EdS in Educational Leadership and Administration (Principal Preparation) Program Field Experience Handbook:

Overview of the Field Experience

Throughout a candidate’s field experience, they will collaborate with and receive professional guidance from the field experience faculty and principal mentors. 

Field Experience Faculty

The field experience faculty member is assigned by the university and acts as a facilitator, teacher, coach, and evaluator from the beginning of the field experience through the exit evaluation, ensuring the candidate is “on course,” meeting requirements, and learning. The field experience faculty member will:

• Act as advisor, providing ongoing coaching and support.
• Assist the candidate in planning for the field experience activities and answer questions throughout the field experience.
• Provide constructive feedback on and evaluation of major assessments and field experience activities.
• Respond to the candidate’s questions in a timely manner.
• Act as a liaison for the candidate and principal mentors.
• Facilitate discussion boards in the online classroom.
• Submit the final grade for field experience.

The Principal Mentor

Mentoring is the foundation of the field experience. The principal mentor is a licensed principal-practitioner who serves as a role model, counselor, and teacher, providing guidance and opportunities for professional development, growth, and support. The relationship between the principal mentor and the candidate is the key to the candidate’s successful development as an effective leader. High-quality mentoring is one of the most powerful means of professional induction for beginning principals. Candidates will have three principal mentors—one in each field experience setting. Principal mentors:

• Guide candidates in understanding the organization and culture of a school community. 
• Serve as a role model, teacher, guide, and provider of constructive feedback for or to the candidate while still maintaining a positive relationship. 
• Allow the candidate to complete specific field experience activities. 
• Willingly spend sufficient time coaching, modeling, supporting, and collaborating with the candidate.
• Recognize that for the candidate to learn, the mentor must be deeply involved in most aspects of the school and viewed as a worthwhile contributor to administrative actions. In other words, principal mentors ensure that the candidate is placed in authentic settings to practice real-world administrative problem solving. 
• Meet with the candidate on a regular basis or as often as necessary to provide the candidate with needed information; provide ongoing, constructive feedback; and collaborate and discuss progress.
• Observe the candidate in authentic situations and provide feedback and opportunity for reflection with the candidate.
• Sign off on the Field Experience Log. The log is located in the candidate’s ePortfolio. Candidates are required to submit a log for each field experience course; therefore, if the candidate’s field experience with the mentor extends beyond one course, the mentor will need to sign multiple logs. The candidate must upload the log to their ePortfolio once the mentor has signed it.
• Provide an evaluation of knowledge, skills, and dispositions at the end of each 40-hour placement and at the midpoint and end of the 240-hour placement.

Principal mentor qualifications include:

• A master’s degree (required) or an advanced degree in educational administration (preferred).
• At least 3 years of experience as a school administrator.
• Outstanding knowledge, skill, and expertise as a school leader.
• Sincere and consistent enthusiasm and passion for schools and learning.
• A clear commitment to positive beliefs about learners and learning.
• An ability to communicate in a sensitive manner while giving honest and constructive feedback.
• A willingness to listen to others’ ideas, doubts, and concerns.
• A caring attitude and belief that people can be successful.
• Being a lifelong learner. 
• A recommendation by the school district.

The Office of Field Experiences (OFE)

The Office of Field Experiences (OFE) is composed of members of the college staff. The OFE is responsible for ensuring that candidates’ field experience placement sites are in compliance with the program requirements. This team collaborates with host schools to secure field experience sites for the principal candidates and monitors and tracks all field experience data. The OFE also collaborates with candidates, instructors, field experience faculty, and the associate dean for educator licensure programs to resolve field experience problems and concerns. 

Principal Candidate’s Role

It is the intent of this field experience to link coursework, research, and theory through applications in authentic settings to provide the candidate with experience in addressing a wide range of situations that school leaders routinely encounter. Principal candidates will regularly encounter situations that require thoughtful response, patience, and a willingness to examine their own actions. The following attributes express qualities that are fundamental to success as a candidate:

• Demonstrate thoughtfulness and adherence to guidelines in recommending preferred sites for the field experience.
• Maintain a positive, professional, and collaborative relationship with principal mentors, school faculty, students, parents, and the field experience faculty.
• Plan ahead and manage time efficiently.
• Ask relevant questions in a timely manner.
• Consider ideas and suggestions from the field experience faculty member and principal mentors with an open mind. 
• Respond appropriately to others’ feelings and level of knowledge.
• Generate new ways of viewing a situation that are outside the boundaries of one’s personal experiences.
• Reflect on and evaluate the effectiveness of actions.

