center does not mandate that its charters use
the resources offered, allowing the schools to pick
and choose what resources
they believe they need.
It would be counterintuitive to put such
limits on the schools and
then expect them to per-
form, Cooper said.
In partnership
with the UMKC SOE, the
center helps pay for its
sch oo ls’ tea ch ers’ a dvanced degrees. The center feels this is important
to help teachers develop
professionally. “Hopefully
whatever they do comes
back and impacts our real
customers, the [charter
school] students,” Cooper
(Cont’d on page 6)
Jeffrey Meisenheimer,
Lee’s Summit High School
Assistant Principal
with Senator Claire McCaskill
“What we found out was
that it didn’t matter
where you were – urban
school, suburban school,
rural school, big school,
small school – we’re all
trying to do the same
things.”
-Jeffrey Meisenheimer,
NASSP Assistant
Principal of the Year
Finalist
PAGE 4
LEADING CHANGE
School of Education - Graduate Program Highlights:
Educational Specialist Degree (Ed.S.), District Level Certification
Educational
Specialist (Ed.S.)
in Educational
Administration
(P-12)
Admission
Requirements:
•
•
•
Possess a
Bachelor's or
Master's degree
Must hold
compatible
teaching
license/certificate
if seeking
administrative
certification (i.e.
to be an
elementary
principal one
must be an
elementary
teacher)
At least two years
of certified
teaching
experience
This program is
for candidates who have
already completed a
Master’s degree in
educational administration with an emphasis in
building-level administration (principal), and
who are fully admitted to
the Urban Leadership
and Policy Studies in
Education (ULAPSIE)
Educational Specialist
(Ed.S.) Degree program
with an emphasis in
District
Administration / Superintendent course work.
In consultation
with the advisor, the
student should initiate a
Program of Study process, secure the
approvals indicated, and
present the Program of
Study to the School of
Education (SOE) Student
Services Office
for processing prior to
the completion of 15
hours applicable to the
degree program.
Now offering
online courses
for the
Educational
Specialist (Ed.S.)
District - Level
degree!
http://education.umkc.edu/GraduateDegrees
Educational Specialist (Ed.S.) Degree, Building Level Certification
This program is
for candidates who have
already completed a
Bachelor’s or Master’s
degree in a field outside
of educational administration, who are fully
admitted to the Urban
Leadership & Policy
Studies in Education
(ULAPSIE) Educational
Specialist
Degree
program with an emphasis in Building Level –
Beginning
Principal
course work.
In consultation
with the Advisor, the
student should initiate a
Program of Study proc-
ess, secure the approvals indicated, and
present the Program of
Study to the School of
Ed uc at ion
St ud ent
Services Office for
processing prior to the
completion of 15 hours
applicable to the degree
program.
Educational Specialist (Ed.S.) Degree, Advanced Building Level Certification
This program is for
candidates who have
already completed a
Master’s degree in
educational administration with an emphasis in
building administration
(principal), and who are
fully admitted to the
Urban Leadership &
Polic y
St udies
in
Education Educational
Specialist
Degree
pr og ram
wit h
an
emphasis in Advanced
Building Level course
work.
In consultation
with the Advisor, the
student should initiate a
Program
of
Study
process, secure the
approvals indicated, and
present the Program of
Study to the School of
Ed uc at ion
St ud ent
Services Office for
processing prior to the
completion of 15 hours
applicable to the degree
program.
Program Coordinator News and Updates
Dr. Jennifer Friend, Associate Professor/Program Coordinator, UMKC
(cont’d from page 2)
excellence, (2)
inquiry leading to reflective
decision-making and problem-solving, (3) skilled and
knowledgeable professionals working collaboratively,
(4) democracy and social
justice, and (5) creating
caring and safe environments.
According to the
School Leadership Study:
Developing Successful
Principals report commissioned by The Wallace
Foundation, “Evidence
suggests that, second only
to the influences of classroom instruction, school
leadership strongly affects
student learning. Principals’ abilities are central to
the task of building schools
that promote powerful
teaching and learning for
all students” (2005, p. 3).
Consequently, our faculty
members have examined
research and findings on
educational leadership
practices and preparatory
programs to seek applications to integrate into the
continuous improvement of
our programs (Davis, Darling-Hammond, LaPointe, &
Meyerson, 2005; Levine,
2005; Orr 2006; Waters,
Marzano, & McNulty,
2003).
During the 2009
Fall semester, the Division
of Urban Leadership and
Policy Studies in Education
(ULAPSIE) launched re-
designed Master of Arts
(M.S.) and Educational
Specialist (Ed.S.) degree
preparatory programs for
beginning building administrators. The changes to
these programs enhance
the overall ULAPSIE preparatory program for
school leaders and better
prepare our candidates to
be leaders of high performing schools for the 21st
Century. One example of a
recent program change is
the course EDUL 5518:
Leadership for School Improvement, which is designed to prepare educational leaders with the
knowledge and practical
skills needed to lead
(Cont’d on page 6)
Educational Specialist (Ed.S.) Degree,
Special Education Administration Certification
This program is
for candidates who have
already completed a
Master’s degree in Educational Administration
(or Special Education),
who are fully admitted to
the Urban Leadership &
Policy Studies in Education (ULAPSIE) Educational Specialist Degree
program with an emphasis in Special Education
Administration course
work.
