About the Program
Program Goals
Faculty members in the Department of Educational Leadership strive to challenge students to develop visionary leadership, scholarly practice, and exemplary character and engage in the scholarship of discovery, integration, application, and teaching to prepare students who are:
- Identified as being competent, innovative, visionary leaders able to create technologically integrated educational environments within their organizations wholly conducive to educational programs that help connect students with schooling and their professional careers.
- Recognized as scholarly practitioners who integrate theoretical knowledge with practical decision making, who are grounded in relevant technologies and substantive professional content, trained in skills of inquiry, capable of independent and critical thought, and who are dedicated to improving their own professional practice, as well as that of other educators.
- Respected as individuals of high moral and ethical character who probe the deeper questions regarding the meaning of human existence and who dedicate themselves to a perpetual quest for truth as they face the contradictions inherent in the world.
Field Experience
Coursework is immediately applicable as a resource for curriculum planning, achievement assessment, decision making, and program improvement. Field experience is embedded into three of the courses. The candidate assumes leadership responsibilities at a local school or district setting under the guidance of a site supervisor and university mentor. Field experiences include intensive experiences both in the day-to-day functions of administrators and in longer-term policy design and implementation. These experiences are closely related to the job performance requirements of administrators. Coursework and field experience work together to expand the candidate’s leadership capacity.
