600

In this course candidates will consider the social, economic, and political considerations related to financing public schools. Adequacy and equity provide the lens for analysis and critique of existing policies and practices. Candidates will learn about effective practices for decision-making and resource allocation that support improved student achievement. The changing landscape of federal, state, and local funding, will also be reviewed and discussed throughout course activities. Pre-requisite(s): Admissions to an NLU doctoral program or permission of the EDL Doctoral Program Coordinator. Co-requisite(s): None. 3 semester hours

In this course candidates will extend their cultural proficiency to lead pluralistic schools, which includes but is not limited to race, ethnicity, culture, and socioeconomic status. Coursework requires candidates to engage in self-assessment, reflection, and goal-setting around their cultural proficiency. Candidates will also analyze diversity within the school setting, examine school structures that promote or hinder equitable educational practice, and evaluate policy, curriculum, and instruction from a cultural proficiency lens. Candidates will learn how to create learning communities where students feel safe, welcome, and invited, free from bullying, harassment, and discrimination. Pre-requisite(s): Admission to an NLU doctoral program or permission of the EDL Doctorate program coordinator. Co-requisite(s): None. 3 semester hours

In this course candidates will be introduced to a systems approach to design, implement, and support transformational changes required for improved teaching and learning. Candidates will examine the conditions, competencies, culture, and context that affect organizational change as well as critical skills required to lead a change initiative. Additionally, candidates will have the opportunity to use the framework that works best for their individual study (e.g., Wagner, Bolman & Deal). Candidates will also identify the barriers to change and strategies to build capacity, develop high-functioning teams, improve decision-making, and assess progress to sustain change initiatives. Pre-requisite(s): Admission to an NLU doctoral program or permission of the EDL Doctorate program coordinator. Co-requisite(s): None. 3 semester hours

In this course students are introduced to leadership theories, principles, and styles. Candidates explore how leaders work to establish climate, conditions, and culture that foster both adult and student learning. Building professional learning communities, cultivating relationships, and establishing trust among internal and external stakeholders will be addressed. Communication and advocacy skills for the school leader, capacity building, and sustaining organizational initiatives will also be examined. Pre-requisite(s): Admission to an NLU doctoral program or permission of the EDL Doctorate program coordinator. Co-requisite(s): None. 3 semester hours

In this course students will focus on community engagement through the exploration and analysis of school/educational policy in community settings. Power structures, social and political contexts, cultural and demographic changes, and principles of social justice are examined as they affect school and community relations. Students will explore principles of community development such as autonomy, self-determination, and the integration of community resources. Students will also examine multicultural understanding, group dynamics, community organizing, interagency cooperation, financial resources, and evaluation. Pre-requisite(s): Admission to an NLU doctoral program or permission of the EDL Doctorate program coordinator. Co-requisite(s): None. 3 semester hours

This course focuses on federal and national trends in education policy. An examination and analysis of the way these trends influence policy and political action at the school district level are addressed by focusing on governance structures, politics, and the influence of interest groups. Candidates will develop an understanding of the fundamentals of school law addressing legal issues involving special education and bilingual education to ensure that laws are upheld and applied fairly and equitably with the goal of enhancing school climate and student learning. Candidates will analyze cases while developing a working knowledge of educational politics and policy. Pre-requisite(s): None. Co-requisite(s): None. 3 semester hours

In this course doctoral candidates are introduced to models and processes for curriculum planning, organization, and evaluation through a school district or other organizational leadership perspective. Traditional and contemporary curriculum theories and frameworks are examined as they relate to curriculum issues and problems. Macro and micro levels of curriculum are explored to understand how knowledge is shaped in schools and how curriculum is organized to assist students to meet specific learning goals. Strategies for conducting curriculum and program evaluation will be explored. Case studies are used to develop a practical working knowledge of contemporary problems and solutions to issues of curriculum, teaching, learning, and assessment. Co-requisite(s): None. 3 semester hours

This course focuses on leadership enhancing teacher learning and promoting positive organizational culture to improve instruction. School improvement, teacher learning, and change leadership are linked by a focus on effective teaching. School culture, teacher professionalism, teacher knowledge, instructional leadership, and effective evaluation systems are examined for the purpose of building instructional capacity and teacher professionalism within the organization. Pre-requisite(s): None. Co-requisite(s): None. 3 semester hours

This course is designed to support candidates through the dissertation writing process by focusing on scholarly writing. The course will emphasize developing good dissertation writing practices and finding scholarly voice. Candidates will use their own dissertations to apply course content.

