Syllabus for EDL-690

DEVELOPING SCHOOL AND COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS


COURSE DESCRIPTION

This course explores the family and community factors that affect teaching and learning. The course examines how school initiatives can enhance family and community supports for children’s learning. Students learn how to nurture a sense of “school community,” garner public support, increase parental involvement, and engage community agencies as educational partners. Students learn to design school initiatives to strengthen productive ties with families and the community. Ultimately, students will be developing competencies as educational leaders as outlined in the Interstate School Leaders Licensure Consortium (ISLLC 1, 2, 4, 5, 6) and New Jersey Department of Education (NJDOE 1, 2, 4, 5, 6) standards.

COURSE OBJECTIVES

Upon successful completion of this course, you should be able to:

  1. Demonstrate the ability to locate and use relevant resources addressing school and community partnerships available in online archives.
  2. Distinguish key components of a "curriculum of the home," including the family relational factors that influence a child's school learning.
  3. Synthesize research findings on a key component of the "curriculum of the home."
  4. Evaluate research-based school initiatives to determine how they strengthen the "curriculum of the home" through parental involvement and partnerships.
  5. Design school initiatives to strengthen the "curriculum of the home" and methods to evaluate their effectiveness.
  6. Analyze the key components of a "school community," including the relational factors among students, teachers, school personnel, families, community volunteers and partners, that enable the school to function as a community of support for children's learning.
  7. Synthesize research findings on a key component of the "school community."
  8. Evaluate research-based school initiatives to determine how they may strengthen the "school community" based on given criteria.
  9. Design school initiatives to strengthen the "school community" and methods to evaluate their effectiveness.
  10. Distinguish between a contextual community and a "school community.”
  11. Analyze the varying impacts of the contextual community on the "school community."
  12. List and categorize the types of community resources and partnerships that enhance the school's ability to achieve its goals with its students.
  1. Design school initiatives to forge useful alliances with community groups and resources and methods for evaluating their effectiveness.

COURSE MATERIALS

You will need the following materials to complete your coursework. Some course materials may be free, open source, or available from other providers. You can access free or open-source materials by clicking the links provided below or in the module details documents. To purchase course materials, please visit the University's textbook supplier.

Required Textbooks

ISBN-13: 978-0813344478

Other Required Readings

Links to assigned research articles will be provided as appropriate in the module study materials.

Reference Websites

Electronic Portfolio Registration

As a capstone experience in the Educational Leadership program, you will prepare an electronic portfolio that demonstrates your incremental achievement of the program standards. Each course in the program helps you to identify artifacts to place in your portfolio on completion of the course. To this end, you are required to purchase an electronic portfolio registration code upon your entry into the Master of Arts in Educational Leadership program. Basic directions for purchasing access to and using your electronic portfolio are posted within the Educational Leadership Students Organization (online community).

COURSE STRUCTURE

Developing School and Community Partnerships is a three-credit online graduate course, consisting of five modules. Modules include an overview, topics, learning objectives, study materials, and activities. Module titles and topics are listed below.

1.1

Parent-child relationships and how they influence the child's school learning

1.2

Routines of family life and how they influence the child's school learning

1.3

Family expectations and supervision and how they influence the child's school learning

1.4

Self-efficacy perception for parents and for children and the effects on school learning

2.1

Parental involvement

2.2

Family/school partnerships

2.3

Homework

2.4

School/home communication

2.5

Parent education

2.6

Family/school relationships

2.7

Program design and evaluation

3.1

"School community"

3.2

Representation

3.3

Educational values

3.4

Communication

3.5

Education

3.6

Common experience

3.7

Association

4.1

Practical school initiatives to build "school community"

5.1

Parental involvement

5.2

Family/school partnerships

5.3

Homework

ASSESSMENT METHODS

For your formal work in the course, you are required to participate in online discussion forums, complete written assignments, and complete self-quizzes. See below for more details.

Consult the Course Calendar for assignment due dates.

Promoting Originality

One or more of your course activities may utilize a tool designed to promote original work and evaluate your submissions for plagiarism. More information about this tool is available in this document.