In consultation
with the Advisor, the
student should initiate
a Program of Study process, secure the approvals indicated, and present the Program of
Study to the School of
Ed uc at ion
St ud ent
Services Office for
processing prior to the
completion of 15 hours
applicable
Now
to
the
d e g r e e accepting
program.
Master’s (M.A.) Degree, Building Level Certification
This program is
for candidates who have
already completed a
Bachelor’s Degree in
education, who are fully
admitted to the Urban
Leadership & Policy
Studies in Education
(ULAPSIE) Master of Arts
(M.A.) Degree program
with an emphasis in
Building Level – Beginning Principal course
work. Additional course
work is required to add
a middle school administrative certification to
the initial administrative
certificate.
In consultation
with the Advisor, the
student should initiate a
Program of Study process, secure the approvals indicated, and present the Program of
applications
for the
IPh.D. (Due
Feb. 1,
2011)
Ed.D. cohort
applications
available in
2011 for a
January
2012 start!
Study to the
School
of
Education
Student
Services
Office
for
processing
prior to the
completion
of 15 hours
applicable to the
degree
program.
Now Accepting
Applications for the
Spring 2011
Semester!!
• Complete the
UMKC graduate
application found
here (and send
official transcripts):
http://www.umkc.edu/
admissions/umkcgraduate.asp
• Submit the
following four
items to the Urban
Leadership and
Policy Studies in
Education Office:
1. Statement of
purpose regarding
past, present and
future career goals
(500 words or less)
2. Three professional
or academic letters
of
recommendation
3. Copy of teaching
license/certificate
4. Resume showing at
least two years of
certified teaching
experience
Urban Leadership and
Policy Studies Office:
328 School of Education
5100 Rockhill Rd.
Kansas City, MO 64110
For more info, contact Program Coordinator
Dr. Jennifer Friend : friendji@umkc.edu
PAGE 6
LEADING CHANGE
NEWSLETTER FOR UMKC SCHOOL OF EDUCATION’S
Program Coordinator News and Updates
Dr. Jennifer Friend, Associate Professor/Program Coordinator, UMKC
(Cont’d from
page 5)
school-level improvement initiatives
within the unique context
of the school. Candidates
will learn to develop, implement, and assess
school improvement
strategies in alignment
with district-wide initiatives, and with state and
national policies and standards.
A second recent
change involved course
redesign for EDUL 5520:
Data Driven Leadership for
Re-culturing Schools. Reculturing (Caru th ers,
Thompson, & Eubanks,
2004) is defined here as
changes in schools and
communities as a result of
educators and community
members beginning to
reflect on, evaluate, and
expand their own images,
assumptions, and stories
about others, institutions,
and every aspect of the
world.
Examination of
culture includes both the
organizational school culture and the candidates’
examination of what they
bring to school leadership
in terms of their own cultural diversity.
The challenges
facing urban education are
complex and may be understood from a myriad of
perspectives including
historical and socio-
cultural underpinnings,
economic and political
contexts, and pedagogical/achievement orientations. This course brings
together some of these
arguments as candidates
relate to what school leaders can do to promote a
community of adult leaders who use data to make
decisions for the success
of all children. Such a challenge includes working as
educational leaders to reculture schools to increase
opportunities for all students to learn. For many
schools this task involves
closing the persistent
achievement gap that may
exist among groups of
students which requires
disaggregating data by
race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, gender, and
special educational needs.
In conclusion, it
is recognized that school
and district improvement
is not a linear process and
takes place in a complex
dynamic environment that
recognizes cultural and
linguistic diversity.
Th e ULA PSIE
programs focus on stewardship of the change
process to improve the
learning outcomes of diverse students, to improve
the professional skills of
teachers, and to improve
the educational organization. Additional
research
that
indicates
the
effectiveness of
this focus was
recently
published in a review of high
quality preparatory programs,
“Curricula
at
exemplary programs tend to be
more tightly foDr. Jennifer Friend, Associate Professor/
cused on instruc-
Program Coordinator, UMKC
tional improvement and
transformational leadership
than at more traditional
programs.” (The Wallace
Foundation, 2008, p. 6). As
program coordinator, I invite you to contact me at
any time regarding our programs.
References
Carthers, L., Thompson, S., &
Eubanks, E. (2004). Using
storytelling to discuss
undiscussables in urban
schools. Multicultural
Perspectives, 6(3), 36-41.
