Off-Campus Leadership Development (OCLD) Fast Track M.A. in Educational Administration
Fast Track M.A. in Educational Administration
This one-calendar year, 36-credit master’s degree program joins theory and practice by combining academic study in class with related project work that is job-embedded. Both classes and projects are conducted in or near the candidate’s school district or diocese.
This one-calendar year, 36-credit master’s degree program joins theory and practice by combining academic study in class with related project work that is job-embedded. Both classes and projects are conducted in or near the candidate’s school district or diocese.
ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS
- Letter of permission from superintendent of schools of district or diocese and signed consent of a certified principal as administrator-mentor
- Undergraduate GPA of 3.0, or an earned master’s degree with 3.0 GPA
- Official undergraduate/graduate transcripts
- Minimum of three years of successful teaching experience or its equivalent in New Jersey schools under an appropriate teaching certificate.
- One professional reference from someone other than the superintendent of schools
The following represents a typical OCLD scheduling pattern; a given cohort may have a slightly different version of this schedule.
Any student who completes the M.A. in Educational Administration must successfully complete a two-semester research project in ED 686-687 that applies research skills to field-based problems in educational administration. The student’s log of mentor activities and the rubric evaluating those activities are also considered as part of the outcome assessment. Selected courses will also have required outcomes assessment assignments that reflect a maximum of CAEP principles and program claims.
NOTE: It is understood that students must also meet the State of New Jersey’s requirements for certification. Fees and requirements are set by the New Jersey Department of Education.
PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS (36 credits)
Strand I – Summer Session B
Course Code : ED 616
Course Description :
This course provides students with the quantitative and qualitative research methodologies that will be needed to complete the problem-based inquiry project they will confront during their capstone courses (ED 686/687). The student will become familiar with ethnographic research, qualitative analysis, case study analysis, demographic data, enrollment projections, and research reports that include the above procedures. A series of identified scenarios will be provided to engage students in applying the acquired methodologies. These scenarios will require that data be compiled into a coherent report which reflects the effective application of the data in support of a recommendation(s). Students will become acquainted with test construction and statistical measurements as applicable to the conduct and/or understanding of quantitative research. Ethical decision-making models will also be explored with a focus on the detailed analysis of practical problems in school administration. Students will understand case study and problem-based learning and the contrast between them. They will begin to formulate an action research topic with relevant research questions for their capstone project.
Prerequisites :
At least 18 graduate credits.
- Credit : 3
Course Code : ED 671
Course Description :
This course introduces students to Pre K-12 school administration and curriculum supervision andprovides an overview of the historical and research foundations of organizational andcurriculum development theory. Using a problem-based approach, it develops an understandingof curriculum development practice grounded in the understanding of how school organizationswork. This will include such topics as: the school as a social system, open systems theory, usesof power and authority, leadership theory, supervisory approaches, curriculum guidelines, andlong range or strategic planning for curriculum and operational development.
- Credit : 3
Course Code : ED 674
Course Description :
Examines current statutes and recent case law in the field of education. New Jersey AdministrativeCode and State regulations are also studied. The student will be provided with a context forunderstanding and applying the controlling legal precedents to the school setting. Issues such ascompulsory attendance, student and teacher rights, tort liability, first amendment, sexualharassment, civil rights, tenure rights, and other current legal matters and procedures will be studied. The relationship of statute, code, and regulations to contract stipulations will also be considered.
- Credit : 3
Strand II – Fall Semester
Course Code : ED 650
Course Description :
Provides an advanced study of effective curriculum leadership traits needed by urban andsuburban school personnel. The demands of accountability as well as the strategies andtechniques used for recasting curricula will be addressed. Curriculum leadership involves posingproblems that challenge the apparent order in the school and classroom; reflection upon theassumptions, values and meanings of the activities found in the educational setting; and anassessment of the consequences in a process of critical inquiry about curriculum.
- Credit : 3
Course Code : ED 680
Course Description :
This two semester intern experience is designed to engage the student in experiences toapproximate functioning in the manner of the practicing professional principal. Students’ internexperiences will be guided by a set of prescribed activities that engage him/her in instruction,supervision, school community, budget, cultural, and curriculum development. The internship willbe supervised by university liaison personnel.
- Credit : 3
Course Code : ED 686
Course Description :
Students will become familiar with the language and techniques of inquiry into the problemsassociated with educational administration. Job-embedded situations will be analyzed, relatedliterature examined and useful data will be gathered to lend insight that will seek to improvestudent learning. Improvement of students’ performance will be the consistent focus of theseinquiries. Part I of the course will address the defining of the problem, related literature tovalidate the problem’s import, and selection of appropriate methodology.
