Educational Administration
Course Offerings

For complete list and details of Graduate Course Offerings click here (Registrar's Office).

The following list demonstrates the range of courses offered within the Educational Administration Program.  Not all of the courses listed are offered in any given year.

TPS1003 H
Conducting Research in Educational Administration [RM] 
A seminar examining the strategies, techniques, and problems involved in the conduct of research in educational administration. This seminar prepares the student for defining research problems, reviewing relevant literature, writing research proposals, conducting research and writing reports in educational administration. During this course the student will prepare the proposal for their Major Research Paper. NOTE: All master's candidates are strongly recommended to take this course towards the end of their program.

 

TPS1004 H
Research Literacy in Educational Administration [RM]
The goals of this course are to provide students with an introduction to the purposes of research in educational administration and to assist students in learning how to obtain, evaluate, interpret, and use research in their work as educators and in their graduate studies. Possible topics include: overview of different research paradigms and research strategies used in studies of policy, leadership, and change; how to critically analyze the strengths and weakness of research; how to conduct a review of literature and build a bibliography; dissemination of research; the connections between research, policy, and practice; the role of research and evaluation departments; leadership roles in sponsoring, directing, using, and communicating research. NOTE: All master's candidates are strongly recommended to take this course at the beginning of their programs.
 

TPS1005 H
The Computer in Educational Administration
No computer experience required. Introduction to computers in education from an administrative perspective. Topics include issues related to policy, planning and implementation of information technology in educational settings; impact of computer technology on educational organizations and culture; and implications for staff development and curriculum delivery. Current applications of computers at the school, board and Ministry as well as post-secondary levels are presented.

TPS1012 H
Organizational Culture and Decision-Making
An analysis of the organizational culture of educational organizations. The implications for action resulting from research and theory relating to organizational culture are examined. Case studies and field experiences are used as bases for the analysis of decision-making within the context of specific organizational cultures.



TPS1016 H
School Program Development and Implementation
An analysis of issues and problems in conceptualizing, operationalizing, and evaluating a total school environment in terms of a range of divergent goals and values. Major topics include strategies for program development and change in the context of education in Ontario, Canada, and internationally; theoretical and empirical bases differentiating educational environments, the role of the program manager, and skills needed to manage program development, organization, implementation, and evaluation.

TPS1018 H
Political Skill in the Education Arena
Practical considerations in solving political problems in and about schools. Focus is on the five levels of local governance: family/school, micro-politics (within the school), neighbourhood, meso-politics (the school and the central office), and the board. Special attention to understanding background variables such as the environment, institutions, power, and issues. Workshop activities centre around processes such as coalition-building, advocating, believing, and co-producing. Readings include procedural, fictional, and conceptual materials.


TPS1019 H
Diversity and the Ethics of Educational Administration
Administrators in education and teachers are continually asked to decide on matters of equity, to adjudicate between conflicting value positions, and to accommodate different rights and human interests in their planning. Often administrative practice in these areas is less than successful. This course will study various ethical schools of thought and modern approaches to social justice. It will apply that content to administrative practice in education. Particular attention will be given to equity issues in areas of race, culture, gender, age, social class, national origin, language, ancestry, sexual orientation, citizenship, and physical or mental abilities.


TPS1020 H (Link to Course Outline Here)
Teachers and Educational Change
This course deals with how teachers contribute to and are affected by administrative processes. It looks at the determinants of teachers' classroom strategies, the work culture of teachers, teachers' careers, the role of teachers in school decision-making, the relationship of teachers' educational commitments to aspects of their broader lives (such as age, religious and political beliefs, and gender identity), and the role of teachers in fostering or inhibiting educational change. The course will be of interest to elementary and secondary teachers and to educational administrators.



TPS1025 H (Link to Course Outline Here)
School Effectiveness and School Improvement
This course examines the factors contributing to school effectiveness, including school climate and physical characteristics, instructional patterns, types of organization, and the use of time. It also considers the possibilities for school improvement in the context of a pluralist democracy and the use of total quality management (TQM) to improve educational institutions.

