As someone who aspires to be a school leader in the future, completing this master’s program through American College of Education has been very impactful. I have grown in my ability to collaboratively lead and manage school personnel, facilitate a culture that supports and celebrates diverse people and perspectives, design and implement a viable curriculum and overall learning experience for students, develop partnerships with parents and community members, and use research to support all decisions regarding resources and other learning-centered topics. I began this program as only a novice teacher, but I am finishing this program as a teacher leader who is adequately prepared to accept and fulfil the role of principal. In this retrospective paper, I will highlight some of the most impactful experiences that helped improve my competency related to the eight program outcomes as identified for educational leaders.

1. Program Outcomes Retrospective Paper
Sydney Hendricks
American College of Education
ELIL5091: Capstone Experience for Educational Leadership (Illinois)
Dr. Katrina Schultz
March 14, 2021

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Program Outcomes Retrospective Paper
As someone who aspires to be a school leader in the future, completing this master’s
program through American College of Education has been very impactful. I have grown in my
ability to collaboratively lead and manage school personnel, facilitate a culture that supports and
celebrates diverse people and perspectives, design and implement a viable curriculum and
overall learning experience for students, develop partnerships with parents and community
members, and use research to support all decisions regarding resources and other learning-
centered topics. I began this program as only a novice teacher, but I am finishing this program as
a teacher leader who is adequately prepared to accept and fulfil the role of principal. In this
retrospective paper, I will highlight some of the most impactful experiences that helped improve
my competency related to the eight program outcomes as identified for educational leaders.
Program Outcome One
Program outcome one is “Collaboratively lead, design, and implement a school mission,
vision, and process for continuous improvement that reflects a core set of values and priorities
that include data use, technology, equity, diversity, digital citizenship, and community”
(American College of Education [ACE], 2021, para. 2). The artifact from my coursework that
relates to this outcome is titled Best Practices for Improving Mathematics Achievement from
module three of EL5703: School Improvement. Completing this artifact challenged me to
engage with the school mission and vision in a new capacity. Through the process of
collaboratively developing mission and vision statements to guide the work necessary for school
improvement, I learned that it is important to establish a common set of priorities and goals
amongst all stakeholders. Without a common understanding of the end goal, it is impossible to
design and implement a mission and vision that all school teachers and staff can collectively

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commit to. The work in completing this artifact also pushed me to identify research-based best
practices for improving the school. This experience taught me that research is a critical
component of school improvement particularly in the process of designing goals and
implementing practices to reach those goals. This artifact makes it evident that I am competent in
this program outcome because I was able to design a new school mission and vision statement.
Additionally, I identified three research -based best practices to implement in the school, which
shows that I designed, implemented and lead a process for improvement. The practices were
carefully selected in order to ensure that all three of the approaches were aligned with the core
values and priorities of the school. The first practice selected was intended to support students’
social-emotional wellbeing by incorporating explicit social-emotional lessons. This is a critical
component of program outcome one. Another component of program outcome one is developing
a plan to support students’ academic success, and this was the purpose of the second and third
research-based practices that I identified and proposed in this artifact. According to program
outcome one, it is also important to have a process for monitoring students’ academic and social-
emotional successes and weaknesses. Although this artifact clearly indicates my ability to care
for students’ academic and social-emotional wellbeing, it is unclear whether I can design and
implement a plan to monitor the students’ academic and social-emotional wellbeing. However, in
module four in EL5703: School Improvement, I did go on to design strategies to monitor and
evaluate the implementation of the three research-based best practices. The plan did include
methods to track student progress academically as well as socially and emotionally. Overall, I
was successful in designing a mission and vision aligned to the collective commitments and
goals established collaboratively with my colleagues. I was then successful in designing a plan of

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implementing a process for school improvement, which involved integrating new practices
within the school.
Program Outcome Two
Program outcome two is “Understand and demonstrate the capacity to advocate for
ethical decisions and cultivate and enact professional norms” (ACE, 2021, para. 2). The artifact
that I will use to justify my growth and level of mastery is titled Mission, Interviews and
Orientation from module two of EL5623: Developing Teachers. Much like the artifact for
program outcome one, I was again able to grow in my understanding and ability to clearly
articulate mission and vision statements. Through the work related to this particular artifact,
though, I learned the importance of having well-defined values and goals for professional norms
and professional development. As a result of the work on this artifact, I was able to design,
implement and lead a professional development experience for new teachers in the form of an
orientation. This indicates my competency in program outcome two because one of the key
elements of mastery in this outcome is creating a professional development opportunity for
teachers. Another component of mastery in program outcome two is providing a differentiated
professional development in order to meet the needs of all teaches. This artifact was the
precursor to that work; in this artifact I constructed a detailed outline for implementing the new
teacher orientation. However, in the following module, I built on that outline by adding in
specific strategies for differentiating the experience based on teacher needs. I learned that
professional development is most effective when it focuses on areas of need as identified by the
teachers themselves, so using surveys to elicit teacher reflections and feedback is a powerful
resource when designing professional development. As part of the follow up to the artifact I
submitted, I was intentional in including topics of assessment and instructional strategies within

