EDLD 710 - Social and Cultural Foundations of Education

Units: 3
Engages students in a reflective and analytic approach to recognize underlying social, historical, and political influences that limit or promote social justice within schools and society. Demonstrates how transformative leaders leverage cultural and economic resources for eliminating injustice and exclusion.

Prerequisites: Admission to Ed.D. Educational Leadership Program.
Possible Instructional Methods: Hybrid.
Grading: A-F grading only.
Student Learning Outcomes - Upon successful completion of this course students will be able to:

Use multiple forms of reflection to analyze a current problem in educational leadership and demonstrate focused, ethical behavior (1.1).
Articulate personal beliefs about the purpose of education (philosophy) particularly in light of concepts of social justice (1.2).
Demonstrate skills for effective collaborative group work (e.g., inquiry, dialogue, facilitation) and assess use of collaborative structures in multiple contexts (1.3).
Demonstrate skill in facilitation of shared problem solving and decision-making (1.4).
Design strategies for professional outreach and inclusion that contribute to strengthening communities of educational practice in pursuit of equitable student achievement (1.5).
Identify analyze and assess methods of implementing change within an educational organization that leads to improved outcomes for all students (1.6).
Identify, analyze, and assess structures necessary to stimulate a learning culture where individuals actively listen to understand, analyze, engage, and act (1.7).
Document and assess processes used to create and sustain democratic structures that enable all members to participate in decisions that promote student achievement (1.8).
Identify and analyze historical experiences of inequity and theories of dominance/oppression (2.1).
Identify how schooling has reproduced patterns of cultural dominance/oppression over time and analyze this dynamic in contemporary educational contexts (2.2).
Articulate a commitment to cultural competence in multiple contexts (2.3).
Identify and assess own and others cultural competence in specific contexts.
Design and assess multiple strategies to create and sustain culturally competent schools and cultures where student-teacher relationships result in powerful and equitable learning (2.7).
Design and assess a range of strategies for interacting with students, parents, and teachers as caring, respectful partners in authentic learning work (2.8).
Design and assess strategies to build a culture in which students, parents, and teachers recognize the relationship between personal effort and achievement (2.9).
Examine and analyze a range of strategies to ensure that all members of the educational community (students, parents, teachers, administrators, district staff, school board, and community members) are working in concert toward achieving a shared vision (3.1).
Examine and analyze methods by which leaders create expectations so that norms, beliefs, structures and skills for inquiry, innovation and continuous improvement are part of the day-to-day culture of the organization (3.2).
Design strategies for applying concepts of inclusion, relationship, and diversity to specific institutional and community contexts in support of positive change (3.3).
Articulate educational perspectives that demonstrate systems thinking at multiple levels (site, district, local, state, federal), that specify linkages among elements of a system, and that identify points of leverage for systems change (3.4).
Formulate a systems perspective to a range of issues of educational practice, policy, and politics in support of systems change and sustainability.