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The Teacher Leader

Graduates from the education track are designated as Teacher Leaders, a role increasingly being promoted nationwide as the school environment becomes more complex. As a Teacher Leader, you’ll continue your classroom teaching responsibilities while you contribute within your buildings and districts in a leadership role. You’ll advocate, nurture, and sustain a school culture and instructional program conducive to student learning, professional development, and community partnerships … understand the ramifications of economic, social and political influences on education decision making and policy development … use current educational research to create effective learning environments that meet the needs of diverse students and enhance student achievement … and have stronger content knowledge that you’ll use to improve instructional practice.

To learn more about the Teacher Leader concept, click here to go to the September, 2007 issue of Educational Leadership, which was devoted to "Teachers as Leaders."

Teacher Leader Course Offerings

This is a summary of the courses offered in the Teacher Leader (Education) Track. For official course descriptions, see the Graduate Studies Catalog.

EDGR 540 Innovation and New Leadership Roles for Teachers
This course will assist students in the critique of their assumptions, and those of other stakeholders, about the need for change and reform in education. Students will weigh the merits of various reform efforts, evaluate the reality of implementing specific reform strategies, and create a practical plan for innovative change in their practice arena.

EDGR 545 Strengthening Professional Practice
In this course, students will examine their own practice and that of their cohort peers to analyze the skills needed to achieve school improvement efforts. Students will assess their own professional knowledge and skills in relationship to their leadership potential to impact change. A plan for strengthening areas of practice needing improvement will be developed.

EDGR 550 Current Issues/Special Topics in Content and Pedagogy I
This course will help students identify and address practical problems encountered in a school setting. Students will reflect on their own practice and develop strategies for incorporating new research findings and instructional resources into their practice to increase Pre-K/12 students’ achievement.

EDGR 555 The Scholarship of Teaching
The faculty-mentored seminar is designed to explore issues and reflect on the student’s role development as a teacher leader. Students will identify researchable questions, create a project proposal, and present the proposal to the cohort. Students will analyze feedback received to refine their proposal. Students may choose to explore certification by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards during this seminar.

EDGR 560 Building Learning Communities
This course will focus on the skills needed to build collaborative partnerships to achieve educational goals at all levels and with all stakeholders. The ramifications of economic, social, and political relationships on the effectiveness of education will be studied.

EDGR 565 Current Issues/Special Topics in Content and Pedagogy II
This course will allow the student to identify and address a second practical problem encountered in a school setting. A national or international learning experience may be considered for this course.

EDGR 570 Diversity and the Art of Education
This course will explore individual and group differences that students bring to the classroom and how the needs of diverse learners can be addressed. Theories such as self-perception, motivation, and resiliency will be used to identify risk factors, discuss the dangers of stereotyping/labeling, and determine effective instructional strategies for meeting the needs of all learners.

EDGR 575 Differentiated Instruction
This course will focus on developing instructional strategies to engage and motivate all learners to realize their potential. The foundation of this course is the application of instructional strategies and practices to meet the needs of all learners, including students from diverse ethnic, racial and socioeconomic backgrounds, students with disabilities, students who are gifted and talented, English language learners, and students who may be at risk of not succeeding in school.

EDGR 580 Authentic Assessment
This course will examine a variety of methods for assessing student knowledge, skills and attitudes, including informal and formal measures. Students will analyze assessment data to determine classroom and district student achievement trends. This information will be used to inform instructional decisions.

EDGR 590 Leading for Change III: Innovative Leadership Capstone
This culminating course will provide an opportunity to synthesize and apply the major concepts of the program. The student will complete a scholarly project which has been threaded throughout previous coursework. The project will demonstrate the students have met the learning outcomes of the program. Students must present their project findings through a public or professional venue.

Teacher Leader Comparisons

Graduate study in education
Which path is right for you?

As a teacher considering a graduate program, you have several options that may fit your career goals and personal aspirations. This chart will help you compare Grand View's Teacher Leader to choices in advanced teacher education available at other institutions.

