Educational Leadership (EDCL)

EDCL 5339. Self and Leadership: Personal Vision as an Educational and Community Leader.

This course examines how individual perspectives, professional roles, and contextual factors interact within school and community environments. Students analyze human behavior, ethical considerations, and organizational dynamics across personal, institutional, and broader social contexts. Emphasis is placed on examining how values, beliefs, attitudes, and ecological factors influence leadership practice in educational settings. Through theoretical frameworks and reflective analysis, students study the relationship between individual experience and organizational environments relevant to school and community leadership.

EDCL 5340. Organizational Management and Analysis in Educational Leadership.

This course provides an intensive examination of the structural architecture of educational organizations and the sociological frameworks that define organizational behavior. It analyzes the intersection of institutional hierarchy and human dynamics, with attention to how systemic structures influence learning environments. The course emphasizes the application of action research methodologies to examine data-informed improvement processes. Topics include strategic planning, collaborative decision-making, and the management of organizational change. The course focuses on analyzing leadership practices and organizational processes within complex educational systems. Prerequisites: EDCL 5339 with a grade of a "C" or better.

EDCL 5347. Understanding Environments: Social, Policy, Economic, Legal, and Technological.

This course surveys the study of educational environments and introduces the multiple forces that impact teaching, learning, and leadership in schools, homes, institutions, and communities. It draws on interdisciplinary literature from education, sociology, anthropology, and economics to examine complex and interrelated issues affecting children, families, and school personnel. The course includes engagement with community perspectives and structured discussion to analyze educational and community issues in relation to school and community leadership. Corequisite: EDCL 5339 with a grade of a "C" or better.

EDCL 5349. Practicum in Instructional Leadership.

This capstone internship serves as the cumulative field experience for candidates in the Master of Arts in Educational Leadership program, specializing in instructional leadership. The course focuses on the application of organizational theory, pedagogical oversight, and administrative management within a K–12 school environment. Candidates participate in a collaborative mentorship model under the guidance of a practicing school administrator, with supervision and feedback from university faculty. The practicum includes engagement in school-based activities, leadership tasks, and documentation of practice related to instructional leadership and school improvement. Prerequisite: EDCL 5339 and EDCL 5352 and EDCL 6342 and EDCL 6352 and EDCL 6358 with a grade of "C" or better.

EDCL 5351. Self as Learner and Leader within Educational and Community Contexts.

This course examines how individual perspectives, professional roles, and contextual factors interact within school and community environments. Students analyze human behavior, ethical considerations, and organizational dynamics across personal, institutional, and broader social contexts. Emphasis is placed on examining how values, beliefs, attitudes, and ecological factors influence leadership practice in educational settings. Through theoretical frameworks and reflective analysis, students study the relationship between individual experience and organizational environments relevant to school and community leadership.

EDCL 5352. Instructional Leadership, Supervision, and Professional Development.

This course investigates the relationship between school improvement and instructional leadership. It examines current research and emerging trends in professional learning and supervision within K–12 settings. The course introduces frameworks for the design, implementation, and evaluation of professional development across individual, campus, and district levels. Emphasis is placed on analyzing instructional leadership practices, supervision models, and their relationship to teaching and learning in educational contexts. Prerequisite: EDCL 5351 with a grade of "C" or better and instructor approval.

EDCL 5353. Campus Leadership and School Law.

This course examines campus leadership in elementary and secondary schools, with focus on the role and functions of the principal. It includes analysis of leadership practices in school administration and legal issues encountered by school leaders. Topics include constitutional provisions, statutory laws, court decisions, and regulations governing public education, with attention to relationships between state and federal systems. Emphasis is placed on interpretation of legal frameworks and their application to campus leadership, policy implementation, and school operations. Prerequisite: EDCL 5352 with a grade of "C" or better and instructor approval.

EDCL 5388. Problems in Administration.

This course examines individual problems or selected topics in education, allowing focused study of specialized or emerging areas within the field. Content varies based on student interests and program needs, and the course may be repeated for additional credit with approval of the program coordinator. Through directed readings, research, and applied inquiry, students engage deeply with a defined topic. Students are expected to produce a substantive scholarly or applied project demonstrating advanced understanding of the topic or issue under study.

EDCL 6342. Curriculum Design.

This course provides students with a means of examining historical, theoretical, and practical aspects of curriculum development. It considers the varied contexts in which curriculum development occurs, including factors related to school-aged learners and current trends such as digital literacy and artificial intelligence in teaching, learning, and assessment. The course examines curriculum design models and the relationship between state and district curricula and data analysis processes. It also addresses roles associated with instructional leadership in curriculum planning, implementation, and evaluation.

EDCL 6348. School Law.

This course examines the constitutional provisions, statutory laws, court decisions, and regulations governing public schools with special reference to state and federal relationships. Prerequisite: EDCL 5339, EDCL 5345, EDCL 5347, EDCL 5348, EDCL 6342, EDCL 6344, EDCL 6358, and EDCL 6387.

EDCL 6352. School as Center of Inquiry.

This course introduces educational research methods, with a focus on action research in school settings. It examines the processes involved in identifying instructional issues, designing research questions, and collecting and analyzing data. The course includes engagement with scholarly literature and application of research methods to educational contexts. Students develop and plan an action research project based on a defined instructional issue and examine relevant theories and methodologies. Prerequisite: EDCL 5339 and EDCL 5345 with a grade of "C" or better.

