Doctorate of Education: Educational LeadershipDoctorate of Education
CIP: 130401
The Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) in the Donald E. and Helen L. Ross College of Education is a three-year degree program developed in partnership with the Carnegie Foundation. The Carnegie Project on the Educational Doctorate (CPED) equips scholar-practitioners with the skills needed to connect research with practice, lead high-performing organizations and contribute to students learning. The program is designed for working professionals, who want to be leaders in a variety of education systems and settings.
Instructional delivery
Year round classes are delivered face-to-face in the classroom, one weekend a month (Friday, Saturday and Sunday). Every two months, students complete a class which equals three credits of course study.
Program goals/learning outcomes
Graduates of the Ed.D. program in K-12 Educational Leadership will be:
- Scholar practitioners able to use self-analysis, inquiry and purposeful reflection to continually improve their own practice.
- Scholar practitioners, who ask engaging and important questions, formulate appropriate strategies for investigating these questions, conduct investigations with a high degree of competence, analyze and evaluate the results of the investigations, and communicate the results to others.
- Scholar practitioners who understand the dynamics of educational systems and are able to leverage those systems in coherent, aligned strategies for educational change by creating democratic learning communities that move school systems toward meeting student achievement goals.
- Scholar practitioners who possess the knowledge and ability to ensure that all students are producing high quality work and achieving at optimum levels by fostering effective curricular programs, student-centered learning environments and accountable school cultures that reflect high expectations for student outcomes.
- Scholar practitioners who are culturally competent and advocate purposefully for equity in a diverse metropolitan society.
- Scholar practitioners who inspired shared vision and commitment to high student achievement informed by best practices by developing structures and processes fostering collaboration and inquiry for continuous instructional improvement.
- Scholar practitioners who are practitioner-researchers who purposefully engage in inquiry and construct knowledge that promotes equity in diverse metropolitan areas advancing the public good.
- Scholar practitioners who value the application of theory in practice and conduct systemic institutional inquiry, identifying critical issues using data to drive decision-making.
Program of Study
The Ed.D. at Lynn University in the Ross College of Education is a 52-credit program:
- Leadership theory and practice – 6 courses (18 credit hours)
- Leadership applied to K-12 settings – 4 courses (12 credit hours)
- Research methods – 4 courses (12 credit hours)
- Capstone/Dissertation research – 3 courses (9 credit hours)
- Complete GSR 501, Graduate Orientation Seminar (one credit).
There are four program themes:
- Leadership
- Equity and Diversity
- Accountability
- Learning and Instruction
Students enrolled in the Ed.D. program must maintain a cumulative 3.25 GPA and achieve a B grade or higher in each course.
| Orientation | 1 credit | |
|---|---|---|
| Course number | Course name | Course credits |
| GSR 501 | Graduate Orientation Seminar | 1 |
| Leadership theory and practice | 18 credits | |
|---|---|---|
| Course number | Course name | Course credits |
| EDU 701 | Introduction: Leadership, Policy and Context | 3 |
| EDU 703 | Educational Policy, Politics and Professional Ethics | 3 |
| EDU 705 | Multicultural Social Organization | 3 |
| EDU 707 | Neuroscience Leadership | 3 |
| EDU 709 | Problem-based Inquiry: Field-based Class III Social, Psychological and Philosophical Issues in Education | 3 |
| EDU 711 | Problem-based Inquiry Seminar II Global Perspectives on Education Reform | 3 |
| Leadership applied to K-12 settings | 12 credits | |
|---|---|---|
| Course number | Course name | Course credits |
| EDU 726 | Instructional & Curriculum Leadership | 3 |
| EDU 727 | Public School Law | 3 |
| EDU 728 | Student Motivation and Cognition | 3 |
| EDU 729 | Planning & Managing in School Funding, Facilities and Personnel Management | 3 |
| Research methods | 12 credits | |
|---|---|---|
| Course number | Course name | Course credits |
| EDU 702 | Instruction Technology for Emerging Leaders | 3 |
| EDU 704 | Action Research | 3 |
| EDU 706 | Research Design and Analysis | 3 |
| EDU 708 | Critiquing and Reviewing Research Literature | 3 |
| Capstone/dissertation | 9 credits | |
|---|---|---|
| Course number | Course name | Course credits |
| EDU 801 | Capstone Part I: The Problem | 3 |
| EDU 802 | Capstone Part II: The Gathering of Evidence | 3 |
| EDU 803 | Capstone Part III: Finding/Report/Outcomes | 3 |
| Total | 52 credits | |
| Dissertation research IV | 3 credits | |
|---|---|---|
| Course number | Course name | Course credits |
| EDU 804 | Dissertation Research IV | 3 |
Review Criteria
The candidate must comply with all academic rules, regulations, and time lines set forth by the Ross College of Education. These include, but are not limited to, maintaining an acceptable degree plan and cumulative grade point average (GPA), completing required course work, passing the mid-program performance review, approval of dissertation in practice proposal, and successful completion, presentation, and defense of the dissertation in practice.
Performance Reviews
Performance in the program will be assessed in several ways. Conventional individual course performance measures (such as grades) are coupled with the mid-program review by program faculty who additionally provide performance feedback on candidate’s presentation of their electronic Scholarly Practitioner Portfolio. In addition, each candidate must complete a minimum of two critical assignments per class and a culminating original research study, referred to as the Dissertation in Practice (DiP). The former serves to display mastery, synthesis, and application of knowledge and skills gained during the Ed.D. program. The latter serves as an opportunity to integrate and use skills gained during the program of study.
A candidate who has committed academic misconduct must complete the remedial actions required of the misconduct review process. These are all required actions.
Mid-Program Review
Students who are admitted to the doctoral program will have their mid-program review during their fifth semester. Students may be strongly encouraged to continue in the program, recommended to remain in the program, placed on probation, or asked to leave the program as a consequence of this review. This review considers the whole of the student's work to date, including attendance, participation, comprehension, and writing as well as any other factors deemed important by the faculty. The review assesses the student's potential for success at the dissertation in practice stage.
All students will be notified by letter of the results of this review; every student so reviewed may make an appointment with the Director of the Ed.D. Program in Educational Leadership to discuss the results. Students who do not pass the review will be dismissed from the program, effective at the end of the academic year (or the semester in which the review results are reported to the student).
Improvement Process
The improvement process includes the following steps:
1. The student should develop a performance improvement plan with their identified mentor. This plan must include steps and a timeline for achieving satisfactory progress over the remaining four semesters.
2. The performance improvement plan should be submitted to the Director of the Ed.D. Program in Educational Leadership.
3. After the performance improvement plan is approved by the Director of the Ed.D. Program in Educational Leadership, the student and
mentor will meet with the Director of the Ed.D. Program in Educational Leadership and the Dean of the College Education to discuss the student's performance and the plans for improving it.
4. The Dean of the College of Education will decide whether and when all tasks in the improvement plan have been successfully completed.
The recommendation by the mentor will be taken into account for this decision.
Appeals Procedure
Students who are asked to leave the program at mid-program review may appeal the procedure by notifying the Dean of the College of Education in writing within two weeks of the date on the letter of notification. The letter should state the grounds of the appeal. If new information is forthcoming, it must be given to the Dean of the College of Education. The Director of the Ed.D. Program in Educational Leadership will reconvene the Review Committee to consider the appeal within one week of the date on the letter of notification, and the final decision will be conveyed to the student within a reasonable period of time thereafter.