Important Updates Re:Upcoming Orientation

A few notes in regards to our quickly-approaching orientation:

- Please come prepared with your school and cooperating administrator contact information for the upcoming school year. Karren Dunkley will be compiling this information for your coach, so it is important that we have the correct and most current information on file. We will be collecting and verifying CA information on Saturday, so be prepared!

- The "Welcome Sessions" offered by the Office of Admissions are separate from the SPA orientations. The "Welcome Sessions" or "Admitted Student" sessions are optional and for all students accepted to the college. The two SPA orientations we will be having on 4/28 and 6/23 are mandatory, specifically for our cohort members and conducted by SPA staff. Hopefully this distinction is clear to everyone.

- We are preparing to issue TC IDs this Saturday. Both the ID center and security office are making special accomodations for our group. Given this, while we will do our best to get IDs to as many students as possible, priority for IDs will be given to students coming from outside the NYC Metro Area. Students from the NYC area not receiving their IDs on Saturday are encouraged to return to TC at a later date to do so. Thanks in advance for your cooperation and understanding.

My Buddy

If you would like to be assigned a buddy match from the 06-07 cohort and have not already received one, please contact Whitney Bates at web2105@columbia.edu as soon as possible so we can give you a match.

Thanks!

4/28 Orientation and Other Information

Upcoming Orientation
We are thrilled about meeting all you of on Saturday, April 28th. We look forward to seeing you all there.

• Where: Teachers College
  525 W 120th Street
  (between Broadway and Amsterdam)
  Grace Dodge Hall, Room 277
• When: Saturday, April 28th, 8:00am – 4:00pm
• How: Directions to TC -- http://www.tc.columbia.edu/abouttc/visit.htm?id=Directions

--> Be sure to check the MTA webpage for updates about possible weekend service changes [http://www.mta.info/nyct/service/subsrvno.htm]. In general there has been limited or non existent express service for the 1, 2 and 3 lines on the weekends. Please take this into consideration when alotting time to get to TC. (Nearest Subway Stop – #1 Train at 116th, Columbia University)

What else?
Computers
You will need to bring a laptop that is equipped with wireless capabilities. You will need this computer for the orientation and it will also be a good opportunity to test out your network capabilities prior to the summer sessions. We will also be providing training on ClassWeb, the Teachers College course platform.

Courses
You will meet your professors, who will introduce you to the courses you will be taking this summer.

Coaches
You will be meeting your internship coaches during lunch, which will be provided by the Summer Principals Academy.

Textbooks
The following is a list of required texts for this summer’s courses. These books will be available for purchase at the Teachers College bookstore the day of orientation. There are certainly alternative sources for purchasing these books. We encourage you to share any bargains you find. You do not need to bring any textbooks to the orientation.

ORLA 4001 Introduction to School Leadership and Decision Making

• Hoy, W. K. & Tarter, C. J. (2004). Administrators Solving the Problems of Practice: Decision making concepts, cases and consequences, 2nd ed. Boston, MA: Pearson.
  
• The Jossey-Bass Reader on Educational Leadership - 2nd Ed. (2007). San Francisco, CA, Jossey-Bass (A Wiley Imprint) **Note: the first book will be the primary text used in the class, however, the 2nd is an excellence source for supportive scholarship on school leadership and several readings will be required during the summer sessions.

ORLA 5018: School Leadership for Adult Development

• Drago-Severson, E. (2004). Becoming adult learners: Principles and practices for effective development. New York: Teachers College Press.
• Drago-Severson, E. (2004). Helping teachers learn: Principal leadership for adult growth and development. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press, Inc.
• Wagner, T., Kegan, R., Lahey, L., Lemons, R. W., Garnier, J, Helsing, D., Howell, A., & Rasmussen, H. T. (2006). Change leadership: A practical guide to transforming our schools. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass/Wiley.

ORLA 5029 Supervision of Teaching & Learning

• Glickman, C., Gordon, S., and Ross, J. (2004). SuperVision and instructional leadership. A developmental approach. 6th edition. Boston: Allyn & Bacon. ISBN: 0-205-38079-4.
• Platt, A. Tripp, C., Ogden, W., Fraser, R., The Skillful Leader: Confronting the Mediocre Teacher. Acton, MA: Ready About Press (2000). Order from Research for Better Teaching: 1-978-263-3280. $39.95 + 15% s+h. Deliver in the NYC area takes about one week.

ORLJ 5340 Basic Practicum in Conflict Resolution

• Fisher, R., Ury, W. and Patton, B. (1981). Getting to yes: Negotiating agreement without giving in. New York: Penguin Books

ORLA 6020 Emotional Intelligence: Social-Emotional Competency for Educational Leaders

• No required texts.
  

Purchasing Textbooks at Orientation
Bring Personal Checks & Credit Cards (no cash)We have made special arrangements with the duplicating department so you can purchase course reading packets after orientation on Saturday. Personal checks and credit cards will be accepted.

**Friendly Reminder: You will be getting information from Teachers College about Admitted Students’ weekends. Please note that SPA program orientation days are required and are in addition to the TC information weekends.

Additional Financial Aid Information
FAFSA - necessary informationIt was brought to our attention that you need some basic information about the credit hours per semester to complete financial aid forms. To that end the following information applies.

• Summer I - 13 points
• Fall – 3.5 points
• Spring – 3.5 points
• Summer II - 13 points

The internship counts for additional COE credits due to the internship hours so that you maintain your eligibility during those terms. This will be explained in detail during the summer.

**Helpful contacts:
Phone contact: Carol Pitter, Academic Secretary - 212-678-3726

Email contact: Whitney Bates web2105@columbia.edu

Financial Aid: Genise Reid greid@tc.edu 212-678-3736

Correction - Tuition and Fees

The tuition and fees posted on a previous blog was incorrectly stated. The tuition and fees for the 2007-2008 cohort are $34,085 which represents the 33 credit academic program and associated fees. The previously posted quarterly installments of $8,521 was correctly stated. We apologize for any confusion this may have caused.

SPA Alumni Honored!

ICCCR

The International Center for Cooperation and Conflict Resolution

THE 3RD ANNUAL

Morton Deutsch Awards for Social Justice

Thursday, April 5th, 2007
5:00-7:00pm
179 Grace Dodge Hall
Teachers College, Columbia University

~Free and open to the public~wine & cheese reception to follow~

2007 Recipients

Distinguished Scholar-Practitioner Recipient

John T. Jost, Department of Psychology, New York University

System Justification: How do we know it's motivated?

Student Recipients

Jeremy Beard, Carrie Dattilo, Jessica Madden-Fuoco, Rory McCourt,
Martha Zornow

Summer Principals Academy, Teachers College

"Proposal to Establish the Keith Haring Academy of Vision & Empowerment"

Honorable Mentions

Audrey Sasson, School of International and Public Affairs

The Coalition of Immokalee Workers vs. Taco Bell: The Role of Skillful Framing in Creating Social Change

Julia Maskivker, Political Science

Gender Matters: Towards One Possible Explanation of Female Suicide Bombings