TPS1027 H (Link to Course Outline Here)
The Search for Educational Quality and Excellence in a Global Economy
The global economy and its new technologies, public skepticism towards education and the failed systemic educational reforms of the past decades will serve as a background for a critical review of emerging new reform initiatives such as, entrepreneurial schools, charter schools, voucher schools, privatization, business-education partnership, school councils, and Total Quality Management. This course will also analyse the impact of such initiatives on society, school and curriculum.



TPS1028 H
Policy Delivery and Schools
Teachers and policy: complications for management. Attention is given to agenda-setting, backward mapping, crafting alternatives, estimating feasibility, and coping with unanticipated consequences. Ethnographic work and school administration with some attention to administration of programs for students at risk.


TPS1029 H
Special Applications of the Administrative Process: School-Based Management and Restructuring



TPS1029 H
Special Applications of the Administrative Process
Some unique problems, presented to the administrator placed in special structures or environments, are examined with a view to developing appropriate applications of administrative processes. Depending upon resources of staff and needs of students electing this course, it will cover the administration of any one of, or combination of, the following: programs of special education, colleges and other institutions of higher education, large urban complexes, areas presenting special sociocultural problems, computer-assisted administration, and comparative educational administration.


TPS1029 H
Special Applications of the Administrative Process: Advanced Methods of Conducting Research in
This course will explore issues and problems encountered by students in conducting research in Educational Administration. Students will identify problems encountered in their research experience, and solution strategies will be addressed by the class. Prerequisite: TPS1003 or Permission of instructor


TPS1029 H
Special Applications of the Administrative Process: Health, Education, and Educational Administration:
This course examines salient facets of health, illness, and illness prevention in the context of education. Incorporating micro and macro-level analyses, students will explore relationships among: (1) experiences of health and illness in an educational context; (2) health and quality of working life; (3) health awareness and illness prevention through education; (4) program evaluation and health education; (5) educational administration; and (6) social policy, health, and education.


TPS1029 H
Special Applications of the Administrative Process: Administering Schools in Multicultural



TPS1029 H
Special Applications of the Administrative Process: Educational Accountability and School
Public education systems have been the focus of a wide range of accountability policies over the past decade. This course will develop students' understandings of the concept of accountability, examine the major different approaches to holding schools and districts more accountable, review evidence concerning the intended and unintended consequences of accountability policies and develop the implications for those in leadership roles in schools and districts. Students will be expected to write a critical analysis of one major approach to educational accountability and work with a small group of colleagues on a case problem related to the implementation of an accountability policy in a school.


TPS1029 H
Special Applications of the Administrative Process: Assessing Improvement Through Action Research
The history and process involved in action research will be explored as a means of assessing personal professional practice and school improvement. Action research is presented as personal research conducted by a practitioner to improve personal practice or as a means for a group of practitioners to assess school improvement efforts in their school. As qualitative research methodology is typically considered most appropriate for action research, where appropriate the underlying methodology and assumptions of qualitative research will be examined. Each student will conduct an action research study using qualitative research methodology. .


TPS1029 H
Special Applications of the Administrative Process: Multicultural and Diversity Policies in Comparative Perspective: Canada and the United States
Sociocultural pluralism is a feature of the populations of both the United States and Canada. It is also increasingly recognized as an important feature of many other societies. Canadian students of diversity education are generally quite familiar with the U.S. literature on multicultural education and often refer to it unproblematically in their discussions of Canadian diversity. They are often unaware, though, of the difference in both the policy context and the lived reality of diversity in the two countries. In addition, if they are aware of a larger international context for the discussion of diversity, they are limited by a view that presents diversity or multiculturalism as a Western invention. This course would seed to make students more aware of the social and policy contexts within which multicultural and diversity education have developed in Canada and the United States and to situate this understanding in a global context. A parallel course would be offered at the University at Buffalo (SUNY). Students would have the opportunity through face-to-face and electronic encounters to interact with their counterparts in the U.S.


