EDU553: K-12 Education Law and Policy
Credit Hours:
3
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Estimated Hours Per Week:
15
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Overview
This course examines legal and compliance issues affecting educational environments, with discussions of the following areas:
- Church-state matters
- Teacher liability and pupil control issues
- Human resource items of contracts, tenure, retirement, and dismissal
- Compliance concerns regarding standardized testing, language minority students, and special education students
Both faculty and student rights legislation are examined, as well as federal and state standards-based education reform legislation. The course also looks at how schools assess the implications of the No Child Left Behind Act in terms of reform, school ratings, parental choice, and school system administration.
In the course project, Compliance Presentation: Guiding Policy and Practice, each candidate develops a compliance presentation that (1) summarizes relevant federal, state, and local laws and policies that directly impact school personnel, (2) provides guidance to personnel related to compliant practice, and (3) explains how laws and policies promote educational equity, and safe, effective, and efficient school environments. The project is a key assessment designed to demonstrate mastery of the Educational Leadership Constituent Council (ELCC) professional standards.
This course does not include a required field-based activity.
Course Learning Objectives
Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:
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Develop a working knowledge of the impact federal law and legislation has on the development of state law, and the overall impact on education delivery systems at both the state and local school district levels exemplified in the creation and implementation of state and local policy and procedures.
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Incorporate a comprehensive knowledge base on the authority states and state education agencies possess to define public education and instructional programs within their respective borders.
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Cultivate a clear correlation between federal laws, and the implementation of state and local execution systems; the purpose for these polices and state infrastructures; and the implications on district and building administration.
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Gain a global understanding of special education entitlement schemes, from both a federal and state level, and the required compliance by state and local school administrative authorities.
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Describe and discuss student rights under the Constitution and federal laws, including the religious rights of students and due process.
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Discuss the requirements established for education by federal and state law; state rule and regulation; local policy, including FERPA; and liability issues.
Prerequisites
Admission or application for admission to the degree program is required to enroll in this course. For those students enrolling May 2011 or later in the MEd in Education Leadership and Administration: Principal and Administrator Licensure program specialization, EDU600 must be completed successfully before registering for EDU553.
Required Texts
EDU553 texts are available from the JIU/Follett Bookstore
