Political and Social Influence

Course Description

Examining political, societal, economic, legal, and cultural influences on schools. Providing team leadership for effective communication with key school-community decision-makers. For candidates in Santa Clara County Office/NU joint program only.

Learning Outcomes

• Analyze and apply the legal framework in which school districts operate and the legal issues faced by school administrators.
• Demonstrate knowledge of education codes/ regulations, school board policies, court decisions, and relevant case law.
• Apply case law to issues faced by practicing school administrators (i.e., pupil and parent rights, school attendance, suspension and expulsion, search and seizure, student records, personnel certification, employment and tenure, employee dismissal, employee/employer relations, sexual harassment, contract administration, school hours, curriculum mandates, discipline, civil rights, desegregation, anti-discrimination, language mandates, liability, special education, and religion).
• Engage in discussions and successfully address authentic, complex school issues, including meeting the needs of students and staff with disabilities, evaluating employees, providing appropriate services in different settings to English learners, ensuring school safety, administering student behavior programs, and addressing harassment.
• Demonstrate a working knowledge of ethical school and district financial leadership and management. Analyze and apply basic revenue sources in budget planning and development.
• Monitor budgets that include expenditure control, interim budget reports, encumbrances, student body accounts, and audits.
• Apply fiscal aspects of collective bargaining, special education, and categorical funding.
• Demonstrate and apply knowledge of the fiscal aspects of facilities management, food services, and transportation services.
• Analyze and demonstrate how a school must operate consistently within the parameters of federal, state, and local laws, policies, regulations, contractual and statutory requirements. Working with diverse populations.
• Learn about political, societal, economic, legal and cultural influences on schools.
• Engage in discussions regarding legal and regulatory applications, policy and political influences, working with diverse populations and human resources administration, and legal and regulatory applications.
• Identify institutional needs for addressing diversity, ethics, contemporary educational issues, and schools as political systems.
• Apply the process of change in building an effective instructional program.
• Demonstrate knowledge of history of school finance, with emphasis on diversity and legal implications.
• Identify institutional needs for addressing diversity, ethics, contemporary educational issues, and schools as political systems.
• Practice both team leadership and team membership so that the candidate can effectively generate and participate in communication with key decision-makers in the school community.
• Apply the process of change in building an effective instructional program.
• Understand, respond to, and influence the larger political, social, economic, legal and cultural context of schools and leadership.
• View self as a leader of a team and as a member of a team by engaging in course work and field work that provides opportunities to both lead and work collaboratively.