Community Engagement and Leading School Change Certificate

Post-Baccalaureate Certificate

Program Director: Dr. Carla Finkelstein
Phone: 410-704-2974
Email: cfinkelstein@towson.edu

The certificate in community engagement and leading for school change will provide students with:

• A sociological understanding of the race and class dynamics shaping the communities that they serve
• Tools for developing an asset-based understanding of the students and families with which they work, and
• Skills for making changes to improve the ways in which schools serve and are accountable to their students, families, and communities.

Through examining sociological theory, understanding the concept of professional learning communities, and implementing action research initiatives, students will increase their capacity for community engagement and school change.

With the four-course sequence, the program will arm school professionals with the knowledge and capacities for making school change in response to community needs. Through this process and seeing the school community as valuable, there will be more authentic change that reflects the voices and values of each community.

This program will teach students how to build change from the bottom up, empowering students, families, and community members to become the drivers of positive change.

This post-baccalaureate certificate (PBC) will serve teachers, counselors, and non-profit employees working with schools who would like to develop skills in leadership and community engagement. The need for these skills is especially urgent among the growing population of professionals working with students in poverty in both urban and suburban communities in Maryland.

Admission Requirements

• A baccalaureate degree from a regionally accredited college or university** with a minimum undergraduate GPA of 3.00 for full admission and 2.75 for conditional admission. All GPA calculations for admission are based upon the last 60 units of undergraduate and post-baccalaureate study.

**See Exceptions to Policy in Graduate Admissions

Non-immigrant international students: See additional admission information in International Graduate Admissions.

Certificate Requirements

This PBC in Community Engagement and Leading School Change will consist of the following four courses (12 units):

Program completers will be able to:

1. Build, maintain, and evaluate a coherent system of academic and social supports, discipline, services, extracurricular activities, and accommodations to meet the full range of needs of each student (National Educational Leadership Preparation Standard 1, Component 3).
2. Engage families, community, and school personnel in strengthening student learning in and out of the school (National Educational Leadership Preparation Standard 5, Component 2).
3. Build and sustain productive partnerships with communities and public and private sectors to promote school improvement and student development (National Educational Leadership Preparation Standard 5, Component 3).
4. Advocate for the needs and priorities of the school, district, students, families, and the community (National Leadership Preparation Standard 5, Component 4).