A review of relevant theory and practice in relation to:
? The meaning of leading and learning in a community based context;
? Social capital and determining its influence on effective learning and on the educational system itself;
? Extended services and their potential impact on changing the paradigms of the existing standards agenda for educational organisations;
? How educational organisations create and use partnerships as a mechanism for extending learning opportunities;
? The added value brought to learning and achievement by parents and ways of getting parents engaged in their children?s learning.

An assignment of 5000 words. Students can choose either;
Assignment A - An evaluation of the extent to which social capital affects and impacts on community learning contexts. Assignments must demonstrate an understanding of what social capital is, how it is produced and how it can be used to facilitate change in community learning contexts. Tests learning outcomes 1,2,3
Assignment B ? To what extent is the model of an extended school an appropriate vehicle for facilitating community learning? An evaluation of the potential of `extended services? for generating new forms of community learning. The assignment should also evaluate the effectiveness of this model in meeting the learning needs of the wider community with emphasis on those who have benefited least from learning in the past. Tests learning outcomes 1,2 3
Assignment C- 1C Parents as co-educators of their children ? A critical review of the principles that underpin the notion that parents co-educate their children along with schools and others which demonstrates an understanding of the added value to children?s learning of parental involvement. Tests learning outcomes 1,2,3

The learning strategies will require participants to commit 300 learning hours of which 30 hours will consist of contact time.
Sessions will take the form of 5 x 6 hour sessions during the year.
Sessions will consist of
? lectures and presentations by the tutor;
? seminars and workshops to generate discussion, reflection and exchange of ideas;
? guided reading, supported self-study and independent study to enable participants to engage with relevant and appropriate debates;
? individual tutorials to support development of understanding;
? practical workshops for the analysis and discussion of issues, documents and materials;
? case-study activities to establish connections between the workplace and issues raised by the programme;
? critical feedback from peers and tutors on presentations, workplace experiences and standpoints taken on issues raised in taught sessions;
? Work Related Learning - the opportunity to link theoretical perspectives to practice. It will enable participants to reflect on values, practices, assumptions and policies;
? work with others, which enables participants to develop interpersonal skills, the capacity to plan, to share goals and work as a member of a team, communicate and present oral and written arguments;
? Information and Communication Technology, including word processing, data bases, internet communication, information retrieval and on-line searches. VLE (Blackboard) will be used to facilitate exchange of ideas and access to specific resources and activities. Participants will be required to use word processing, data bases, internet communication, information retrieval and on-line searches throughout their studies
? support from the peer group through collaborative learning activities
A further 270 hours of independent study will require participants to take responsibility for relating the issues addressed in this module to their personal experience, for reading and thinking about their work as newly qualified teachers and relating all this to their own working context. This will form the basis of the assignment.

University teaching sessions
Tutorials
University library
Materials and links on MA Education Blackboard

Bentley, T (1998) Learning beyond the classroom Routledge
Bowring-Carr, C., Gelsthorpe, T. & West-Burnham, J. (2000) Transforming Schools through Community Education CEDC
Dryfoos, J. G. (1994) Full-Service Schools Jossey-Bass Inc.
Dyson, A. (2003) Schools and Area Regeneration Joseph Rowntree
Fullan, M. (2001) Leading in a Culture of Change San Francisco: Jossey-Bass
Gelsthorpe, T and West-Burnham, J (Eds.) (2003) Educational Leadership and the Community Harlow: Pearson Education
Putnam, R.D.(2000) Bowling Alone New York: Simon and Schuster
Rudduck, J (1991) Innovation and Change Buckingham: Open University Press