TPS1029 H
Special Applications of the Administrative Process: Student Success, Student Engagement and
This course explores the different meanings of and pedagogical approaches to student engagement in the context of diverse student needs and student success. Data and cases from two national studies on student engagement and 'students at risk' will be critically explored with the aim of developing visions and strategies relevant to the context of the participants


TPS1029 H
Special Applications of the Administrative Process: Research in Urban Schools: Methods, Ethics,
The purpose of this course is to provide students in the interdepartmental urban education M.Ed. Cohort with a foundation in interview and observation research skills they will need for their internship and action research projects


TPS1029 H ( Link to Course Outlines Here)
Special Applications of the Administrative Process: Improving Student Outcomes on a System Wide
Governments and school systems across the world have been engaged in efforts to create lasting and substantial improvement in a range of student outcomes. In this course students will examine recent change efforts in Ontario and elsewhere so as to develop both a conceptual and practical understanding of strategies for improving system wide outcomes for students, and the strengths and limitations of these strategies


TPS1029 H
Special Applications of the Administrative Process: Race, Poverty, and Urban School Leadership
The purpose of this course is to require educational administration master's degree students, many of whom aspire to or currently occupy important administrative roles in their schools and districts, to explore the following questions: *What should school administrators know about racial, ethnic, and economic inequalities? *How should school administrators learn about racial and ethnic inequalities and poverty? *Once school admoinistrators know this information, what should--and can--they do about it on the job?


TPS1029 H
Special Applications of the Administrative Process: Critical Democratic Approaches to Policy and
This course will introduce students to critical-Democratic traditions in educational administration. It will engage students in discussions of critical theory, feminisms, post-structuralism, anti-racism and other theoretical positions that have informed the development of critical-Democratic traditions in leadership and policy. It will also look specifically at what it means to engage in critical work in education and how this can be done through practice in leadership and policy study.


TPS1029 H
Special Applications of the Administrative Process: Language Policy in Educational Administration
School language policy-making is a developing activity of importance for educational administrators in pluralist societies. A language policy is a firm plan for action addressing the first - or minority - language problems of a school, a college, a board, or some other educational agency. The goal of this course is for participants to identify language issues and problems that need addrressing in a single educational setting of their own choice. The course addresses the administration of all kinds of language activities in education: mother-tongue teaching; second-language learning; language maintenance; bilingual education; minority-culture schooling; community-language teaching; and gender and language. A subtext of the course's seminars is the integration of issues of social justice and power into the development of coherent and workable policies that are seen as agreed plans for action.


TPS1030 H (Link to Course Outlines Here)
The Legal Context of Education
An examination of the current context of legal discourse related to the practical exigencies of present- day school experience. A detailed study of statutory and common law sources under which educators operate. The law is not immutable. Emphasis on negligence, malpractice, human rights and the school system, teacher rights, and student discipline and the Young Offenders Act and Zero Tolerance.



TPS1040 H ( Link to Course Outlines Here)
Educational Administration I: Introduction to Educational Administration: Policy, Leadership and Change
This course provides an introduction to educational policy, leadership and change in general and to this program in particular by focusing on foundational concepts and theories significant to the understanding of education and educational administration. It offers a critical examination of a wide range of topics central to educational administration, educational policy, leadership and change, such as organization, community, power, authority, change, difference, leadership, and values. This examination will take into account major historical developments in the field as well as differing theoretical stances or paradigms, such as positivism, functionalism, interpretivism, critical pedagogy, feminism, post-structuralism and post-modernism. The course will help students understand how to use theory to make sense of educational practice in productive ways. NOTE: All master's candidates are strongly recommended to take TPS1040 as the first course in their program and before taking TPS1041.