EDCL 6358. Integrative Seminar.

This course integrates key theories, research concepts, and principles learned from prior coursework. Students design an action research plan addressing an identified instructional issue in an educational setting. The course focuses on research design, data analysis, instructional leadership, and collaborative problem-solving. Students present a completed action research plan before a faculty panel, culminating in a written action research paper. Prerequisite: EDCL 5339 and EDCL 5345 and EDCL 5347 and EDCL 5348 and EDCL 6352 with a grade of "C" or better. Corequisite: EDCL 5348 with a grade of "C" or better.

EDCL 6387. Principal Field-Based Practicum I.

This course provides a field-based practicum in elementary and secondary school leadership, focusing on the strategic, operational, and interpersonal responsibilities of the principalship. Students engage in administrative tasks that connect educational theory to practice through a site-based practicum developed in collaboration with a practicing principal and a university supervisor. The course includes activities aligned with the Texas Principal Standards and documentation of leadership practices related to instructional leadership, school operations, and campus collaboration. Prerequisite: EDCL 5339 and EDCL 5352 with a grade "C" or better. Corequisite: EDCL 6352 and EDCL 6358 with a grade of "C" or better.

EDCL 6388. Principal Field-Based Practicum II.

This course continues the field-based practicum experience in elementary and secondary school leadership, building on prior practicum activities. It focuses on the application of strategic, operational, and interpersonal responsibilities of the principalship in a school setting. Students engage in site-based administrative tasks developed in collaboration with a practicing principal and a university supervisor. The course includes activities aligned with the Texas Principal Standards and documentation of leadership practices related to instructional leadership, school operations, and campus collaboration. Prerequisite: EDCL 5339 and EDCL 6358 and EDCL 6387 with grade of "C" or better.

EDCL 6389. Superintendent’s Practicum I.

This course provides a field-based practicum experience for candidates pursuing district-level leadership. It includes supervised engagement in central office operations across two consecutive semesters under the mentorship of a practicing superintendent and a university supervisor. The course focuses on application of leadership frameworks, administrative processes, and district-level decision-making aligned with Texas Superintendent Standards. Activities include participation in organizational planning, data-informed decision-making, and documentation of leadership practices in a district context. Prerequisite: ED 7347 with a grade of "C" or better. Corequisite: ED 7345 with a grade of "C" or better.

EDCL 6390. Superintendent’s Practicum II.

This course provides a continuation of the field-based practicum experience for candidates pursuing district-level leadership. It includes supervised engagement in central office operations under the mentorship of a practicing superintendent and a university supervisor. The course focuses on the application of leadership frameworks, administrative processes, and district-level decision-making aligned with Texas Superintendent Standards. Activities include participation in organizational planning, data-informed decision-making, and documentation of leadership practices in a district context. Prerequisite: EDCL 6389 with a grade of "C" or better. Corequisite: ED 7349 with a grade of "B" or better.

EDCL 7348. Campus Leadership and School Law.

This course develops campus leadership skills in elementary and secondary schools, focusing on the role and functions of the principal. It surveys legal issues encountered by school leaders, including constitutional provisions, statutory laws, court decisions, and regulations governing public schools, with attention to state and federal relationships. The course examines legal frameworks as they relate to policy development, student rights, personnel management, and school operations. Emphasis is placed on analyzing legal requirements and their implications for decision-making in educational leadership contexts.

EDCL 7387. Field Practicum, Part I.

This course provides a field-based practicum in elementary and secondary school leadership, focusing on the strategic, operational, and interpersonal responsibilities of the principalship. Students engage in administrative tasks that connect educational theory to practice through a site-based practicum developed in collaboration with a practicing principal and a university supervisor. The course includes activities aligned with the Texas Principal Standards and documentation of leadership practices related to instructional leadership, school operations, and campus collaboration.

EDCL 7388. Field Practicum Part II.

This course provides a field-based practicum in elementary and secondary school leadership, focusing on the strategic, operational, and interpersonal responsibilities of the principalship. Students engage in administrative tasks that connect educational theory to practice through a site-based practicum developed in collaboration with a practicing principal and a university supervisor. The course includes activities aligned with the Texas Principal Standards and documentation of leadership practices related to instructional leadership, school operations, and campus collaboration.(Note: Students who took EDCL 6388 may not repeat these courses for doctoral credit).

EDCL 7389. Superintendent Practicum I.

This course provides a field-based practicum experience for candidates pursuing district-level leadership. It includes supervised engagement in central office operations across two consecutive semesters under the mentorship of a practicing superintendent and a university supervisor. The course focuses on the application of leadership frameworks, administrative processes, and district-level decision-making aligned with Texas Superintendent Standards. Activities include participation in organizational planning, data-informed decision-making, and documentation of leadership practices in a district context. Prerequisite: ED 7347 with a grade of "B" or better. Corequisite: ED 7345 with a grade of "B" or better.

EDCL 7390. Superintendent Practicum II.

This course provides a continuation of the field-based practicum experience for candidates pursuing district-level leadership. It includes supervised engagement in central office operations under the mentorship of a practicing superintendent and a university supervisor. The course focuses on the application of leadership frameworks, administrative processes, and district-level decision-making aligned with Texas Superintendent Standards. Activities include participation in organizational planning, data-informed decision-making, and documentation of leadership practices in a district context. Prerequisite: EDCL 7389 with a grade of "B" or better.