EDU547: Building Relationships: K-12 Schools and Families

Credit Hours:
3
Estimated Hours Per Week:
15

Overview

This course prepares school administrators to evaluate a school’s needs in order to develop a plan for partnering with the broader learning community (families, business partnerships, partnerships with non-profit organizations, and university partnerships) with the goal of realizing student achievement goals. By investigating the relationship of schools with families and the larger community, the course explores:

  • How and when to adapt instructional programs to meet communities’ needs
  • Using resources from communities to support instructional goals
  • Planning programs that build school and community relationships

In the course project, Partnership Project: Assessing Impact of a PK-12 / Community Initiative, each candidate develops a partnership project that (1) is designed to capitalize on community partnerships to improve student success in school, (2) prompts adoption of improved policies, procedures, school programs, and/or community programs, (3) utilizes community resources, and (4) responds to the diverse needs of families and community stakeholders. The project is a key assessment designed to demonstrate mastery of the Educational Leadership Constituent Council (ELCC) professional standards.

This course includes field-based activities that take place in a K-12 school/district community setting.

Course Learning Objectives

Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:

  • Demonstrate knowledge and application of effective strategies for speaking, writing and communicating with families and the larger community in a variety of settings.
  • Demonstrate an understanding of effective communication, decision-making and interpersonal problem-solving strategies related to interaction with diverse families.
  • Demonstrate the ability to communicate information related to school policies, student achievement data and the instructional program to families and other interested members of the school community and general public.
  • Develop strategies for the development and maintenance of partnerships, involvement and volunteer opportunities with families and the larger community.
  • Demonstrate the ability to establish partnerships that include collaboration for the support of student achievement, accountability, family literacy, and contextual and service learning.
  • Demonstrate an understanding of the decision-making strategies related to school-site decision-making.
ENROLLMENT
To enroll in this course, please complete the online application.

Special Requirements

PowerPoint

Required Texts
EDU547 texts are available from the JIU/Follett Bookstore