In accordance with Arkansas licensure requirements, all candidates are to complete a three-semester hour internship that consists of full-time responsibility to the assigned duties or its equivalent for a period of nine weeks.

The internship is the last course taken prior to completing all requirements to attain a degree.

The overall intent and purpose of this experience is a culminating activity in which the student will demonstrate, through performance activities, the skills and behaviors (similar to those exhibited by an effective administrator) to successfully design and complete an action research project.

The student will visit with district administrators to discuss any overall educational issues that could be strengthened in existing practices or to completely create a new emphasis. Regardless of the decision, the district’s ability to provide an improved learning environment has been enhanced greatly because of the intern’s chosen project.

A major facet of this internship will require the student to document the leadership skills that have been utilized in communicating effectively; soliciting input from appropriate sources; and ultimately making critical decisions to arrive at a successful conclusion.

This project will require the student to demonstrate proficiency in articulating writing skills through reflections, a leadership platform, and completing an action plan that includes a research paper.

At the conclusion of the project all work will be presented within an approved format with the required documentation in a sturdy binder in which the project will be evaluated using a scoring rubric. This portfolio in its entirety will exhibit a high level of organizational proficiency and will allow a clear sense of the student’s development over the duration of the internship.