- Credit : 3
Strand III – Spring Semester
Course Code : ED 670
Course Description :
Introduces students to the process of instructional supervision and models for implementation ofthe supervisory process. The course provides an overview of the relevant theory and researchin supervisory theory and practice. Supervision as ‘coaching’ will be contrasted with traditionalcriterion models and clinical supervision. Data collection to provide feedback to teachers as abasis for instructional improvement will be demonstrated and simulated. Where possibleundergraduates will be critiqued in person or through videotape as a source of supervisoryexperience. Legal requirements that circumscribe the supervision and evaluation process will bereviewed. Methods of addressing the needs of the unsuccessful teacher will also be presented.
- Credit : 3
Course Code : ED 672
Course Description :
Describes the current methods of funding education in the public sector and through variousprivate or parochial school methods. Leads the student to also consider various supplementalfunding sources, public and private. State and federally funded programs and their implicationsfor various school organizations are explained. The Generally Accepted Accounting Procedures(G.A.A.P.) will be introduced and applied by the student. The various functions of a schoolbusiness office will be explained and simulated. Sources of funding in the public and privatesectors and overall governance of finances with considerations of accountability will beexamined and understood.
- Credit : 3
Course Code : ED 687
Course Description :
In this, the second part of the course, students engage in the data-collection process. It is theirtask to establish the relationship between the topic of the inquiry and the student performancedata. A form for presenting the results of the inquiry in a technologically useful manner will bedetermined. Finally, the results of the inquiry will be presented, including the implications of the findings for the specific performance of students, and generally for all students. An audienceof interested practitioners will be assembled for the presentations.
- Credit : 3
Strand IV – Summer Session B
Course Code : ED 635
Course Description :
Prepares students for the supervision of curriculum, instruction, and personnel in subject specificcontent areas. Students will be able to set goals, design instruction, plan programs, develop andevaluate learning materials, design and implement staff development, restructure staffingpatterns and delivery systems for educational programs, and utilize State and NationalStandards in curriculum planning and assessment of student performance.
- Credit : 3
Course Code : ED 675
Course Description :
Develops the writing skills and styles needed by the school administrator to communicateeffectively with the many publics who comprise the constituency of the schools. The student willlearn the value of clear verbal and written expression and successful presentation styles.Expressing oneself to a variety of audiences in a manner which is suitable to their needs, interest,and abilities, as well as their right to know will be explained and modeled. Practicalcommunication circumstances will be used whenever possible. The student will be shown howto communicate in a manner that will be most likely to gain support for initiatives and programs.Grant writing and the characteristics of a successfully framed proposal will be included. The roleof modern technology in the communications of today’s school leader will also be stressed.
- Credit : 3
Course Code : ED 678
Course Description :
Administering personnel policies, methods and techniques in both the public and private sectors.The student will also examine internal and external environmental influences, relevance toorganizational structure, collective bargaining, tenure, affirmative action, recruitment, selection,induction, development appraisal, termination and legal parameters for all of the above. Thecourse also addresses the process of budgeting for personnel and material resources needed toensure the smooth operation of schools. Bidding requirements and practices for public andprivate sector administrators will be addressed. Purchasing practices, building renovations,capital projects, and the funding of such projects will comprise the subject matter of this course.
- Credit : 3
Most of the courses will include a related project assignment that will enable the student to engage in a practical application of the classroom instruction. The project will be designed and implemented in relation to circumstances extant in the candidate’s district or diocese. These projects will be delineated in a planning protocol and will be subject to approval by the university liaison staff member, the administrator-mentor, and the student.
Mentoring Requirement
The administrator-mentor will assist the student in establishing a schedule that will enable the student and the mentor to share routine and challenging experiences, and reflect on the meaning and implications of those experiences. The schedule will be related to the set of mentoring activities and will be reviewed during the initial summer session. The student will be expected to keep a log of completed activities. The log will be organized according to New Jersey Professional Standards for School Leadership (NJPSSL) standards. The log of activities and the rubric will be used as evaluative criteria for the internship. They will be submitted to the university liaison for ED 680 Internship in Educational Administration.
Transfer of Graduate Credit
Caldwell University will accept the transfer of six credits of graduate work in education from another accredited institution provided the credits were completed within five years of the student’s registration at Caldwell University. Official transcripts of previous graduate work as well as the description of each course must be submitted for review at the time of application. Approval of transfer credit is based on course content and grade earned in the course, which should be a B or better. Each transfer request will be reviewed by the Program Coordinator. No transfer credits will be approved after the conclusion of the first summer session, or the completion of nine credits on campus.
A Catholic Liberal Arts Education
At the core of a Caldwell education is our liberal arts curriculum, designed to guide students to critical thinking skills, appreciate diverse cultures, and acquire a moral and civic awareness.
Students develop the whole self as they absorb learning through our liberal arts core: the humanities; the physical and biological sciences, and mathematics; and the social sciences.