Our University of Indianapolis masters in educational leadership program, iLEAD, is transforming to include increased opportunities for authentic experiences in school reform. Students in Cohort XIV began their program of study this fall mentored by current school leaders who advise and de-brief with them on a regular basis. Each semester, the students complete shadowing experiences and reflective interviews with their mentors. Field experiences for the principal leadership program are aligned with the coursework. In EDUC 600, our introductory leadership class, students complete school improvement projects as well as projects in which they are already involved as teacher leaders in their schools. EDUC 605 students analyze data to identify learning problems and design research-based interventions. As the students develop their skills, increasingly their mentors observe them, offering feedback as students lead professional development, work with the school community, and engage in other leadership activities. During the final two semesters of the program, students serve as interns in their schools and experience the day-to-day responsibilities of building-level leaders.
Our hybrid courses are changing also. In our professional development class (EDUC 610), students practice leading the professional development process and review case studies in initiating, managing, and sustaining change. Students create communication and marketing plans for their schools (EDUC 615). Multiple experiences observing and evaluating teachers are a focus in EDUC 620.
Simulations, including The Change Game being played by Cohort XI students in the pictures below, provide another source of case study experiences in leading school change. Additional information about our curriculum is available on the iLEAD website: http://www.http://education.uindy.edu/ilead/ Our Cohort XV will begin Saturday, May 18th. Application materials may be accessed online: http://education.uindy.edu/ilead/Applying_to_iLEAD.php. Graduate education faculty and our iLEAD administrative assistant are available to talk with you if you call (317) 788-6098. Learn more about how iLEAD can help you achieve your professional goals in a graduate education program at a university with personal attention, the University of Indianapolis.
