Large-Scale Field-Based Projects/Internships

• In Event: Roundtable Session 84
  In Roundtable Session: Contemporary Preparation Program Initiatives: Lessons Learned From School Leadership Programs

Abstract

This workshop session strand will focus on the efforts of one innovative educational leadership program designed to prepare more effective urban school leaders in Southern California. Known as Urban School Leaders (USL) the program is made possible through a partnership between CSU Dominguez Hills and four Local Districts (LDs) within Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) – all which encompass Los Angeles’ poorest neighborhoods, including East L.A., South L.A., and South Central L.A. There are 300,000 students in 280 Title 1 schools (75% Hispanic, 25% African-American, 35% English Language Learners). Principles that guide the USL program focus on the need to recruit qualified school-leader candidates (Fry, O’Neil & Bottoms, 2006), especially those who are culturally, economically, and/or linguistically diverse to meet the leadership needs of underperforming schools (Waters, Marzano, & McNulty, 2003).

This strand will engage participants around the components of the Field Based Project (FBP). The FBP expands the emphasis on participants’ reflection on their core values and dispositions while fostering and promoting improved preparation of school administrators who will become instructional leaders capable of meeting the needs of urban schools both today and in the future. In support of earlier research (e.g., Brooks, Havard, Tatum, & Patrick, 2010). The university faculty, students, and the district collaborate by researching and developing strategies to meet the challenges facing urban school leaders. The primary goal of the FBP is to work directly with adults at the site so that they work with students in order to improve the academic/instructional program at a school site. In addition, the FBP is used to demonstrate candidate’s understanding and competencies in the six Interstate School Leaders Licensure Consortium Standards (ISLLC). These standards serve as the foundation of the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing Administrative Services Certificate. The FBP is a summative assessment for the successful completion of the aspiring leader’s Tier I credential and designed by the candidate and approved by the site administrator (mentor) and the university cohort coordinator. Its intent is for the candidate to experience a wide range of responsibilities typical of a school administrator (see Browne-Ferrigno, 2007; Cheney, Davis, Garrett, & Holleran, 2010; Orr, King, & LaPointe, 2010) that describes clearly-defined project goals, theory of action, and research supported by school data that suggests a need for the project and impact of the project during an overview summary. Measurable formative and summative assessment(s) are used to evaluate adult changes in behavior over a specific timeline, and how s/he demonstrated leadership while working with the adults. Further, the FBP’s measurable summative and formative assessment tools, and the criteria for proficiency for these assessments for student outcomes are tracked. Site mentors and school district personnel attend the final presentation on campus and serve in the role of evaluators on a variety of these projects.

Insights will be shared that may be instructive to other programs that are in the process of reforming leadership preparation. These include increased knowledge of adult learning, collaborative learning communities, culturally relevant leadership and meaningful curriculum.

Authors

• Stefanie Holzman, California State University - Dominguez Hills

• Anthony H. Normore, California Lutheran University

• Antonia IssaLahera, California State University - Dominguez Hills