It is expected that the principal candidate will:

• Operate in a professional manner at all times.
• Respect confidentiality guidelines and agreements.
• Comply with district and state laws, policies, and procedures.
• Complete and submit all forms to their ePortfolio and submit assignments in a timely manner.
• Display a sincere and consistent enthusiasm for the role as candidate. 
• Adhere to the Minnesota Code of Ethics for School Administrators, for candidates following the Minnesota Track. Adhere to the Licensure Code of Professional Conduct for Ohio Educators for candidates following the Ohio track.
• Adhere to the Code of Conduct of Walden University (in the Walden University Student Handbook).

During the field experience, candidates enroll in six 1-credit courses, EDSP 7801–EDSP 7806, over a 9-month period. A grade for each 1-credit field experience course requires the following:

• Ongoing participation in discussion in the online classroom.
• Successful completion of field experience activities and  Major Assessments. Major Assessments are assignments that are used to formally collect data on candidate performance of relevant state and national standards.
• Completion of 40 hours of field experiences per course during the first and second courses.
• Completion of 60 hours of field experiences per course during the third, fourth, fifth, and sixth courses. 

If a candidate does not successfully complete the field experience activities and/or required number of hours of field experience during a field experience course, the candidate should request an Incomplete grade for the field experience course. If an Incomplete grade is given, the candidate will then have 60 days to complete the activities and/or required number of hours of field experience successfully. 

All field experience activities and field experience major assessments must be completed successfully for licensure recommendation.

The field experience activities are a series of challenging and motivational experiences designed to capture the critical tasks, responsibilities, and challenges an administrator encounters on the job. These activities provide aspiring school leaders with the opportunity to apply theory and content knowledge to real-life situations and provide principal mentors with opportunities to conduct situational observations of candidates. Field experience activities will enable candidates to: 

• Participate in real-life actions that allow aspiring school leaders to apply theory and content knowledge, develop necessary professional dispositions and skills, and assess and reflect on their experiences.
• Provide a service in a field setting(s) that will enhance the significance of the candidate-principal mentor collaboration.
• Receive ongoing assessment from the field experience faculty member pertaining to the accomplishment of knowledge, skills, and professional dispositions associated with effective school leadership.
• Interact with schools as a member of a system that includes the school(s) and the district(s) within which the school(s) resides. 
• Be highly visible, actively involved, and communicate effectively within the community.
• Enhance knowledge, skills, and professional dispositions consistent with the Minnesota Board of School Administrators Core Leadership and Principal Competencies (for candidates following the Minnesota track) and the Ohio Principal Standards (for candidates following the Ohio track).

Candidates are responsible for completing all field experience activities and submitting them to the field experience faculty member for review.

Field Experience Policy

To successfully complete the 320-hour field experience in the EdS in Educational Leadership and Administration (Principal Preparation) program, each candidate must enroll in 6 credits of field experience (EDSP 7801–EDSP 7806: Field Experience). Field experiences will commence during the second quarter. 

To complete the field experience successfully, candidates must (a) complete a total of 320 hours over the 9 months; (b) complete 40 hours of field experiences during the first two field experience courses and 60 hours of field experiences during each of the four remaining field experience courses; and (c) distribute the hours in three settings (elementary, junior high/middle school, and high school) in the following manner: one 240-hour experience at the grade-level school in which the candidate has teaching experience and plans to work, and a 40-hour experience in each of the other two grade-level settings. Note: Candidates may choose to work more or fewer hours during a given week depending on the needs of their principal mentor, holiday schedules, and other situations; however, the expectation is that they will complete the required number of field experience hours (40 or 60 hours) for each field experience course.

Diversity in field experience sites is highly valued. Candidates will be placed in sites that meet diversity criteria, established by the program, in race/ethnicity, socioeconomic status, first language, and learning exceptionalities. 

Dependent Care Policy 

While conducting field experiences, Walden University principal candidates are considered as invitees at their approved placement site, and time spent at the site must be focused on completing the field experience and program requirements. Therefore, principal candidates are not allowed to bring their dependent child or other family member to their placement site during field experiences unless the dependent is an enrolled student at the placement site.

Candidates have the right to feel safe and secure during their field experience placements throughout their program. Before a candidate starts a field experience placement, it is critical to learn about the safety procedures in the school in which they are placed. Candidates should talk to their host teacher, cooperating teacher, and/or principal to learn about the local policies and procedures implemented at the school, including lockdown drills, fire drills, and other emergency guidelines. Often these safety materials are available online.

If candidates ever feel their safety is at risk at their field experience placement site, they should follow the safety procedures established by the school and leave the situation immediately after appropriate checkout. They should also contact Walden University at 1-800-925-3368. Both the candidates and the field experience sites have the right to cancel the field experience at any time if there is a concern about safety and security. 

Candidates are required to submit a Field Experience Time Log during each of the six field experience courses. The logs are located in the ePortfolio. The log is an important verification document and must be maintained throughout the field experiences.