The P–12 Administrative Leader ship specialty area is primarily designed for public school and district administrators. Courses emphasize inquiry and analysis of problems confronting the administrator in education environments. In addition to focusing on practical issues, candidates’ values will be clarified and tied to a leadership vision. The candidates will learn to seek clarity and focus when faced with ambiguity, to evaluate operations, and to design and implement improvements required to address the needs of all students.

Acquiring, Managing, and Utilizing Resources in Districts and Systems. Concepts of school finance, school business administration, fiscal management and related procedures, and practices in educational institutions at all levels. Intensive study of budgeting and accounting as tools for planning and controlling educational operations. Applies contemporary theories of economics to educational funding, sources of revenue, resources allocation considerations, and study of current trends in fiscal structure and operations in education. Includes discussion of ethics in school finance.

School Leadership and Technology Planning for School Improvement. A study of the use of modern technological tools in instructional and administrative processes; evaluation of hardware and software for both instructional uses and as administrative tools. Overview of computer programs, and continued demonstration of competency in word processing, spreadsheet calculations, database access, presentation software, and use of Internet for instructional and administrative purpose.

Educational Leadership Policies and Politics. Designed to equip students with analytical skills for confronting leadership issues which requires the application of or creation of policy. Included are discussion of strategies for making good decisions, components of critical thinking about policy problems in professional settings, and analysis of selected educational and governmental policies using diverse views of professional moral duties as a screening device. This course will also examine and discuss the exercise of political power in education. It is designed for the educational leader who must deal with the impact of politics on managing and leading educational institutions.