Davis, S., Darling-Hammond, L.,
LaPointe, M., & Meyerson,
D. (2005). School leadership study: Developing
successful principals.
Stanford, CA: Stanford
Educational Leadership
Institute.
Leithwood, K., Seashore-Louis,
K., Anderson, S., & Wahlstrom, K. (2004). How
leadership influences
student learning
(Learning From Leadership Project Executive
Summary). New York: The
Wallace Foundation.
Levine, A. (2005). Educating
School Leaders. New
York: The Education
School Project.
Orr, M. T. (2006). Mapping
innovation in leadership
preparation in our nation's schools of education. Phi Delta Kappan,
87(7), 492-499.
The Wallace Foundation.
(2008, June). Becoming a
leader: Preparing school
principals for today’s
schools. Retrieved on
February 5, 2009, from
www.wallacefoundation.or
g
Waters, T., Marzano, R. J., &
McNulty, B. (2003). Balanced leadership: What
30 years of research tells
us about the effects of
leadership on student
achievement. Aurora, CO:
Mid-continent Research
for Education and Learning.
UMKC Northland
Campus
(cont’d from front cover)
the Northland Campus,
UMKC would be able to
serve the individuals
searching for advanced
degrees, as well as the
school districts that are in
need of future administrative leaders. “They might
not be the easiest programs available, but I do
believe they are the best.
And offered at a very
efficient and convenient
location,” said Leachman.
Leachman and
other faculty/staff at the
UMKC Northland campus
will remain as a partner
with the nine Missouri and
Kansas school districts
north of the river for years
to come.
The Northland
campus provides clean
and modern facilities with
a full computer lab and
free parking available for
all students.
More information
can be found at:
www.umkc.edu/northland.
UMKC Charter
School Center
(Cont’d from page 4)
said.
Because each
charter school is considered its own district, the
center provides support
that would normally be
handled by a district’s
central office. They connect th e sch oo ls w ith
UMK C consul tants for
finances, data and other
areas as needed.
Cooper, who has
been with the center from
the beginning, says he
feels fortunate to be able
t o o f f e r th a t s up p or t.
“We’re very blessed that
our dean, and past deans
have agreed philosophically with that,” he said.
VOLUME 1, ISSUE 1
PAGE 7
SOE Mission & Values
University of Missouri-Kansas City
Building Location:
School of Education
615 E. 52nd St.
Kansas City, MO 64110-2401
Mailing Address:
UMKC School of Education
5100 Rockhill Rd.
Kansas City, MO 64110-2499
Phone: 816-235-2234
Fax: 816-235-5270
E-mail: education@umkc.edu
The mission of the School of Education is to
empower professionals to become reflective
practitioners committed to a more just and
democratic society. This mission is centered on
five key values which embody the knowledge,
skills and dispositions expected of our candidates
across the School of Education. The goals defined
by individual programs are more specific subsets
of these broader goals:
• Academic excellence
• Inquiry leading to reflective decision-making and
problem-solving
• Skilled and knowledgeable professionals working
collaboratively
• Democracy and social justice
• Creating caring and safe environments
For more info about the UMKC School of Education:
http://education.umkc.edu
Selected Regional Education Position Openings
Belton, MO School District (https://belton.schoolrecruiter.net/index.aspx): Girls JV Soccer Coach
•
Blue Springs, MO School District (https://bssd-netchemia.bssd.net): Teacher, Substitute Teacher, Prime Time Aide
•
•
Center, MO School District (http://www.center.k12.mo.us): Early Childhood - Para Professional
•
Clinton, MO School District (http://clinton.k12.mo.us): RN Nurse Substitute, Para Professional
Excelsior Springs, MO School District (http://essd40.com): Communication Arts Teacher, Para Professional
•
Fort Osage, MO School District (https://fortosage.schoolrecruiter.net/index.aspx): Certificated Teacher
•
•
Independence, MO School District (http://www6.indep.k12.mo.us): CBSS Special Education Teacher
Kansas City, MO School District (https://kcmsd.schoolrecruiter.net): Director of Standards-Based Education,
•
Exceptional Education Coordinator, Asst. Supt. Of HR, Chief of Staff, Educational Diagnostician
Liberty, MO School District (http://liberty.k12.mo.us): Assistant Principal Part-Time, Director of Food Service
•
•
•
North Kansas City, MO School District (http://www.nkcsd.k12.mo.us): Administrative Assistant for Food Service, Speech Pathologist
Park Hill, MO School District (https://phwebapps.parkhill.k12.mo.us/PHOnlineJobApp/): Administrative Assistant to the Director of
Curriculum/Professional Development
•
•
Blue Valley, Kansas School District (https://jobs.bluevalleyk12.org): SPED Teacher of Visually Impaired
Kansas City, Kansas School District (https://kckps.schoolrecruiter.net): Parents As Teachers Parent Educator (part-time)