In this course candidates will examine theoretical and practical knowledge necessary for an educational leader to guide curriculum, instruction, and assessment at the district or organizational level. Identification and exploration of assumptions, principles, and concepts of learning theories, strategies, and assessments to foster an inclusive learning community will be emphasized. Research-based intervention systems will be explored with strategies for development of multi-tiered systems of support. The use of technology to inform and enhance instruction will also be examined. Pre-requisite(s): None. Co-requisite(s): None. 3 semester hours

This course focuses on how well a school district or other learning community is functioning as an organization. Students combine sociological inquiry, systems analysis and program evaluation of organizational roles, structures, and dynamics with practitioner research methods to better understand and assess their school district’s or learning community’s organizational conditions, context, culture, and competencies. With the goal of uncovering and building organizational capacity from within, qualitative and quantitative research methods are applied to various organizational structures and operating systems that impact power distribution, information flow, collegiality, school climate, and leadership development. Prerequisite(s): Admission to the Educational Leadership Doctoral Program. Co-requisite(s): None. 3 semester hours

In this course students analyze and critique theories, paradigms, and methods of practitioner-focused research that impact district educational policy and decision-making. This includes evaluation, and various forms of both quantitative and qualitative research. Students also study research that informs and influences product development (e.g., achievement tests, software, textbooks, training programs), policy decisions, and evaluation techniques utilized in the field by principals, superintendents, and state-level educational administrators. Pre-requisite(s): Admission to an NLU doctoral program or with permission of the EDL doctorate program coordinator. Co-requisite(s): None. 3 semester hours

In this course candidates study the methodologies, assumptions, and the techniques for various types of data collection and analysis used by continuous improvement. The course begins with an overview of ethical data collection then moves to a deeper examination of qualitative data collection methodologies as well as quantitative methodologies. Throughout the course candidates participate in their own data collection projects to develop a practitioner’s knowledge of research, evaluation, and data use for improvement. Pre-requisite(s): Admissions to a NLU doctoral program or permission of the EDL Doctoral Program Coordinator. Co-requisite(s): None. 3 semester hours

This course presents concepts and strategies that guide the effective management of human and fiscal resources in education. It provides an in-depth analysis of personnel administration and the knowledge and skills necessary to take a strategic approach to resource management in organizations of higher learning. The course examines the processes of human resource and fiscal planning, job analyses and description, recruitment, selection, compensation and rewards, evaluation and relevant employment laws. Students participate in discussion strands based on human and fiscal resource management issues, and submit assignments that demonstrate understanding of human resource management theories and practices. Pre-requisite(s): None. Co-requisite(s): None. 3 semester hours

The Internship in Educational Leadership provides interns with the opportunity to apply theoretical and empirical knowledge. Under the direction of an advising professor and a cooperating superintendent (or other district administrator with a superintendent endorsement), the intern will engage in district-level leadership experiences. Internship projects will address high quality curricular, instructional, assessment, and financial resources that promote school improvement in the following settings: general education, special education, bilingual education and gifted education. Prerequisite(s): None. Co-requisite(s): None. 1-8 semester hours

The course organizes doctoral candidates’ postsecondary internship work in the Ed.D. degree in Educational Leadership with a major in Leadership for Learning and Change. Candidates in this program and major work as educators in postsecondary institutions and pursue internship activities related to their content area specializations and postsecondary job roles. Candidates’ internship work is supervised by an advising professor and a cooperating Subject Matter Expert related to the content area specialization. Internship projects may include work as a visiting academician, shadowing or co-teaching with the Subject Matter Expert or other colleagues, engaging in collaborative scholarship focused on research or grant activity, service work on special projects focused on institutional improvement, community engagement work within the academy, or leadership work on behalf of college student services or programs. Internship activities are documented within the candidates’ leadership portfolio. Pre-requisite(s): None. Co-requisite(s): None. 1-8 semester hours