This is a workspace for students enrolled in the M.Ed. in Educational Leadership (Texas) program or Texas Educational Leadership Certificate program to work collaboratively with the ACE faculty member who serves as their field supervisor. The workspace will be available to students from the time their Internship Placement Form is on record until their graduation or withdrawal from ACE.

Embracing the value of assessment and evaluation is the first step in improving learner outcomes through data-driven decision-making. This course develops relevant competencies and promotes a healthy balance of utilizing formative and summative assessments, evaluation practices, and data to inform and guide integrated curriculum development and instructional delivery. Assessments can provide facilitators with the knowledge and skills required to meet the needs of diverse learners in a variety of school and organizational settings.

This course provides students with resource management strategies to identify the organizational needs of a school, leverage the unique strengths and talents of competent teachers, and build the instructional and leadership capacity of teams. Students also learn how to develop and implement assessment and evaluation strategies to document teacher performance and to guide decisions relevant to professional development and employment termination options.

Students explore research on school improvement strategies, structures, and processes, analyze leadership decisions and behaviors, and examine the implications of research and commonly used practices for managing organizational change. Students also use existing research and literature to uncover underlying assumptions about school reform efforts, to improve the accuracy of problem identification, issues of human and social capital, the need for professional learning, and the challenges of overcoming bureaucratic and cultural norms.

This course identifies local, state, and federal sources for school funding and provides students with familiarity with state funding formulas and local budget guidelines. An emphasis is also placed on ensuring that aspiring leaders develop competencies essential to the allocation of resources toward teaching, learning, and school improvement priorities rather than simply monitoring facilities and accounts. Students will also have the opportunity to explore non-traditional funding sources such as grants, foundations, and community partnerships.

This course focuses on legal and ethical dimensions of school leadership with an emphasis on resolving conflicts in the school community. Students analyze legal cases and ethical dilemmas that relate to the role and responsibilities of the leader tasked with creating and maintaining an educational environment that protects and nurtures equity, fairness, tolerance, and respect.

This course provides candidates the opportunity to synthesize their completed practicum experiences to demonstrate mastery of the responsibilities required of building-level leaders to promote the success and well-being of each student and adult in their school. Candidates will reflect on their growth and development as leaders and on how practicum experiences enriched their professional skills and knowledge. Candidates will document their mastery of professional standards by demonstrating how they applied academic learning to practice in the practicum to meet requirements for principal licensure in Texas.