Mastering Teacher Leadership

752 Words2 Pages

Mastering Teacher Leadership
The “Ohio Department of Education through legislator’s approval implemented new standards that impacted teacher’s certification to teach within Ohio’s public and private schools” (Schindler & Cooper, 2001). “Under the new standards, teachers certified to teach in 2002 or later will need to complete a master’s degree after their initial licensure within a five-to-seven year window” (Ohio Department of Education, 1999). Wittenberg University, centrally located in Ohio, has historical offered professional programs in education for K-12 programs and, other undergraduate studies. “Of the other six universities and colleges within central Ohio, only two currently offers Master of Arts degree in teaching” (Schindler & Cooper, 2001). There was an expected increase of enrollment in universities to fulfill the new Department of Education teacher’s certification standard. The purpose of Wittenberg University’s study was to “identify resources that might contribute to a master’s program and, explore the opportunity for offering a Master of Arts degree in Classroom Leadership” (Schindler & Cooper, 2001).
Methodology
Wittenberg University used a descriptive technique to determine the research design plan. First, “Wittenberg’s administrators conducted a brainstorming session to identify university resources for the master’s program” (Schindler & Cooper, 2001). Next, “the administrators participated in a retreat with an Ohio Department of Education consultant” (Schindler & Cooper, 2001). One of the outcomes of the retreat was the advantages of a liberal arts-based program. Finally, “Wittenberg Center for Professional Development (WittCPD) conducted three focus groups. Two groups consisted of Springfield City distr...

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...versity marketed surveys mailing them to 2,000 practicing teacher with a return rate of 763. The study had limitations that compromise the integrity of the findings. As illustrated on the survey, there were many blank responses. Wittenberg University met the task of locating resources that contributed to the master’s program, while the survey tool was insufficient to measure the viability of starting the program.

References
Ohio Department of Education. (1999). Report onThe Quality of Teacher Education in Ohio. Government Publication, Department of Education. Ohio Department of Education. Retrieved from http://cdm16007.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/singleitem/collection/p267401ccp2/id/837/rec/84
Schindler, P. S., & Cooper, D. R. (2001). Mastering Teacher Leadership. Retrieved from www.wittenberg.edu: www.quirks.com/CGI-BIN/SM40i.exe?docid=3000:58911&%70assArticleID=409

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