UIS Graduate and Undergraduate Catalog
Academic Year 2006 - 2007

EDUCATIONAL LEADERSHIP
Master of Arts in Educational Leadership, Master of Arts in Teacher Leadership, Post-Master’s Certificate, Graduate Certificate in Legal Aspects of Education

Faculty B. Douglas Anderson, Nathaniel Anderson, Leonard Bogle, Scott Day, Daniel Matthews, Margaret Noe, William Phillips, David Turner
Emeritus Faculty James Cherry
Adjunct Faculty Sandy Gadel, Tom Kerins, Mary Loken, Shari McCurdy, Carl Oblinger, Mark Pace, Greg Reynolds, Brian Schwartz

Contact: (217) 206-6306
edl@uis.edu, or mtl@uis.edu or www.uis.edu/educationalleadership/ or http://mtl.uis.edu

The purpose of the educational leadership program is to prepare collaborative, proactive educational leaders committed to improving the quality of leadership in a variety of organizational contexts. This is achieved by assuming leadership positions or roles within educational organizations and classrooms, engaging in scholarly inquiry about school and classroom leadership, meeting state and national standards and school reform initiatives, as well as improving practices within educational arenas.

The educational leadership program is characterized by an integration of a wide variety of scholarly and clinical activities oriented toward practical application of intellectual, democratic, and ethical aspects of school and classroom leadership. These include formal courses, clinical experiences, research, and the master’s closure activities. Educational leadership offers two master’s degrees 1) educational leadership and 2) teacher leadership (online).

The educational leadership program also offers a post-master’s certificate leading to a superintendent’s endorsement. The post-master’s courses are offered on a cohort basis, with a group of students going through the set sequence of courses together. 

Grading Policy
A passing grade in an EDL course is considered to be B or above. A failing grade is given for work below that level. Grades of C awarded during the effective period of this catalog will be counted, provided that an equal or greater number of A credits are earned in EDL courses. However, no more than eight hours of C grades will be accepted. 

Communication and Library Skills
Oral and written communication skills are practiced and evaluated in most EDL courses. Satisfactory completion of the master’s closure activities fulfills the UIS communication skills requirement. Completion of EDL 505 Introduction to Research and EDL 541 Educational Research Methods satisfies the library skills requirement. 

Master’s Closure
All educational leadership degree candidates are required to complete master’s closure activities. 

MASTER OF ARTS IN EDUCATIONAL LEADERSHIP
The M.A. in educational leadership is designed to meet the professional growth and in-service needs of Illinois educators. The EDL concentration provides for a carefully planned set of experiences designed to develop the knowledge, skills, and competencies needed for elementary and secondary administrative leadership positions. Courses in the program are appropriate for classroom teachers, State Board of Education personnel, central administrative staff, and school board members. A wide selection of courses is available to meet students’ needs and interests while fulfilling degree and/or certification requirements.

The curriculum provides an opportunity to obtain the M.A. in educational leadership, as well as an option to fulfill state requirements for the type 75 general administrative (principalship) certificate. The master’s degree requires the completion of 40 semester hours of course work, including 32 semester hours of EDL courses. 

Entrance Requirements for the M.A. in Educational Leadership
Students must apply to UIS before it is possible to enroll in courses. To be eligible for full admission to the educational leadership program, a student must have completed a bachelor's degree with a grade-point average of 3.00 or better on a 4.00 scale. A student can be conditionally admitted if the GPA is between 2.50 and 3.00. Conditional admission means that the student must achieve a GPA of 3.00 or better in the first eight hours of course work in the EDL program. If a student achieves the required GPA within those first eight hours, he or she will be fully admitted to the program. Transfer credit is evaluated on a course-by-course basis with the faculty adviser and approval of the EDL convener.

Applicants working toward an administrative certificate must hold a valid state-issued teaching certificate. A photocopy of the certificate should be submitted at the time of application to the EDL program. All admission materials must be received before June 15 for admission to the educational leadership master’s degree program for the fall semester, before November 15 for the spring semester, and before April 1 for the summer session. Late applications will be considered for the following semester. 

Degree Requirements
The EDL master’s degree requires completion of 40 semester hours. There are four core area requirements for the educational leadership degree. These are:

Research
EDL 505 Introduction to Research  4 Hrs.

Educational Leadership
EDL 509 Organizational Dynamics  4 Hrs.

Curriculum
EDL 511 Curriculum  4 Hrs.

Master’s Closure
EDL 528 Master’s Project Proposal  2 Hrs.
EDL 529 Master’s Project   2 Hrs. 

Approved electives  24 Hrs.

Total    40 Hrs. 

Certification Requirements
Individuals interested in obtaining administrative positions in Illinois public schools must be properly certified. General requirements established by the State Teachers Certification Board include a master's degree, two years of documented successful full-time teaching or school service personnel experience, 32 semester hours of required graduate courses, and clinical experiences. Courses required for the general administrative certificate can be completed in the ADL concentration. Detailed information about course requirements is available from the program office. All students desiring certification must apply for admission to the certificate program. Requirements are a valid, completed master's degree or admission to the educational leadership master’s degree program. Clinical experiences are required for type 75 administrative certification. 

