Educational Leadership (EDLD)

This one-unit course provides doctoral students with foundational tools in developing academic habits for success in a doctoral program. Students will learn to navigate academic databases, critically read and synthesize scholarly literature, and apply genre-specific writing strategies. The course emphasizes building confidence in engaging with research and establishing an identity as a scholarly practitioner. It lays the groundwork for effective participation in future course inquiry and dissertation in practice work fostering persistence, purpose, and professional voice.

This is a course in univariate statistics, which includes the use of Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) with exercises related to various descriptive and inferential statistical techniques.

This course introduces key tools and concepts for identifying and analyzing problems of practice within educational and organizational settings. Students will learn to distinguish symptoms from root causes using systems thinking frameworks. The course fosters data-informed reflection and inclusive problem framing to support the development of evidence-based improvement strategies. It prepares students to engage in improvement-focused inquiry with clarity and purpose.

This course will guide students through the process of conducting and writing a comprehensive literature review that supports their dissertation research. Students will develop the skills necessary to critically analyze, synthesize, and organize scholarly literature relevant to their Problem of Practice. The course emphasizes the identification of key themes and gaps in the literature and the integration of research to support inquiry and leadership practice.

This course engages students in a critical examination of contemporary leadership and improvement theories within educational contexts. Students will problematize and deconstruct dominant models by analyzing their theoretical foundations, mechanisms of change, and assumptions about leadership, equity, and systems. Students will evaluate how and why particular theories do, or do not, align with their localized contexts and justice-focused aims. Students will begin constructing a Theory of Improvement that reflects a nuanced understanding of the systems, drivers, and change ideas relevant to their problem of practice.

This course examines the intersection of educational leadership and community engagement, with particular emphasis on serving diverse populations. Students will develop a critical understanding of how educational institutions function within broader community ecosystems and learn to navigate the multifaceted relationships between schools, families, and community organizations. The course explores theoretical frameworks for community development while emphasizing practical application in real-world contexts.

This course prepares students to use quantitative methods to support applied, improvement-focused research within their settings. Students will explore foundational concepts of inferential statistics with an emphasis on practical application rather than mathematical complexity. Key topics include significance testing versus estimation thinking, interpretation of confidence intervals, effect size, and approaches for analyzing small samples often encountered in applied inquiry. Students will develop proficiency in selecting appropriate statistical tests and in using statistical software to analyze real-world data. Emphasis is placed on using quantitative evidence to inform leadership decisions, support improvement, and communicate results clearly to audiences.

This course provides students with foundational and advanced qualitative inquiry skills to examine a problem of practice through an equity center lens. Grounded in the principles of qualitative inquiry, students will engage in the collection of multiple data sources to understand lived experiences, institutional contexts, and systemic inequities in education. By the end of the course, students will be equipped to design and implement evidence-based interventions informed by rich, qualitative data and grounded in collaboration with the communities they serve.

This course prepares students to engage in a critical and applied analysis of political forces shaping educational contexts. Through the lens of power, ideology, and policy, students will explore how leadership decisions are influenced by political actors, structures, and discourses at the local, state, and national levels. Emphasis is placed on developing political literacy and systems thinking to surface and problematize persistent justice-related challenges. Assignments guide students in conducting contextual power analyses, identifying a localized problem of practice, and beginning to conceptualize a dissertation in practice grounded in political awareness, critical inquiry, and ethical leadership.

This course supports students in developing a localized, evidence-based Theory of Improvement to address a persistent problem of practice within their professional context. Students will finalize their Theory of Improvement, develop inquiry questions, construct a driver diagram, and identify appropriate measures for assessing change. Students will leave the course with a fully developed, systems-informed improvement research plan grounded in theory, data, and collaboration with stakeholders.

This course examines the intersection of strategic planning and educational innovation within the context of promoting educational justice. Students will develop competencies in systematic organizational planning while exploring how innovative approaches can transform educational practice. The course integrates traditional strategic planning frameworks with current innovation models, preparing leaders to create and implement transformative educational change through strategic innovation.

This course prepares students to critically analyze and influence the policy environments shaping education. Focusing on how policy is developed, implemented, interpreted, and contested, students will explore dynamics between data, values, stakeholders, and governance. With attention to justice, ethics, and systems-level leadership, students will examine how local, state, and federal policy affects decision-making in their professional contexts. Assignments support students in implementation of a problem of practice, identifying relevant policy levers and constraints shaping improvement.

This course is based on reviews of the theoretical and methodological approaches to qualitative research. Students will situate qualitative inquiry/research in their philosophical, theoretical, and historical situations, learn methods of qualitative design, and develop a preliminary capacity to collect, analyze, and interpret qualitative empirical materials.

This course is designed for doctoral students who want to pursue their interests in qualitative methods and who want to use these methods in their dissertation. Students would need to have a qualitative research methods course completed in order to take this class. Students will learn to use various qualitative data analysis methods using multiple data sources.

Prerequisite: EDLD 6384.

This course guides students from planning to field-based data collection and refinement of their Dissertation in Practice. Building on prior coursework in improvement science, systems thinking, and stakeholder engagement, students will collect data aligned with their localized Problem of Practice and Theory of Improvement. Through iterative cycles of inquiry and reflection (e.g., PDSA cycles), students will evaluate early findings, adjust data collection tools or change ideas, and respond to emerging insights. Emphasis is placed on ethical, equity-minded inquiry and collaboration with stakeholders as students prepare for the next phase: analysis and implementation.

Prerequisite: EDLD 6365.

This course supports students in analyzing the data they have collected for their Dissertation in Practice. Whether working with quantitative, qualitative, or mixed methods data, students will apply appropriate analytic strategies aligned with their research design and problem of practice. Emphasis is placed on organizing, coding, interpreting, and presenting data in ways that inform improvement and support practitioner action. Students will develop drafts of their results report, receive individualized feedback, and refine their ability to communicate results with clarity, accuracy, and alignment to their inquiry purpose.

Prerequisite: EDLD 6387.

This capstone writing studio supports doctoral candidates as they transform their Improvement Science Dissertation in Practice (ISDiP) findings to both scholarly and practitioner audiences. Students will finalize their dissertation document, translate complex findings for diverse audiences, and prepare dissemination artifacts that translate research findings into practical tools for change. Students will refine their scholarly-practitioner voice and plan for post-graduation professional engagement with their research. Through structured reflection, students will examine their development as equity-minded leaders, critically assess the impact of their research, and articulate their evolving identity as scholarly practitioners.

Prerequisite: EDLD 6388.

Selected topics in an identified area of Educational Leadership; advanced investigations of selected topics and problems dealing with curriculum theory, program design, and experimental formulations.  May be repeated for credit when topics vary.

The course in advanced statistical procedures is a continuation of EDLD 6333.  Special emphasis is placed on analysis of variance (ANOVA) techniques such as one-way and factorial ANOVA, analysis of covariance (ANCOVA), repeated measures ANOVA, and multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA), as well as multiple regression analysis, logistic regression analysis, and discriminant analysis.  Also included are selected nonparametric statistical techniques.  The course includes hands-on experiences in the use of Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) with exercises related to the topics covered.

Prerequisite: EDLD 6333.

May be repeated when topics vary.

Completion of an approved field study under the supervision of a dissertation adviser.

May be repeated when topics vary.