Education Finance | Commonwealth Educational Policy Institute, School of Education, Virginia Commonwealth University
Program Description
This self-paced, distance-learning course initiative is offered for broadcast transmission and on for individual use at times and at locations convenient to the graduate student or practicing school administrator.
Comprised of 10 sessions, the course includes lectures by Dr. William C. Bosher, Jr., Distinguished Professor, School of Education, Virginia Commonwealth University and uses as its course text Financing Education in a Climate of Change (Brimley, Vern Jr. and Rulon R. Garfield. Eighth Edition. Boston: Allyn and Bacon, 2002). Course assignments include, among other things, readings related to specific issues, completion of one position paper, and a final examination. Course enrollees are encouraged to read professional journals, research publications and studies in addition to assigned readings in the textbook.
Sessions a broad range of key education finance issues, such as equity, adequacy, and taxation; state, local, and federal funding; budgeting, risk management, and procurement; personnel administration; school activity funds; education reform; and judicial precedent.
Virginia Standard(s) Addressed
The course addresses a number of standards within the Uniform Performance Standards and Evaluation Criteria for Teachers, Administrators, and Superintendents adopted by the Virginia Board of Education in January, 2000, including various criteria targeting planning and the effective allocation of fiscal resources; instructional leadership and the recruitment and retention of quality instructional personnel; organizational management and the effective use of financial resources to ensure learning and comply with legal mandates; and community relations.Program Goals and Objectives
The course is designed to support new and experienced school leaders in addressing challenges in school budgeting and finance and to anticipate -- and thus avoid -- common pitfalls encountered by other colleagues.Program Format
The course instructor, a noted finance practitioner and professor, integrates a variety of specialists and media throughout the lectures to enhance learning. Techniques and best practice are demonstrated and discussed as school finance and education leaders debate issues relating to new and recurrent problems that are a threat to personal success and school reform.Target Audience
This program is designed for graduate study and as a staff development resource that may support licensure renewal in Virginia.Self-Selection and/or Identification Through School Division
Yes/yes.Duration of Program
This initiative, available in DVD and VHS formats, includes ten 30-minute video sessions.Outcomes Measured
Knowledge of course content and related research is measured through written assignments and demonstrations. Observations of graduate students in practice provide insight into depth of knowledge and understanding of issues. Mastery of content is also evaluated by co-instructors who are education finance officers.Program Evaluation
Information concerning the effectiveness of the course is obtained from Virginia school administrators enrolled on the course. School leaders in professional organizations at the state and national levels provide feedback after viewing the lessons provided to them on . Co-instructors who are finance officers in school districts assist with the evaluation of the course.Contact Information
Kathleen G. Harris, Deputy Executive Director
Commonwealth Educational Policy Institute
School of Education-Oliver Hall
Virginia Commonwealth University
1015 W. Main St.
P.O. Box 842020
Richmond, VA 23284-2020
(804) 827-3290
fax: (804) 828-2768
kgharris@vcu.edu