TPS1041 H (Link to Course Outlines Here)(Denis Hache Outline Here)
Educational Administration II: Social and Policy Contexts of Schooling
This course will focus on the social and policy contexts in which elementary and secondary educators work. Students will be exposed to a variety of issues related to schooling in a diverse and complex environment such as: differing purposes, philosophies, and values of education; multiculturalism and social justice; equity issues related to race, class, gender, and language; parental influences on schooling; the relationship of schooling to the labor market and the economy; choice of school and program; decentralization and centralization; standards and accountability; educational finance; school reform; educational and non-educational pressure groups and stakeholders. Through an exploration of these or related topics, this course will help students to continue to develop their understanding of different paradigms and methods used in research in educational administration, leadership, policy and change. NOTE: All master's candidates are strongly recommended to take TPS1041 as their second course after completing TPS1040.

TPS1042 H (Link to Course Outlines Here)
Educational Leadership and Cultural Diversity
This course is designed to acquaint students with the practices and issues associated with administration, organization, and leadership in educational organizations with culturally diverse student populations. Students will have the opportunity to critically analyse and appraise the practices and issues involved in the administration and leadership of such schools. They will also have the chance to probe and clarify their own conceptions of, and attitudes toward, multiethnic and anti-racist education generally and leadership in such school organizations specifically, in ways that will assist them with their own administrative practices.


TPS1048 H (Link to Course Outline for Jim Ryan Here/Ken Leithwood Here)
Educational Leadership and School Improvement
A companion course to 1047. Contemporary conceptions of leadership are examined for their value in helping present schools improve and future schools serve their publics well. Understanding of expert leadership is developed through the study not only of expert leaders' behaviors, but also of their feelings, values, and problem-solving strategies. The formal and informal experiences that contribute to the development of leadership expertise will be examined.
 

TPS1050 H (link to Course Outline for Jim Ryan Here /Blair Mascall Here)
Themes and Issues in Change, Leadership, Policy, and Social Diversity
This course has been designed to be the final course for students in the 10-course M.Ed. Program in Educational Administration. The course provides an opportunity for students to explore and develop a comprehensive view of the field of educational administration, through a series of seminars designed to help summarize, integrate and consolidate knowledge of the field. Students will link particular problems in practice to the theoretical bases of the field, through the lenses of the major strands of our program: change, leadership, policy and social diversity. There will be a focus on analysis, synthesis and application, building a deeper understanding, situated in the broader field. The culmination of this course will be the creation of a comprehensive portfolio reflecting the student's understanding of the breadth and depth of the field.
 

TPS1807S (link to Course Outline Here) 

Strategic and Long-Range Planning for Post Secondary Education

TPS2006 H
Educational Finance and Economics
Topics include: public education as an economic institution; the sources and methods of distribution of public school revenue at the various levels of government; provincial and state school grant systems and the rationale behind them; principles and practices in school budgeting and salary scheduling; the relationship between investment and education, the formation of human capital, and national economic growth. STUDENTS WHO HAVE TAKEN TPS1017 or TPS1841 WILL NOT BE ELIGIBLE TO TAKE THIS COURSE FOR CREDIT.

TPS3018 H
Governing Education: A Seminar on Politics
Concepts, perspectives, and methods of political science are used to deal with educational issues in structured ways, while educational issues are used to exemplify and assess the relevance of political science concepts for understanding education.


TPS3020 H
Educational Change in the Postmodern Age
This course examines the social forces that are driving educational change in the postmodern age, and their impact upon both the substance, process and outcomes of educational change efforts. The course will investigate how students' identities, teachers' work and approaches to leadership are affected by these forces of change, along with the major change strategies that are being adopted to respond to them.


TPS3022 H
The Investigation of School Culture: An Examination of the Daily Life of Schools
This course is intended to place the norms, values, and practices of school life within an administrative context. The focus is on factors that promote or inhibit the development of community and the achievement of educational purposes. Students are invited to explore and apply a variety of interpretive frameworks to their understanding of institutional culture.


TPS3024 H
Field Studies in Educational Leadership
The course is designed to meet the needs of doctoral students working closely together on issues and problems in educational leadership. Such issues may include developing collaborative school cultures, school-based management, teacher leadership, gender and leadership, and the leadership implications of restructuring. Topics will vary, however, with student interests and concerns and with current field priorities. Issues will be analysed through practical study in the form of site visits, video case analysis, or sample participation in field exercises, through scholarly reading and discussions, and particularly through interaction between the two. The course will be particularly appropriate for students seeking a strong field focus in their doctoral program.

