(1)  The program requires that a candidate who completes a superintendent educational leadership preparation program understands and demonstrates the capacity to promote the current and future success and well-being of each student and adult by applying the knowledge, skills, and commitments necessary to: 

(a)  collaboratively design, communicate, and evaluate a district mission and vision that reflects a core set of values and priorities that include data use, technology, support for each student's learning needs, diversity, digital citizenship, and community.  Successful candidates understand and demonstrate the capacity to:

(i)  collaboratively evaluate, develop, and communicate a district mission and vision designed to reflect the core set of values and priorities, and have knowledge of:

(A)  research on the role and importance of district mission and vision;

(B)  processes for collaboratively developing a mission and vision;

(C)  processes for developing an actionable mission and vision attentive to the core set of values; and

(D)  the characteristics of well-written mission and vision statements;

(ii)  lead district strategic planning and continuous improvement processes that engage diverse stakeholders in data collection, diagnosis, design, implementation, and evaluation, and have knowledge of:

(A)  research on district improvement;

(B)  formal processes of system-wide, iterative, evidence-informed improvement;

(C)  research-based strategic planning processes;

(D)  data collection, diagnosis, and use; and

(E)  implementation theory and research;

(b)  advocate for ethical decisions and cultivate professional norms and culture.  Successful candidates understand and demonstrate the capacity to:

(i)  reflect on, communicate about, and cultivate professional dispositions and norms, including support for each student's learning needs, fairness, integrity, transparency, trust, collaboration, perseverance, reflection, lifelong learning, and digital citizenship, and professional district and school cultures, and have knowledge of:

(A)  professional norms, including integrity, fairness, transparency, trust, support for each student's learning needs, democracy, digital citizenship, diversity, inclusiveness, and the belief that each child can learn, that promote a productive, equitable, and effective district;

(B)  approaches to cultivating professional norms in others;

(C)  approaches to building organizational culture; and

(D)  reflective practice;

(ii)  evaluate, and advocate for ethical and legal decisions, and have knowledge of:

(A)  research on and practices for decision making;

(B)  knowledge of law and ethics, including special education law, Montana school law, and Montana collective bargaining and employment law; and

(C)  guidelines for ethical and legal decision making;

(iii)  model ethical behavior in their personal conduct and relationships and to cultivate ethical behavior in others and have knowledge of ethical practice and approaches to cultivating ethical behavior in others;

(c)  develop and maintain a supportive, equitable, culturally responsive, and inclusive district culture.  Successful candidates understand and demonstrate the capacity to:

(i)  evaluate, cultivate, and advocate for a supportive and inclusive district culture, and have knowledge of:

(A)  research on inclusive district cultures;

(B)  dimensions of positive and inclusive district culture (e.g., fair, safe, healthy, caring, responsive, inclusive, and respectful);

(C)  processes for evaluating district culture;

(D)  processes for fostering cultural change; and

(E)  strategies for advocacy for all students, including American Indians and tribes of Montana.

(ii)  evaluate, cultivate, and advocate for equitable access to safe and nurturing schools and the opportunities and resources, including instructional materials, technologies, classrooms, teachers, interventions, and adult relationships, necessary to support the success and well-being of each student, and demonstrate knowledge of:

(A)  research on the importance to student success of equitable use of educational resources and opportunities;

(B)  equitable allocation of educational opportunities and resources, including instructional materials, technologies, classrooms, teachers, interventions, and adult relationships; and

(C)  broader social, cultural, and political context for equitable access to and use of educational resources and opportunities;

(iii)  evaluate, advocate, and cultivate equitable, inclusive, and culturally responsive instructional and behavior support practices among teachers and staff, and have knowledge of:

(A)  leadership strategies related to Montana Indian Education for All including the Essential Understandings Regarding Montana Indians;

(B)  culturally responsive instructional and behavior support practices, with special consideration for American Indians and tribes of Montana;

(C)  characteristics and foundations of equitable educational practice;

(D)  research on implications for students of equitable, culturally responsive, and inclusive practice; and

