EDEL 621

EDEL 621: Organization and Management of Public Schools

Prerequisites: None

Credit Hours: (3)

Students will develop understandings of the varied managerial duties and responsibilities of school (preK-12) and district level administrators. Students will study the role of an educational leader as a manager in school planning; organizing time, space and records; master-scheduling; staffing; budgeting and purchasing; attending to staff and student safety; managing and overseeing diverse populations in staff and student groups; overseeing school plant and grounds; and coordinating school programs for student activities, transportation, custodians, clerks, and food services employees. Students will apply systems understanding to school improvement and the support and development of educational environments to enhance opportunities for academic success of all students.

Detailed Description of Content of Course

This course will address the following concepts:

1. Human Resources

a. Human resource management, problem solving, and effective schools
b. Human resource planning; planning for staffing needs
c. Recruitment and preparing for personnel selection
d. Obtaining information and evaluating candidates
e. Placement and induction
f. Evaluation of non-instructional personnel and programs
g. Review of legal, ethical, and policy issues in personnel and collective negotiations
h. Termination and reduction in force
i. Records management

2. School Finance

a. Education as an investment for the future
b. The politics of school finance
c. The federal role in financing education
d. Local v. state taxation for public schools
e. Trends in support for public schools
f. School district budgeting
g. School budgeting
h. Using public funds wisely and appropriately
i. Purchasing procedures and records management

3. School facility and auxiliary services

a. Evolution of school facilities
b. Planning for schools—review of data
c. Cleanliness, maintenance, and operations
d. School facilities and grounds
e. Problem-solving for safety, health, and comfort
f. Acoustical and visual environments
g. School transportation
h. Food services
i. Custodial— job analyses
j. Clerical— job analyses

4. School scheduling and space allocation

a. School vision
b. Support of instruction
c. Quantitative and qualitative data to support decisions
d. Constructing the master schedule
e. Allocating space within a school
f. Considerations of physical plant space and diverse needs of special population students
g. Coordination of student activities

Detailed Description of Conduct of Course

Course readings will serve as a primary basis for in-class discussions. Case studies, role plays, simulations, and problem-based learning will be used in conjunction with material related to issues involving the evaluation of personnel and the overall management of operations in a school facility. Twenty hours of structured field experiences with on-site mentor principals and/or supervisors will also be required for completion of the course and will be discussed in class. A variety of written and/or oral assignments (research reviews, reflective writings, narrative responses, journal reviews, formal papers, book talks) will be used to help students understand concepts in organizational management of schools. Group and individual tasks will be used to process and reinforce information/skills, for class sharing, and for discussion of work as an educational leader in a changing and increasingly diverse world. Lectures by the professor are utilized to supplement and reinforce course readings.

Goals and Objectives of the Course

The goals, objectives, and assignments in this class address standards specified in Regulations Governing the Review and Approval of Education Programs in Virginia, Administration and Supervision PreK-12 and the National Educational Leadership Preparation standards.

The student will:

1. 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.

2. Demonstrate the capacity to evaluate, develop, and advocate for a data-informed and equitable resourcing plan that supports school improvement and student development.

3. Demonstrate the capacity to reflectively evaluate, communicate about, and implement laws, rights, policies, and regulations to promote student and adult success and well-being.

4. Demonstrate the capacity to collaboratively develop the school’s professional capacity through engagement in recruiting, selecting, and hiring staff.

5. Demonstrate knowledge, understanding, and application of management and leadership skills that achieve effective and efficient organizational operations and sustain an instructional program conducive to student academic progress, including;

a. Principles and issues of supervising and leading others to ensure a working and learning climate that is safe, secure, and respectful of a diverse school community;
b. Principles and issues related to fiscal operations of school management;
c. Principles and issues related to school facilities and use of space and time for supporting high-quality school instruction and student learning.

Assessment Measures

All instructors of the course will assess students in the following ways:

Students will develop projects related to the four major topics of human resource management, finance, facilities and scheduling, and discipline and safety that compare and contrast national and local policies and practices.

Additionally, instructors may choose additional assessment measures to assess learning in the course including but not limited to:

Written assignments such as research papers; reflective writings; narrative responses; journal and/or book reviews; examinations.
Student engagement in actively demonstrating skill development through activities such as: in-basket activities; role play; simulations; demonstrations; presentations; group activities; field experiences; case studies.

Other Course Information

None

Approval and review dates

2/27/09 reviewed and modified William Flora

May 5, 2022