 

TPS3025 H
Personal and Professional Values of Educational Leadership
This doctoral level course examines theories and frameworks which accommodate the influence of values, both personal and professional, on educational leadership practices. The primary focus is on values manifested by individuals and their impact on administrative problem solving processes. Value conflicts are explored particularly as they occur when the values of individuals clash with the broader social, collective or meta values associated with organizations.
 

TPS3041 H (Link to Course Outlines Here)
Administrative Theory and Educational Problems II: Doctoral Seminar on Policy Issues in Education
This seminar examines significant policy issues in education, both historical and current, both Canadian and international. Emphasis is on acquiring an understanding of the content and significance of the policies, with a secondary interest in policy analysis and development. Various faculty in the Department of Educational Administration will be responsible for particular sessions. NOTE: Required for Ed.D. students. An elective suitable for Ph.D. students. Permission of course coordinator required for students outside Educational Administration.


TPS3042 H (Link to Course Outlines Here)
Field Research in Educational Administration [RM]
The course explores naturalistic and ethnographic methods of research applied to field research and case studies in educational administration. The researcher as participant in as well as an observer of social reality; the relationship of fact and value in social research, the limits of science in truth-making; the relationship of such science-established truth to evaluation and administrative action; and the problems of ethical inquiry into organizational and administrative realities.


TPS3043 H
Survey Research in Educational Administration [RM]
An exploration of the history and current use of survey research in educational administration. Topics will include an assessment of the strengths and limitations of the method survey, the selection of samples, questionnaire design, standard measurement instruments used in the field, methods of data analysis (with a focus on using SPSS), the drawing of causal inferences, and presentation of results in a clear and effective manner. Prerequisite: 1003H or CTL2004H or SES1902H or permission of the instructor.

TPS3044 H
Internship/Practicum in Educational Administration
An advanced administrative experience, primarily for Ed.D. students, under the joint guidance of faculty members and senior administrators in the internship/practicum location. Placement and responsibilities relating to the internship/practicum are determined on an individual basis depending on the needs, interests, and aspirations of students and on the availability of appropriate locations.

TPS3045 H (Link to Course Outline Here)
Educational Policy and Program Evaluation
This course provides a working understanding of the political processes of policy formation, implementation and consequences, as well as program evaluation processes and methods, interpretation, and utilization, emphasizing their role in educational practice and using specific educational issues, activities and actors to illustrate more broadly applicable concepts. The major project for the course will involve students' development of a piece of policy analysis or a program evaluation plan.


TPS3046 H
Gender Issues on Educational Leaderships
This course examines gender issues and uses gender as a conceptual lens to explore policies, practices, relationships, and experiences in schools and other educational settings, with particular attention to implications for administration. Besides covering a broad range of educational issues and perspectives, this course focuses on gender rather broadly, considering the experiences of males as well as females, the impact of heterosexism on children and adults, and relationships between gender and other social characteristics such as race and ethnicity. Students are encouraged to bring in topics of particular interest and to use the course to explore practical problems and issues.


TPS3047 H
Research Seminar on Leadership and Educational Change
The course explores a variety of initiatives being taken to improve, reform, and/or restructure schools. The basic intents of these initiatives are examined in an effort to understand implications for productive change processes at the classroom, school, and school system levels. Emphasis is given to the role of leadership in fostering educational change. Students will be involved in a research project designed to illustrate the practical meaning of course concepts and to refine their research capacities.

TPS3052 H
Individual Reading and Research in Educational Administration: Doctoral Level
Description as for 1052H.


TPS3055 H
Democratic Values, Student Engagement, and Democratic Leadership
An examination and application of democratic values to issues of student engagement and leadership. The course will explore the relationship between student engagement and critical-democratic leadership, and the implications that arise for educational administration and curriculum from the nature of this relationship. This course should be of interest to both teachers and administrators.