Equity-Focused School Leadership
- Online and asynchronous
- This course will require between 7-10 hours of work per week
- Workload Rating: Standard
Course Description
This course explores the impacts of policy and politics on educational administration, with particular focus on both internal and external influences on schools. Focal points include decision-making, legislation, unions, public opinion, and the media. Course modules will include topics such as Equity-Focused School Leadership and How to Build Equity-Focused Systems.
Learning Outcomes
The primary learning outcomes for GDE/PME 863 are as follows:
- Students will be able to summarize and apply foundational equity concepts such as privilege, discrimination, systemic inequity, and bias.
- Students will be able to analyze foundational concepts in relation to six areas: (1) race, (2) disability, (3) socioeconomics, (4) language, (5) sex, gender identity, and sexual identity, and (6) religion.
- Students will learn how to develop equity teams and routines for building effective teams in their professional contexts.
- Students will be able to conduct a needs assessment, analyze data and findings, and use a framework for designing sustainable systemic equity-focused change in their workplace.
- Students will be able to articulate issues relating to equity planning and sustainability in order to create benchmarks in relation to short-term, medium-term, and long-term goals for their organization.
- [Group assignment across modules] Students will analyze equity policies, the influence of media and social media on shaping issues, and create action plans for six priority areas: (1) race, (2) disability, (3) socioeconomics, (4) language, (5) sex, gender identity and sexual identity, and (6) religion.
Assessments
Discussion Posts (8 x 5%)
Modules 1-5 (40%)
Team Equity Issue Collaborative Activities and Posts
- Module 2: Summary post of priority equity issue from relevant chapter of textbook (10%)
- Module 3: Policy analysis of equity issue (10%)
- Module 4: Media analysis of equity issue (10%)
- Module 5: Action plan for equity issue (10%)
Overall 40%
Final Assignment
Personal Reflection Journal: Entries will explore 3 of the 6 equity issues covered in the course to explore your paradigms, experiences, and biases in relation to race, disability, socioeconomics, language, sex/gender identity/ sexual identity, and religion.
5-10 pages (not including references), double-spaced, APA 7 formatting
Closing Module (20%)
How does this course support learners outside K-12 teaching contexts?
This course focuses on concrete strategies to increase equity and inclusion in any organization. Five practices are highlighted for building equity-focused systems: (1) Prioritizing Equity Leadership, (2) Preparing for Equity, (3) Developing Equity Leadership Teams, (4) Building Equity-Focused Systems, and (5) Sustaining Equity. While the text focuses on education, the tools and approaches are applicable across sectors as the focus is equity and inclusion.
Each student’s professional practice and goals are unique. We highly encourage students to reach out to their course instructors at the start of the term to discuss the relevance and application of course learning and assignments to their own learning goals and context of practice.