Advising
A student enrolled in the educational leadership master’s degree program is expected to see a faculty adviser during the first semester of enrollment. Assistance in selecting an adviser is available from any member of the faculty. The adviser assists the student in planning his/her program of studies and is also available to provide career counseling. 

Springfield Educational Consortium
The UIS educational leadership program is a member of the Springfield Educational Consortium. Composed of the University of Illinois at Springfield, Southern Illinois University, Western Illinois University, and Illinois State University, the consortium allows the coordination of course offerings in educational leadership/administration in the Springfield area, thus broadening the range of courses available to students. Students enrolled in the UIS educational leadership program are encouraged to complete some of their course work with the consortium universities as appropriate and approved by the UIS educational leadership program. Advanced certificate and doctoral-level courses are available as offered by participating universities. 

MASTER OF ARTS IN TEACHER LEADERSHIP - ONLINE
The M.A. in teacher leadership (MTL) is designed specifically for teachers who wish to assume leadership roles within and beyond the classroom but who are not interested in obtaining an administrative certificate. It is conducted entirely online and is characterized by lectures, text reading, discussions, and projects, with emphasis on reflection and writing. Courses include studies in teaching, leadership, research, technology use, and a master’s closure project. Courses in MTL meet the requirement for teacher certificate renewal. The master’s degree requires the completion of 40 semester hours of course work, including 32 hours of MTL course work. 

Entrance Requirements for the M.A. in Teacher Leadership
Students must apply to UIS before it is possible to enroll in courses. To be eligible for full admission to the educational leadership program, a student must have completed a bachelor's degree with a grade-point average of 3.00 or better on a 4.00 scale. A student can be conditionally admitted if the GPA is between 2.50 and 3.00. Conditional admission means that the student must achieve a GPA of 3.00 or better in the first eight hours of course work in the EDL program. If a student achieves the required GPA within those first eight hours, he or she will be fully admitted to the program. Transfer credit is evaluated on a course-by-course basis with the faculty adviser and approval of the EDL convener.

While applicants for MTL should be active in some form of education, a teaching certificate is not required for admission. Application for admission must be made to the university along with completion of a personal data form on the MTL website, and discussion of student needs and program requirements with the coordinator or another assigned faculty adviser. 

Degree Requirements
The MTL master’s degree requires completion of 40 semester hours. There are four core area requirements for the teacher leadership degree. These are:

Research
EDL 541 Educational Research  4 Hrs.

Educational Leadership
EDL 585 Foundations of Teacher Leadership  4 Hrs.
EDL 542 Teacher Leadership  4 Hrs.

Curriculum
EDL 543 Instructional Design   4 Hrs.

Master’s Closure
EDL 586 MTL Capstone  4 Hrs. 

Approved electives   20 Hrs.

Total   40 Hrs. 

Advising
Advising for MTL is conducted by the MTL coordinator or another assigned faculty adviser. Initial advising must be completed by the end of the student’s first semester. The faculty adviser assists the student in planning his/her program of studies and is also available to provide career counseling. See http://mtl.uis.edu for further details. 

POST-MASTER’S CERTIFICATE
The post-master’s certificate program leading to the superintendent’s endorsement is designed to meet the professional growth needs of Illinois educators who are preparing for central office leadership positions. Courses in the program are appropriate for candidates currently employed as building principals, State Board of Education personnel, and central administrative staff. Courses include a carefully planned set of standards-based experiences designed to develop knowledge, skills, and dispositions necessary to meet candidates’ needs and interests. The post-master’s certificate program leading to the superintendent’s endorsement requires the completion of 36 semester hours of coursework, which includes 32 hours of EDL courses and two semesters (two credit hours each) of clinical practice. 

Academic content for the sequence includes the following courses:

EDL 603 Advanced Seminar on Law and Public Policy  4 Hrs.
EDL 604 Politics of Education: Federal, State, and Local Politics
     and Policies  4 Hrs.
EDL 605 Research in Educational Leadership  4 Hrs.
EDL 611 Superintendent as Instructional Leader  4 Hrs.
EDL 612 Management of Educational Funds and Facilities  4 Hrs.
EDL 621 Superintendent and Central Staff/Personnel
     Administration  4 Hrs.
EDL 626 Clinical Experiences/Internship 2 Hrs.
EDL 627 Clinical Experiences/Internship  2 Hrs.
EDL 635 Organizational Theory and Leadership  4 Hrs.
EDL 680 Capstone: Leadership and School Improvement  4 Hrs. 

Admission requirements can be obtained from the EDL program office or viewed at www.uis.edu/educationalleadership.

GRADUATE CERTIFICATE IN LEGAL ASPECTS OF EDUCATION
By completing nine of the 10 courses in the Legal Aspects of Education course series, teachers can receive a special graduate certificate. This program provides opportunities for educational leaders to increase their knowledge base about legal issues currently facing their profession. It is aimed at teacher-leaders seeking to advance their professional education credentials.