The Master of Science in Innovative Leadership is an integrated approach to advanced study that links a core of interdisciplinary courses with a concentration in education. Both theory and practice are emphasized in the program. The goal is for the classroom teacher to remain in the classroom while also assuming leadership roles in the school or district.

The emerging designation of Teacher Leader offers unlimited role possibilities: mentor, department chair, resource provider, instructional coach, classroom supporter, curriculum coordinator, peer assistant, team leader, professional development facilitator, assessment specialist, data consultant, administrative assistant, content leader, project manager, program collaborator, peer leader, committee or task force chair, student teacher coordinator, change catalyst, or community liaison.

Traditional Education Master’s Degrees Offered at Other Universities*

Master of Arts in Teaching (M.A.T.) or Master of Science in Teaching (M.S.T.)	Master of Education (M.Ed.)	Master of Arts (M.A.) or Master of Science (M.S.) in Education
For those interested in becoming classroom teachers.	For those interested in becoming better teachers in a specific content area or specialization.	Whether you earn an M.A. or M.S. is usually determined more by the institution you attend than by the type of degree you pursue.
The M.A.T or M.S.T degree provides a career pathway into teaching for those who hold a baccalaureate degree in some content area other than education. Those completing this degree become credentialed either as elementary or secondary school teachers.	The Master of Education degree is often pursued by teachers interested in improving their content knowledge and skill base as classroom practitioners, or by those interested in exploring education or training positions outside of the traditional school setting.	Either degree allows you to continue as a classroom teacher or to pursue other educational opportunities. The M. A. usually focuses on your knowledge and skills as a practitioner, while the M.S. emphasizes skill development as a scholar/researcher. A doctoral degree (Ph.D. or Ed.D.) is often pursued as a culminating career goal for those pursuing the M. S.
The role of classroom teacher is the focus of this program.	The roles of education practitioner or master teacher are emphasized.	The roles of content specialist, school administrator, college/university professor, researcher/scholar, or master teacher are explored.

*These programs are not offered at Grand View.

Teacher Leader Course Schedule

You will begin your track courses in the second year of the program. The schedule below is an example of how those courses are scheduled.

Summer of Year 1
EDGR 540 Innovation & New Leadership Roles 3 credits
EDGR 545 Strengthening Professional Practice 2 credits
EDGR 550 Current Issues/Special Topics in Content and Pedagogy I 3 credits

Fall of Year 2
EDGR 555 Scholarship of Teaching 3 credits
EDGR 560 Building Learning Communities 3 credits
EDGR 565 Current Issues/Special Topics in Content and Pedagogy II 3 credits (Arranged by Student Sometime During the Ed Track)

Spring of Year 2:
EDGR 570 Diversity & Art of Education 2 credits
EDGR 575 Differentiated Instruction 2 credits
EDGR 580 Authentic Assessment 2 credits

Summer of Year 2:
EDGR 590 Leading for Change III: Innovative Leadership Capstone 3 credits

Jacobson Fellowship

Graduate students in the Education track may be eligible for the Jacobson Fellowship, a scholarship award of $3,000 per year which is renewable. Recipients must be accepted to the program, have earned an undergraduate cumulative GPA of 3.0 and must be nominated/recommended by a school administrator. Renewal for a second year requires a 3.25 GPA in the program. The nomination deadline is April 15. The nomination form can be downloaded HERE.

The Jacobson Institute for Innovation in Education was established in 2008 by a gift from Richard O. Jacobson. A significant portion of this gift has been designated to support graduate students in education. Mr. Jacobson joined the Grand View Board of Trustees in 1997 and continues to serve. His leadership and philanthropy at Grand View, and throughout and beyond Iowa, has helped numerous organizations improve education, build community and prepare for a better future. The vision of the Jacobson Institute for Innovation in Education is to identify innovative strategies that improve the quality of teaching and learning and to put them into practice.

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