Doctoral Programs

Program Outcomes

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The doctorate in teacher leadership is designed to enable students to:

• Understand the complexities of educational settings in relation to adult learning and development, culture and organizational change, student achievement, assessment and data-driven decision making, and community outreach and collaboration
• Apply and analyze learning solutions that support and drive schools and educational settings for improved student achievement and success
• Strategically support the various stakeholders with informed and judicious decisions
• Identify and integrate leadership orientations that align with school improvement practices
• Exercise professional ethical behavior that supports the institutional mission and allocation of resources to support and achieve institutional objectives

Learning Objectives

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In addition to the overall objectives of the Leadership department and its programs, students will acquire the following knowledge, skills, and competencies in the teacher leadership program:

Support and Facilitate Adult Learning

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Competency: Understand adults as learners to support professional learning communities

Outcomes:

• Candidates facilitate group processes to manage growth, conflict and change
• Candidates model listening, presenting, and leading collaborative discussions
• Candidates build facilitation skills that foster trust, collective wisdom, social construction of knowledge, and build ownership and action
• Candidates create inclusive cohorts of colleagues as professional learners
• Candidates promote use of technology for learning communities

Research-based Curriculum and Instructional Improvement

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Competency: Use research to improve practice and student achievement

Outcomes:

• Candidates work with others to articulate student learning issues and opportunities
• Candidates assist colleagues in accessing research, student learning data
• Candidates guide colleagues in selecting research-based strategies, designing action research, and measuring results
• Candidates facilitate analysis of student learning data, and application of findings to revise instructional strategies
• Candidates encourage collaboration with higher education and other community-based organizations
• Candidates works with colleagues to interpret, communicate, and disseminate findings of research related to student learning

Promote Professional Learning

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Competency: Promote professional learning for continuous improvement

Outcomes:

• Candidates assess colleagues’ learning needs and work with admin to ensure appropriate PD
• Candidates promote a variety of professional learning
• Candidates use technology to promote collaborative and differentiated professional learning
• Candidates prepare colleagues to analyze and use student achievement data and other data to improve instruction and analyze the impact of instructional interventions
• Candidates provide feedback to colleagues to strengthen teaching practice
• Candidates work with colleagues to collect, analyze, and disseminate data relating to the impact of learning

Leading Initiatives in Student Achievement

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Competency: Facilitating improvements in instruction and student learning

Outcomes:

• Candidates facilitate collection and analysis of classroom- and school-based data to identify areas to improve curriculum, instruction, and assessment
• Candidate engage in reflective dialogue with colleagues based on observations and student work and assessments
• Candidates serve as a mentor, coach, content facilitator, critical friend or peer evaluator
• Candidates serve as team leader to harness skills and knowledge of colleagues to address curricular student learning needs
• Candidates promote instructional strategies that address diversity and equity

Lead Data-Driven Instructional Improvements

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Competency: Using assessments and data for school and district improvement.

Outcomes:

• Candidates increase colleagues’ capacity to access resources and expertise to use appropriate assessment instruments aligned to standards
• Candidates facilitate teams of teacher in designing and implement class-based formative assessments, scoring, interpreting student work and applying findings to improve education practice (DDI)
• Candidates engage colleagues in collaborative conversations about student learning data and instructional practice, challenge them to develop solutions, develop a climate of trust and critical reflection
• Candidates work with colleagues to use findings to recommend organizational changes in structure or practice to enhance student achievement

Lead Outreach to Communities and Families

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Competency: Improving outreach and collaboration with families and community

Outcomes:

• Candidates promote effective interactions among colleagues, families, and larger community
• Candidates model effective communication with families and other stakeholders focused on improving outcomes
• Candidates facilitate colleagues’ examination of their own understandings of community and diversity, and use this to enrich experiences of students
• Candidates develop shared understanding among colleagues of child/adolescent development and conditions in the home and community
• Candidates guides colleagues in identifying and assessing resources from community-based organizations that support student learning
• Candidates develop comprehensive strategies w/ colleagues to engage families and community members as partners in education

