Preliminary Administrative Services Program Standards

Preliminary Administrative Services Credential (PASC) Program Standard 4: Equity, Diversity and Access

PASC Program Standard 4 is met as follows:

ASC program candidates reflect on their privilege, social positions, implicit biases and personal biases, attitudes and beliefs, societal identities and power as well as interpersonal power dynamics through individual, critical self-reflection assignments as well as in-class, small-group learning exercises. Candidates further engage in reflective activities through relevant course readings, class discussions, educational documentary analyses and through prompts for written assignments, including journal assignments shared with instructors for feedback, as well as through in-class reflective learning activities. Candidates complete research projects or papers on topics related to equity and access in education, such as the achievement gap or the overrepresentation of certain student groups in disciplinary actions. ASC candidates engage with course readings through written assignments and presentations that discuss strategies to meet the needs of underserved and vulnerable students, such as English Language Learners, students labeled with disabilities or who have individualized educational plans (IEPs), students from families who recently migrated to the United States and students from racial and ethnic groups that are historically marginalized, from genders, which are historically marginalized including girls and women, trans and non-binary people and for LGBTQIA students and families.  

Candidates analyze and discuss readings on restorative justice and take a required class on trauma-informed practices and trauma-informed leadership. The course, EDUT 6308: Trauma-Informed Leadership, introduces students to the core concepts and interventions for traumatized children and adolescents.  This course supports student understanding of the role of a trauma-informed school culture in building caring relationships with adults and peers, helping students self-regulate their emotions and behaviors, and succeed academically, while supporting health and well-being.  As future school administrations, students will utilize trauma-informed evidence-based practices, develop personal insights, interpersonal skills, and management practices for leading diverse, inclusive programs and organizations and learn practices to empower and engage students as learners.  This course will highlight the role of development, culture and empirical evidence in trauma-specific assessment, referral and interventions with children, adolescents and their families.  This course highlights strength-based practices along with a focus on the identification of protective and promotive factors that foster resilience and post-traumatic growth.  Through course readings of current scholarship and research and a focus on second-language learners, this course orients students toward rebuilding school culture to create trauma-informed and trauma-sensitive schools that are safe and respectful environments.

In the course, EDUT 6306: School Leadership, candidates engage with classroom presenters and guest speakers who consult local school districts on improving trauma-informed leadership practices at a systemic level.  As part of their coursework in the program, candidates engage with relevant course readings on educational leadership, leadership studies, distributed leadership, asset-based approaches and organizational learning to complete an instructional plan of action relevant to a specific imagined school and school district and its identified historical and sociopolitical contexts. Through course readings and assignments, candidates learn about the benefits and constraints and promises of equity audits and a summative assignment is to create an equity audit of a mock school-level data set to apply theory to practice and learning exercises through classroom activities.  As a result of this course, students will be able to: 

1. Understand how to build district and school cultures that continually collect, analyze and use multiple sources of data to make decisions to support instruction. 

2. Identify and develop strategies and operational systems that foster distributed leadership and build professional learning communities. 

3. Develop an understanding of trends within the field of educational leadership, especially related to areas of equity and student learning. 

4. Understand and appreciate the need for leadership practice and activity that centers on creating equitable learning opportunities for all students inclusive of race, culture, gender, religion, class, sexual orientation and ability. 

5. Identify and understand various theoretical principles of school leadership and how those principles are actuated through the work of school leaders to support student learning. 

6. Understand that leadership is an organizational action and that individuals not assuming the legitimized leadership positions within a school engage in leadership actions. 

7. Recognize the potential and importance of including individuals beyond school personnel as individuals who engage in leadership such as parents, community members and students. 

8. Recognize the contextual nature of leadership practices within and across organizations.

Candidates benefit from guest speakers in their courses who hold identities representing historically marginalized and underserved identities and who reflect a range of diverse perspectives, including former ASC program graduates who currently serve as Curriculum Directors at Secondary Schools, Assistant Principals, Principals and Superintendents who provide talks and engage ASC candidates in discussions of diversity, equity, access and inclusion and participate in a question and answer sequences as classroom guest presenters. Students learn about culturally responsive curriculum design and pedagogical approaches through readings, lectures, class discussions, in-class learning exercises and assignments.  As part of their fieldwork, candidates may work in a school with a high percentage of historically underserved students, such as English learners or students from low-income families. The program also provides opportunities for candidates to listen to guest speakers in courses who are Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) professionals as well participate in a diversity and equity training workshop, where they explore their own personal biases and learn strategies for creating more equitable and inclusive learning environments. 

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