(E)  broader social, cultural, and political concerns with strategies to support students' learning needs in district schools, including those unique to American Indians and tribes of Montana;

(d)  evaluate, design, cultivate, and implement coherent systems of curriculum, instruction, data systems, supports, assessment, and instructional leadership.  Successful candidates understand and demonstrate the capacity to:

(i)  evaluate, design and implement high-quality curricula, the use of technology, and other services and supports for academic and non-academic student programs, and have knowledge of:

(A)  research on the leadership of academic and non-academic programs;

(B)  research-based curricula, technologies, and other supports for academic and non-academic programs;

(C)  approaches to coordinating among curricula, the use of technology, and academic and non-academic systems of support; and

(D)  infrastructures for the ongoing support of academic and non-academic programs;

(ii)  collaboratively evaluate, design, and cultivate systems of support, coaching, and professional development for educators, educational professionals, and school and district leaders, including themselves, that promote reflection, digital literacy, distributed leadership, data literacy, improvement, and student success, and have knowledge of:

(A)  research on instructional leadership at the school and district level;

(B)  research-based approaches on using data to design, implement, and evaluate professional development for teachers and other educational professionals that promotes reflection, digital literacy, distributed leadership, data literacy, school improvement, and student success;

(C)  research-based approaches to leadership development focused on improving instructional practice (e.g., leadership evaluation, coaching, development of professional learning communities); and

(D)  approaches and strategies for supporting district and school collaboration;

(iii)  design, implement, and evaluate a developmentally appropriate, accessible, and culturally responsive system of assessments and data collection, management, and analysis that support instructional improvement, student learning and well-being, and instructional leadership, and have knowledge of:

(A)  research, theory, and best practice regarding effective and ineffective assessments of academic and non-academic factors;

(B)  research on assessment practices that are culturally responsive and accessible; and

(C)  research and best practices regarding systems for collecting, analyzing, managing, and utilizing assessment results and other sources of data;

(iv)  design, implement, and evaluate district-wide use of coherent systems of curriculum, instruction, assessment, student services, technology, and instructional resources that support the needs of each student in the district, and have knowledge of:

(A)  research on the coordination within and among academic and non-academic services and its impact on student learning and well-being;

(B)  appropriate and ethical use of data to monitor and continuously improve the district's curriculum, instruction, and assessment practices; and

(C)  approaches and strategies for developing and implementing coherent and equitable systems of curriculum, instruction, assessment, student services, technology, and instructional resources;

(e)  understand and engage families, communities, and other constituents in the work of schools and the district and to advocate for district, student, and community needs.  Successful candidates:

(i)  understand and demonstrate the capacity to represent and support district schools in engaging diverse families in strengthening student learning in and out of school, and have knowledge of:

(A)  research on the role of families in supporting student learning in and out of school; and

(B)  strategies for supporting schools in cultivating relationships with and engaging families in strengthening student learning in and out of school, with special consideration of American Indians and tribes of Montana;

(ii)  engage, and effectively collaborate and communicate with, through oral, written, and digital means, diverse families, community members, partners, and other constituencies to benefit learners, schools, and the district as a whole, and have knowledge of:

(A)  research on student, family, and community diversity;

(B)  research on how community members, partners, and other constituencies effectively engage in and support district and school improvement and student success;

(C)  effective practice for communicating through oral, written, and digital means;

(D)  strategies for understanding and engaging district constituents, including American Indians and tribes of Montana; and

(E)  governance and decision-making processes that support family-school communications and engagement;

(iii)  communicate through oral, written, and digital means within the larger organizational, community, and political contexts and cultivate relationships with members of the business, civic, and policy community in support of their advocacy for district, school, student, and community needs, and have knowledge of:

(A)  research on the importance and implications of social, cultural, economic, legal, and political contexts;

(B)  strategies for effective oral, written, and digital communication with members of the business, civic, and policy community;

(C)  strategies for cultivating relationships with members of the business, civic, and policy community;

(D)  public relations; and

(E)  educational advocacy for all students, including American Indians and tribes of Montana;