Advocate for the Profession

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Competency: Advocating for student learning and the profession

Outcomes:

• Candidates share info regarding how state and national policies impact classroom practice and expectations for student learning
• Candidates work with colleagues to use research to advocate for teaching and learning processes that meet needs of all students
• Candidates collaborate with colleagues to select opportunities to advocate for the rights/needs of students, securing additional resources
• Candidates advocate for professional resources, financial, human, and other resources, that allow colleagues to spend significant time learning about effective practices
• Candidates represent and advocates for the profession in contexts outside of the classroom

Program Requirements

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Total program semester hours (60 hours)

Note: Courses marked with an asterisk (*) are to be designed and/or undergo major syllabus creation.

Course Descriptions: Teacher Leadership Specialization

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EDL-6240 Instructional Leadership (3)

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Elements of instruction leadership are examined emphasizing parent, staff and community collaborations including advanced curriculum and instruction.

EDU-6450 Adult Learning (3)*

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Addresses the adult learner’s development, learning styles, conditions of learning, and life circumstances. Also examines the adult educator’s role, methodology, learning theory and evaluation techniques.

EDU-6380 Assessment, Evaluation, and Data-driven Decision Making (3)*

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EDU-7100 Curriculum Theory and Design (3)*

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Exploration and analysis of curriculum theory and design for educational programs, early childhood through high school. Analysis, trends and current practices in the light of national and international models and educational programs. Study of curriculum theory in relationship to the processes of curriculum design, development, implementation and evaluation.

EDL-6715 Providing Instructional Support (3)

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Examining school and teacher practices that enhance student achievement.

EDL-6720 Influencing the School Culture (3)*

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Developing and sustaining a school culture that supports student achievement.

EDL-6725 Building Collaborative Relationships (3)*

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Developing and sustaining collaborative relationships for effective school reform.

EDL-6775 Leading School-based Professional Learning Communities (3)*

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Leading school based learning communities and their role in student achievement and school improvement.

EDU-7500 Instructional Coaching for Effective Teaching (3)*

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Knowledge and skills requird to be an effective instructional coach. Collaboration, reflection, modeling, communication and leadership in effective coaching models.

EDL-7120 Research-Based Decision Making (3)

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The analysis of the methodological and statistical components of existing research data to enhance and facilitate the educational decision making process. Particular attention is given to applications regarding issues of educational policy.

Course Descriptions: Research and Statistics

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RES-7900 Research Design

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The analysis of the methodological and statistical components of existing research data to enhance and facilitate the educational decision making process. Particular attention is given to applications regarding issues of educational policy.

RES-7600 Survey Research 

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This course introduces students to survey and instrument development including issues related to operationalizing variables, survey construction, sampling, coding, analysis, and evaluating the reliability and validity of survey research methods.

RES-7700 Qualitative Research

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This course introduces students to survey and instrument development including issues related to operationalizing variables, survey construction, sampling, coding, analysis, and evaluating the reliability and validity of survey research methods.

RES-7810 Methods of Action Research Inquiry

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Principles and application of action research planning, implementation and reflection in educational environments. Exploration of collaborative, participatory and individual approaches to action research methods that can be utilized to improve schools and/or organizations.

RES-7605 Quantitative Analysis

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An introduction to quantitative analysis of data. Statistical software will be used to explore descriptive and inferential statistics using both non-parametric and parametric techniques.

RES-7800 Mixed Methods Research

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This course explores the theory, design, and application of mixed methods research.

RES-7620 Advanced Topics in Statistics

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An introduction to advanced statistical concepts including multivariate analysis, linear models, hierarchical linear models, factor analysis and data management. Students will use statistical software packages and will learn to write basic syntax for custom analysis.

RES-7710 Advanced Topics in Qualitative Analysis

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This course will prepare students to utilize naturalistic inquiry in their own research, most immediately, the dissertation experience. Students will be able to reflect on choices of inquiry paradigms, the goodness of fit between the problem and the approach chosen to explore it, the selection of appropriate instruments, and the role of the writer in the presentation of findings.