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the professional development. This indicates my dedication to program out two, as this outcome
suggests educational leaders should have processes in place to allow for multiple assessments
and the leaders should have a repertoire of instructional strategies.
Program Outcome Three
Program outcome three is “Develop and maintain a supportive, equitable, culturally
responsive, and inclusive school culture” (ACE, 2021, para. 2). The artifact I submitted for this
program outcome is from module three of EL5753: Law and Policy, and is titled Understanding
School Personnel Management. An important role of a school leader is to ensure that students’
needs are being met, and that teachers and other school staff feel supported and capable of
meeting those needs. In order to best meet this role, the leader must develop a school culture that
values, respects and supports diverse people and perspectives. In order to uphold this culture,
there must be school policies in place and school personnel must be held accountable to abide by
all local and federal laws. This is a sentiment that I learned through the completion of the artifact
submitted for program outcome three. Throughout the paper, I was referred to several state and
federal laws as well as school policies. Most notably, I was able to use case law to support a
proposed response that would be most appropriate for a principal given a particular scenario
related to discrimination. It is likely that I will face many situations involving alleged
discrimination between and amongst members of the school community I lead in the future. As
such, learning the legal aspects of responding was a critical milestone for me in this program.
Program Outcome Four
Program outcome four is “Evaluate, develop, and implement coherent systems of
curriculum, instruction, data systems, supports, and assessment” (ACE, 2021, para. 2). I
submitted an artifact from module two of EL5023: Assessment Strategies titled Standards and

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Assessment Development. One of my biggest takeaways from this experience was the
effectiveness of using a backwards design when writing and implementing curriculum. In my
current place of employment, the curriculum is already established and it has been for my entire
tenure there. Thus, I had never previously experienced writing curriculum from scratch. As
evident in this artifact, I learned that the backwards design is a multifaceted process, but each
component is critical; no element of the backward design process should be skimmed over. My
understanding of assessment writing was also greatly enhanced, which is another crucial element
of program outcome four. As a result of the work on this artifact, I wrote a pre-test, two
formative assessments and a summative assessment. Of these three experiences, learning about
formative assessment was the most impactful on my current work as a teacher and future work as
a school leader. Specifically, I developed a clearer understanding of the purpose for formative
assessments and formative feedback. I learned that formatives allow me to “[elicit] information
about students’ understanding and [make] use of this information to alter teaching and learning
processes” (Pinger et al., 2018, p.5). I also see the value in the feedback, as it provides students
with “a clear picture on where the learner is going, where the learner is right now and how to get
there” (Pinger et al., 2018, p.6). This artifact indicates mastery of developing and implementing
coherent curriculum, instruction and assessments through a small sample of doing so for a single
unit of learning in a mathematics course. Having gone through the process in a tangible way such
that I could truly develop and implement the series of curriculum, lessons and assessments made
the experience one that I can replicate in future when I need to do so as a future leader.
Program Outcome Five
Program outcome five is “Engage families, community, and school personnel in order to
strengthen student learning, support school improvement, and advocate for the needs of their

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school and community” (ACE, 2021, para. 2). The artifact that I will use to support my work
related to program outcome five is titled Building Parental Efficacy and it is from module four of
EL5053: Community Engagement. One of the greatest lessons I learned throughout my graduate
work was the impact that parental and community involvement has on students’ performance.
Mattingly et al. (2002) summarized the lesson I learned, claiming that “Parental involvement is
correlated with higher student academic achievement, better student attendance and more
positive student and parent attitudes towards education” (p. 549). In order to capitalize on the
power of parental and community relationships within the school, administrators must regularly
analyze and reflect on the current levels and types of involvement in the school and identify
systems and practices to support the highest level of engagement possible. My work related to
the submitted artifact highlights my competency in the area of community engagement, as I was
able to develop a program for parents that was influenced by data-evidenced needs. I learned that
parents and students will benefit greatly from a program that is specifically tailored to their needs
rather than focused on general philosophies or practices related to parental involvement. Due to
the topic I chose to focus on in this artifact, my understanding related to building parental
efficacy was greatly enhanced. There is a clear alignment between parental involvement and
their belief about their capacity to be involved. As a future leader, I will continue to focus on
building parental efficacy in an effort to strengthen parental and community engagement.
Program Outcome Six
Program outcome six is “Improve management, communication, technology, school-level
governance, and operation systems to develop and improve data-informed and equitable school
resource plans and to apply laws, policies, and regulations” (ACE, 2021, para. 2). I completed an
assignment for module five of EL5723: Resource and Fiscal Management titled Benchmark