(f)  develop, monitor, evaluate, and manage data-informed and equitable district systems for operations, resources, technology, and human capital management.  Successful candidates:

(i)  understand and demonstrate the capacity to develop, communicate, implement, and evaluate data-informed and equitable management, communication, technology, governance, and operation systems at the district level to support schools in realizing the district's mission and vision, and have knowledge of:

(A)  research, theories, and best practices concerning continuous improvement and the use of data to achieve equitable outcomes for diverse student populations;

(B)  research, theories, and best practices concerning the management of operations, technology, communications, and governance systems;

(C)  methods for analyzing the design and effectiveness of management, communication, technology, district-level governance, and operation systems in supporting learning for all students; and

(D)  use of technology to enhance learning and the management of systems;

(ii)  develop, communicate, implement, and evaluate a data-based district resourcing plan and support schools in developing their school-level resourcing plans, and have knowledge of:

(A)  school and district-based budgeting;

(B)  processes for gathering, synthesizing, and evaluating data to develop resourcing plans;

(C)  research and best practices for allocating district- and school-level resources to support student learning and excellence;

(D)  methods for accessing and integrating external resources into the district and schools; and

(E)  Montana school finance;

(iii)  develop, implement, and evaluate coordinated, data-informed systems for hiring, retaining, supervising, and developing school and district staff to support the district's collective instructional and leadership capacity, and have knowledge of:

(A)  research-based practices for recruiting, hiring, supporting, supervising, developing, and retaining school and district staff;

(B)  strategies for engaging school and district staff in the recruitment and selection process;

(C)  strategic data-informed staffing based on student, school, and district needs;

(D)  research on and strategies for developing a collaborative professional culture designed to support improvement, retention, learning, and well-being; and

(E)  strategies for cultivating leadership among school and district staff;

(g)  cultivate relationships, lead collaborative decision making and governance, and represent and advocate for district needs in broader policy conversations.  Successful candidates understand and demonstrate the capacity to:

(i)  represent the district, advocate for district needs, and cultivate a respectful and responsive relationship with the district's board of trustees focused on achieving the district's shared mission and vision, and have knowledge of:

(A)  research and best practice focused on school board governance and relations;

(B)  management theory;

(C)  communication strategies;

(D)  negotiation strategies; and

(E)  Montana collective bargaining and employment law;

(ii)  design, implement, cultivate, and evaluate effective and collaborative systems for district governance that engage multiple and diverse stakeholder groups, including school and district personnel, families, community stakeholders, and board members, and have knowledge of:

(A)  research and best practice concerning effective systems for district governance;

(B)  processes for engaging multiple and diverse community stakeholders; and

(C)  developing and sustaining effective board relations;

(iii)  evaluate and engage in decision making around the implementation and communication of district, state, tribal, and national policy, laws, rules, and regulations, and have knowledge of:

(A)  educational policy, laws, rules, and regulations, including tribal governance of education, Montana school law, Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), and Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA);

(B)  educational policy systems, formulation, adoption, and actors;

(C)  strategies for accessing information about policy; local, state, tribal, and federal contexts; and the policy implications for various contexts;

(D)  strategies for collaborating with and/or influencing local, state, and federal policy and policy leaders; and

(E)  the role of the collective bargaining agreement;

(iv)  understand the implications of larger cultural, social, economic, legal, and political interests, changes, and expectations and demonstrate the capacity to evaluate and represent district needs and priorities within larger policy conversations and advocate for district needs and priorities at the local, state, and national level, and have knowledge of:

(A)  the use of evidence to evaluate district needs and priorities vis-à-vis education policy conversations and emerging challenges;

(B)  how to best represent district priorities and needs at the local, state, and national level; and

(C)  how to best advocate for district priorities and needs at the local, state, and national level.

(2)  The program requires successful candidates to participate in clinical/field experiences, which may be completed for graduate credit, that provide at least 216 hours of significant opportunities to synthesize and apply the knowledge and practice and develop the skills identified in this rule through substantial, sustained, standards-based work in real settings, planned and guided cooperatively by the institution and properly endorsed school administrators.