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Project: Educator Preparation Leadership Academy
General Project Information
The CREATE Educator Preparation Leadership Academy is an action oriented professional development opportunity for deans, associate/assistant deans, and other educational leaders to study and apply current research to enhance teacher preparation program effectiveness through closer affiliation and partnerships with public schools…the employer of their product. Even though intellectual pursuits and reflections are important components of The Academy, the fundamental purpose is to issue a call to action and to build more meaningful teacher preparation programs through cooperative relationships with public schools with the purpose of improvement of P-12 student learning.
Leadership in educator preparation institutions is complex and often characterized by high levels of ambiguity. This complex and ambiguous role is unlikely to change, and, furthermore, emerging educator preparation issues only increase the challenges faced by leaders and their leadership teams. This Educator Preparation Leadership Academy (The Academy) is a professional development opportunity for educator preparation leaders that will enhance their ability to be difference makers. Learning in the Academy is built upon a foundation of leadership research, theory, skills, and best practices and is inspired by the assumption that development occurs over time with specified accountability measures that must be accomplished through meaningful, cooperative partnerships with P-12 schools.
An outcome of the Academy will be the development of a leadership action plan for educator preparation leadership that takes into account nine essential Principles for the Development of Schools of Professional Education. This model is based on a set of assumptions about colleges of education and college of education leadership.
Scope of Work
The Educator Preparation Instructional Leadership Academy provides opportunities:- For professional development experience for instructional leaders in educator preparation;
- To learn from current research on instructional leadership in educator preparation;
- To analyze their current participants educator preparation programs by using the proposed Principles for the Development of Schools of Professional Education model; and
- To create an instructional improvement action plan for participants’ programs based on the ten essential principles of a School of Professional Education.
- The development of an operational definition of a School of Professional Education established through a set of guiding principles, the Principles for the Development of Schools of Professional Education. Interspersed with this definition of a School of Professional Education are Twenty Leadership Strategies that are designed to guide in the transformation of the university’s teacher preparation program. These action items will assist a dean or leadership team in rethinking their program and will assist in its restructuring.
- The development of an evaluation instrument to assist teacher preparation programs in the analysis of their programs with regard to the stated Principles of a School of Professional Education.
- Each participant will develop a Plan of Action for transforming their teacher preparation program under the guidelines of the Essential Principles of a School of Professional Education. This Plan of Action will reflect a strong collaborative between the university and their public school partners.
Cohort One – Year One (2006-2007 Academic Year)
Five seminars for Cohort One of the Academy were held during the 2006-2007 year.
A variety of topics were presented during the five seminars of Year One. These included: basic research studies / readings concerning teacher preparation programs; readings and discussions with specialists in selected topics; developing an operational definition of a School of Professional Education; identifying the essential principles and indicators of a School of Professional Education; presentation and discussion of leadership strategies; and an orientation and discussion of other CREATE projects that compliment teacher preparation programs.
Cohort One – Year Two (2007-2008 Academic Year)
Expectations for Year Two for Cohort One participants which will include discussions and clarification of Principle 9, Principle 8, Principles 1 and Principle 2; Discussion of the required documentation necessary to complete the Principle Indicators listed; and a review and discussion of the Twenty Leadership Strategies and their relationship to the Principles and to best strategies to implement the Principles designated.
Upcoming Events
Leadership Academy Cohort 1 – Year Two Initial Meeting
Current Project Work Underway:
A. The refinement of a “Model for School of Professional Education”;
B. Develop evaluation frameworks for each of the identified “Operational Principles” within the model; and
C. Correlate “Twenty Leadership Strategies” with the identified Principle Indicators to create a
“Leadership Action Plan” for each participating university.
Staff Contacts
Dr. John Beck, Higher Education Research Liaison
johnbeck@txstate.edu
(512)245-3533
Dr. Robert Cox, Higher Education Research Liaison
rcox1@nctv.com
(936)273-7661