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Assessment that I will use for the artifact for outcome six. Budgeting and allocating resources
effectively, ethically and equitably is a crucial responsibility of a school leader. In order to do
this, there must be great management, communication, and general systems in place and all
decisions must be based on data. Through the work I completed for this artifact, I learned that
every dollar spent must be justifiable and supported through documentation. Additionally, it is
important that “Every decision regarding resources should be made with the idea that we’re
going to improve student achievement” (Moses, 2020, p. 2). As a future leader, it is imperative
that I allow this same guiding principle to influence my decisions regarding resource
management. One of the most powerful aspects of the work I did for this artifact was
implementing a systems thinking approach as part of the resource allocation and overall decision
making process when identifying, designing and implementing system changes and
improvements. Prior to this experience, I was unfamiliar with the concept, but I know
understanding that a systems thinking approach is the practice of considering relationships
between all parties, stakeholders, and elements, rather than viewing each as its own entity
(American College of Education, 2020). An entire section of the artifact highlights my
understanding of the systems thinking approach as I explained how I used it in deciding how to
effectively allocate and maximize resources.
Program Outcome Seven
Program outcome seven is “Build the school’s professional capacity, engage staff in the
development of a collaborative professional culture, and improve systems of staff supervision,
evaluation, support, and professional learning” (ACE, 2021, para. 2). The artifact I submitted for
outcome seven is titled Differentiated, Learner-Centered Professional Development Reflection,
and it is from module four of EL5623: Developing Teachers. Professional development is an

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important part of program outcome seven, and in the artifact that I submitted I demonstrated
mastery of knowledge regarding professional development. Specifically, the artifact indicates
that I am competent in strategies and principles for effective professional development. In the
planning process, it is important to be cognizant of the 14 different learning principles proposed
by the American Psychological Association (APA, 1997) that support a learner-centered
approach to facilitating learning. Another competent of effective professional development
experiences that I demonstrated an understanding of is using data to inform the purpose and
goals of the professional development. In the artifact, I created a survey to elicit teacher feedback
that would allow me to identify areas of need. My greatest learning as it relates to program
outcome seven was recognizing that a commonality amongst all of the research-based practices
for running an effective professional development is differentiating the experience for the
participants. All of the understanding and growth that is evident through the submitted artifact
indicates that I am competent in the area of building and maintaining a school culture focused on
continuous professional learning. One component of this program outcome where I can still grow
is working on improving staff supervision and evaluation.
Program Outcome Eight
Program outcome eight is “Conduct, synthesize, and apply research to promote the
current and future success and well-being of each student and adult in the school” (ACE, 2021,
para. 2). I submitted an artifact titled Interventions and Grant Writing from module three of
EL5723: Resource and Fiscal Management for my artifact for program outcome eight. In this
artifact, I demonstrated my understanding of conducting, synthesizing and applying research by
identifying a research-based intervention and developing a grant proposal to fund the
intervention. I learned that it is important to begin the research process within the walls of the

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school before seeking out programs and interventions to implement. Integrating new practices or
programs is only effective if those interventions target a specific need in the school. As such, I
began the research process by analyzing data from the school improvement plan. I then used this
data to continue the research process by seeking best practices that would target a specific need.
It is evident in the artifact that I am competent in synthesizing and applying research, as I was
able to identify a relevant intervention and explain the effectiveness based on my research. To
further apply my research, I identified the resources that would be necessary in order to
effectively implement the intervention. All of the steps I went through to complete this artifact
helped me develop and understanding and appreciation for research and its impact on student
learning. Ultimately, I also underwent the planning process for grant writing, which is an
important experience that I expect to build on in my role as a future school leader.
Conclusion
By completing this graduate program, I have grown in my current role as a teacher and
teacher leader. Most importantly, though, my skills and knowledge related to being a school
leader have also greatly improved. My perspective on education has changed in that I am able ot
better understand the larger scope of education from not only the lens of a teacher but now also
through the lens of an administrator. I am competent in leading school personnel, making sound,
research-based decision to support student learning, building and maintaining an inclusive
culture that supports high aspirations of learning for all adults and students, developing
partnerships with community members, and maximizing these partnerships as well as other
resources to ensure that students receive the highest quality of education possible. I am excited
about the prospect of applying these new skills and knowledge in a leadership role in the near
future.

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References
American College of Education. (2020). Systems Thinking: Its role in leadership and effective
decision making. https://ace.instructure.com/courses/1715558/files/109687691?module_
item_id=25715505&fd_cookie_set=1
American College of Education. (2021). Educational leadership, M.Ed. ACE Catalog.
https://catalog.ace.edu/preview_program.php?catoid=36&poid=2085&returnto=2944
American Psychological Association. (1997). Learner-centered psychological principles: A
framework for school reform & redesign. [PDF File].
https://www.apa.org/ed/governance/bea/learner-centered.pdf
Mattingly, D.J., Prislin, R., McKenzie, T.L., Rodriguez, J.L., & Kayzar, B. (2002). Evaluating
evaluations: The case of parent involvement programs. Review of Educational Research,
72(4), 549-576.
Moses, M. (2020). Resource and fiscal management module 1: Ethics, budget, and
finance, part 3: Utilization of resources. [Transcript]. American College of Education.
https://ace.instructure.com/courses/1715558/files/109687800?module_item_id=2571546
3 &fd_cookie_set=1
Pinger, P., Rakoczy, M., Besser,M., & Kilieme, E. (2018) Interplay of formative assessment and
instructional quality—interactive effects on students’ mathematics achievement.
Learning Environments Research, 21(1), 61-79. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10984-017-
9240-2