Discussion Forums

Each module in the course has an online class discussion forum.

Online discussions provide an opportunity for you to share your findings on a topic or question with your classmates. You are expected to post a well-reasoned and thoughtful reflection for each item, making reference, as appropriate, to that which you have read. Discussion forum interactions promote development of a community of learners, critical thinking, and exploratory learning.

Please participate in online discussions as you would in constructive face-to-face discussions. You are expected to post well-reasoned and thoughtful reflections for each item, making reference, as appropriate, to your readings. You are also expected to reply to your classmates' posts in a respectful, professional, and courteous manner. You may, of course, post questions asking for clarification or further elucidation on a topic.

 Evaluation Rubric.

Written Assignments

There are three types of written papers that you will submit for this course: 5 minor papers; 3 major papers with designs, including PowerPoint and narrative presentations; and 2 major research papers. These activities are your opportunity to demonstrate understanding of each module as it relates to the course and to the field of study as a whole. You are encouraged to incorporate any resources you have found and are required to use APA format for your work.

Minor Written Papers

The five minor papers require you to prepare and submit descriptions, explanations, and/or syntheses of a particular topic related to the modules. Length ranges from two to three pages (500–750 words). Please be sure that you address all parts of the question or questions you are being asked to respond to. Be sure to give appropriate credit (in APA style) to any sources of information you consult.

Full instructions for completing each minor written paper are found within the appropriate module.

Evaluation rubrics (click respective links):

Major Papers with Designs

Each of the three major papers with designs require that you prepare a 7-page paper in which you complete one or more designs. Your paper should include all the elements of the activity and demonstrate an understanding of the underlying purpose and concepts.

In addition to the paper, you are asked to prepare and submit a five-minute PowerPoint presentation and accompanying narrative of your paper, in which you demonstrate your understanding of the design topic.

Also, you are asked to share with your cohort the PowerPoint and narrative through the appropriate class

discussion forum.

Directions about these papers and topics are located within the appropriate module.

Evaluation rubrics (click respective links):

Major Research Papers

Each of the two major research papers requires that you prepare a 7-page paper in which you synthesize research articles of your choosing on the assigned topic. You will be presented with several topics from which to choose.

Full instructions for completing each major research paper are found within the appropriate

module.

Evaluation rubrics (click respective links):

Module Self-Quizzes

As a supplement to your reading activities and Web research, you are asked to complete a multiple-choice self-quiz before you begin each module; you are then asked to repeat the quiz after you have completed the module as a way for you to check your comprehension of the concepts of the module. These self-quizzes are ungraded. If you get a question wrong, go back to the relevant reading and study that section until the concepts are clear to you.

Portfolio Artifacts and Reflective Narrative

The principal artifacts for this course are the three major papers with designs. Accompanying the artifact is a reflective narrative that describes the process and how the artifact meets specific standards and prepares you for school leadership.

Upload your artifact to your electronic portfolio, and be certain to indicate its alignment to the applicable ISLLC standards.

GRADING AND EVALUATION

Your grade in the course will be determined as follows:

All activities will receive a numerical grade of 0–100. You will receive a score of 0 for any work not submitted. Your final grade in the course will be a letter grade. Letter grade equivalents for numerical grades are as follows:

A

=

93–100

B

=

83–87

A–

=

90–92

C

=

73–82

B+

=

88–89

F

=

Below 73

To receive credit for the course, you must earn a letter grade of C or higher on the weighted average of all assigned course work (e.g., assignments, discussion postings, projects, etc.). Graduate students must maintain a B average overall to remain in good academic standing.

STRATEGIES FOR SUCCESS

First Steps to Success

To succeed in this course, take the following first steps:

Study Tips

Consider the following study tips for success:

ACADEMIC POLICIES

To ensure success in all your academic endeavors and coursework at Thomas Edison State University, familiarize yourself with all administrative and academic policies including those related to academic integrity, course late submissions, course extensions, and grading policies.

For more, see:

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