The purpose of this M.Ed. in Urban Education Leadership is to 1) cultivate an equity lens in current urban teachers related to the issues that face children, educators, families, and public officials in urban communities - nationally and locally. Throughout the program, educators will 2) develop a sophisticated understanding of how children learn in different contexts; how teaching unfolds and can be more effective; how effective partnerships are nurtured and flourish with families and communities; how organizations behave and respond to obstacles, supports, and incentives; and how policy strategies that respond to this knowledge could make a genuine difference for the future of urban education in their classrooms, schools and in urban communities. 3) Practitioners enrolled in this program will develop the capacity to see and dismantle business-as-usual systems in schools and classrooms that historically and currently oppress and traumatize historically excluded and marginalized children and communities, and to replace them with systems and practices that engage with, and cultivate the assets, beauty and genius that are present in every child, family and community. Practitioners will have the opportunity through applied projects to identify, take up and lead change for equity and healing, restorative justice in their practice as individual educators, teams, schools and communities. In sum, the intent of the program is for participants to become culturally responsive, scholarly teachers and teacher leaders.
This program prepares students to meet the requirements for the PK3-22 Principal Licensure in the state of Illinois.
Outcomes
NELP Standard 1: Mission, Vision, and Improvement
Component 1.1 Program completers understand and demonstrate the capacity to collaboratively evaluate, develop, and communicate a school mission and vision designed to reflect a core set of values and priorities that include data use, technology, equity, diversity, digital citizenship, and community.
Component 1.2 Program completers understand and demonstrate the capacity to lead improvement processes that include data use, design, implementation, and evaluation.
NELP Standard 2: Ethics and Professional Norms Component 2.1 Program completers understand and demonstrate the capacity to reflect on, communicate about, cultivate, and model professional dispositions and norms (i.e., fairness, integrity, transparency, trust, digital citizenship, collaboration, perseverance, reflection, lifelong learning) that support the educational success and well-being of each student and adult.
"Component 2.2 Program completers understand and demonstrate the capacity to evaluate,
communicate about, and advocate for ethical and legal decisions."
Component 2.3 Program completers understand and demonstrate the capacity to model ethical behavior in their personal conduct and relationships and to cultivate ethical behavior in others.
NELP Standard 3: Equity, Inclusiveness, and Cultural Responsiveness Component 3.1 Program completers understand and demonstrate the capacity to use data to evaluate, design, cultivate, and advocate for a supportive and inclusive school culture.
"Component 3.2 Program completers understand and demonstrate the capacity to evaluate,
cultivate, and advocate for equitable access to educational resources, technologies, and
opportunities that support the educational success and well-being of each student."
Component 3.3 Program completers understand and demonstrate the capacity to evaluate, cultivate, and advocate for equitable, inclusive, and culturally responsive instruction and behavior support practices among teachers and staff.
NELP Standard 4: Learning and Instruction "Component 4.1 Program completers understand and can demonstrate the capacity to evaluate,
develop, and implement high-quality, technology-rich curricula programs and other supports for
academic and non-academic student programs."
Component 4.2 Program completers understand and can demonstrate the capacity to evaluate, develop, and implement high-quality and equitable academic and non-academic instructional practices, resources, technologies, and services that support equity, digital literacy, and the school’s academic and non-academic systems.
Component 4.3 Program completers understand and can demonstrate the capacity to evaluate, develop, and implement formal and informal culturally responsive and accessible assessments that support data-informed instructional improvement and student learning and well-being.
Component 4.4 Program completers understand and demonstrate the capacity to collaboratively evaluate, develop, and implement the school’s curriculum, instruction, technology, data systems, and assessment practices in a coherent, equitable, and systematic manner.
NELP Standard 5: Community and External Leadership "Component 5.1 Program completers understand and demonstrate the capacity to collaboratively
engage diverse families in strengthening student learning in and out of school."
Component 5.2 Program completers understand and demonstrate the capacity to collaboratively engage and cultivate relationships with diverse community members, partners, and other constituencies for the benefit of school improvement and student development.
Component 5.3 Program completers understand and demonstrate the capacity to communicate through oral, written, and digital means within the larger organizational, community, and political contexts when advocating for the needs of their school and community.
NELP Standard 6: Operations and Management Component 6.1 Program completers understand and demonstrate the capacity to evaluate, develop, and implement management, communication, technology, school-level governance, and operation systems that support each student’s learning needs and promote the mission and vision of the school.
"Component 6.2 Program completers understand and demonstrate the capacity to evaluate,
develop, and advocate for a data-informed and equitable resourcing plan that supports school
improvement and student development. "
Component 6.3 Program completers understand and demonstrate the capacity to reflectively evaluate, communicate about, and implement laws, rights, policies, and regulations to promote student and adult success and well-being.
NELP Standard 7: Building Professional Capacity "Component 7.1 Program completers understand and have the capacity to collaboratively develop
the school’s professional capacity through engagement in recruiting, selecting, and hiring staff. "
Component 7.2 Program completers understand and have the capacity to develop and engage staff in a collaborative professional culture designed to promote school improvement, teacher retention, and the success and well-being of each student and adult in the school.
Component 7.3 Program completers understand and have the capacity to personally engage in, as well as collaboratively engage school staff in, professional learning designed to promote reflection, cultural responsiveness, distributed leadership, digital literacy, school improvement, and student success.
"Component 7.4 Program completers understand and have the capacity to evaluate, develop,
and implement systems of supervision, support, and evaluation designed to promote school
improvement and student success."
NELP Standard 8: Internship Component 8.1 Candidates are provided a variety of coherent, authentic field and/or clinical internship experiences within multiple school environments that afford opportunities to interact with stakeholders, synthesize and apply the content knowledge, and develop and refine the professional skills articulated in each of the components included in NELP building-level program standards 1–7.
"Component 8.2
Candidates are provided a minimum of six months of concentrated (10–15 hours per week)
internship or clinical experiences that include authentic leadership activities within a school setting. "
Component 8.3 Candidates are provided a mentor who has demonstrated effectiveness as an educational leader within a building setting; is present for a significant portion of the internship; is selected collaboratively by the intern, a representative of the school and/or district, and program faculty; and has received training from the supervising institution.