Virginia Commonwealth University

CPED-Influenced Program

Ed.D. in Leadership

School/Department where the Program is Housed

Educational Leadership

Program Description

The Ed.D. in Leadership was begun in 2008. Our first class will graduate in May 2011.

The Ed.D. in Educational Leadership is a 48-hour, three-year program aimed at developing practicing scholars having the leadership skills that facilitate and maintain learning organizations, by which we mean organizations that continually reflect an develop. This program, based upon principles of adult learning, has the following features:

• Practitioner orientation
• Competitive admissions
• Mid-career entry
• Prescribed curriculum, with extensive use of case-study approach
• Learning-community base
• Problem-oriented pedagogy and curriculum
• VCU full-time faculty and area practitioner collaboration
• Applied research as a culminating project
• Varied formats: Weekends, monthly weekday blocks of time, summer full day institutes, face-to-face, and online
• No residency requirements

Philosophy and Mission

The purpose of the Ed.D. in Leadership is to provide leaders with authentic experiences, appropriate knowledge and skills, and opportunities for reflection that will enable them to succeed in organizational leadership positions. Three analytic lenses -- equity, accountability and learning environments -- guide learning activities and enable students from varying backgrounds to consider learning through common perspectives.

The program is built upon the recognition that although a leader’s work is contextual, it requires the ability to make decisions based upon available information of many types, sometimes with limited time for reflection. Thus, leaders need to be able to bring a number of analytic frames to the table, frames that reflect economic, legal, political, human relations, emotional, ethical, learning, and systems thinking. At the core of the conceptual framework of this program is the conviction that leaders need to be able to use a variety of data and, therefore, need to know where to find those data, how to evaluate the evidence, and how to link it to policy and practice – all within fragmented and contested spaces and contexts. This, then, is a degree in thinking in multiple frames for the purposes of leading learning organizations toward ethical, equitable, and accountable outcomes.

Admissions Requirements

Applicants must meet Graduate School criteria to be considered for admission into the Ed.D. program. In addition, applicants must have at least three (3) years of leadership experience.

Applicants must have a MAT score at the 55th percentile or better. The application packet must include the following:

Professional resume that addresses:

1. Colleges or universities attended
2. Educational degrees held, including major/minor (Master’s Degree is required)
3. Work history in chronological order, beginning with your current position
4. Leadership experiences (Ed.D. applicants must have at least 3 years of leadership experience)
5. Professional involvement
6. Awards and honors

Portfolio of Leadership:

1. Leadership Accomplishments: Evidence of leadership accomplishment should be submitted for each of three areas:

1. Leadership for learning;
2. Leadership for equity; and
3. Leadership for accountability.

2. Goals: Description of career goals.

Artifacts:

Evidence of leadership and a description of the context of the evidence provided. This evidence might be a combination of artifacts, testimonials, reports, newspaper documentation, or other evidence that provides a description of the applicant’s ability to lead for learning, equity, and accountability. Evidence can be in hard copy format or on a website specifically created for this purpose. (We are seeking candidates who have successfully addressed the issues of: student and/or organizational learning; equitable treatment and outcomes; accountability to students, families, and the public interest.)

References:

Three references, two of which must come from a current supervisor and one from someone who can attest to the applicant’s academic abilities. References must complete the department forms provided to assess leadership abilities in learning, equity, and accountability.

Applicant packets are reviewed by faculty teams. Admission recommendations are made based upon the strength of the applicant’s packet of information.

Description of each year of the Program — number of courses, credits, time frame; core, specializations, dissertation/capstone

Program Sequence

Learning communities will meet in a variety of settings during the three year program, including on the VCU campus as well as in regional school and professional settings. Both face-to-face and online formats are incorporated. Learning experiences happen in a range of time blocks: Summer intensive institutes; weekend sessions; afternoon weekday blocks; online learning.

The following table displays the three-year sequence for students beginning the program in summer:

Milestones Employed in the Program — comprehensive/qualifying exams, papers, or products necessary for graduation

Student Assessment

As reflective practitioners, students assess their progress in the program based on their experiences and feedback received. Students set leadership goals for themselves considering this information. Students also have the opportunity to gain additional insight into their leadership ability and style through several activities in the program. For example, at the end of the first year, students complete a self-evaluation/peer-evaluation instrument such as the Leadership Circle Profile 360-degree survey. The results of this instrument l provide students with the opportunity to set additional leadership goals. Faculty members mentor students as they set goals and strive to achieve them. This 360 is completed at the end of the program and also provides a pre-post evaluation of the program.

Faculty members assess student progress and provide formative and summative feedback throughout the program. In addition to evaluating assignments related to specific curricular activities, at the end of each term faculty members assess each student’s progress using a rubric. Faculty determination of unsatisfactory progress may result in the student’s dismissal from the program.

Formative Assessment I

At the end of the first year of study, students use technology to develop evidence of how they have incorporated what they have learned into their daily work. These “digital stories” address a specific theme. Students present their product to faculty teams and address questions posed by faculty. Faculty and students review student work and provide feedback. Faculty determination of unsatisfactory completion of Formative Assessment I may result in the student’s dismissal from the program.

Formative Assessment II

Before enrolling in Capstone Project classes, student teams complete an evaluation of a program currently in use in their workplaces. Teams confer with workplace supervisors to develop goals and objectives; review literature related to the program; design a method of study; collect and analyze data; develop conclusions and recommendations. The final products include a formal report, an executive summary, and a presentation. Faculty, supervisors and students review student work and provide feedback. Faculty determination of unsatisfactory completion of Formative Assessment II may result in the student’s inability to continue in or dismissal from the program.

Candidacy

Under University policy, graduate students must be awarded candidacy status to be eligible to receive a graduate degree. Students who have successfully completed Formative Assessment II and who have completed IRB training must apply for candidacy by completing the form and submitting it to their advisors for processing.

Signature Pedagogy

Problems of practice. Each semester, a problem of practice is part of the curriculum, allowing students the opportunity for authentic work.

Laboratories of Practice

The laboratory of practice is the school district as well as the classroom. Problems of practice originate in the school district.

Inquiry Courses

This program stresses research literacy, a set of skills and knowledge that leaders need in order to understand and use research for policy and practice decisions. Therefore, the inquiry strands of this Ed.D. focus on issues of research literacy, methods of systematic inquiry and how leaders can identify and analyze data effectively -- with the primary goal of building the requisite skills leaders need to use data for decision-making. In order to be able to base action upon research, leaders must be able to judge the quality and applicability of the research. Students in this program learn to evaluate the evidence from research and explore the implications of this evidence for policy and practice implementation. Leaders need quantitative, logical, qualitative, legal, and economic reasoning skills. They also need to be able to merge these skills around the core elements of their organizations. A research literate leader is able to:

• Read the research of others and judge the value of this research for practice.
• Organize data to describe what the data say
• Use data spreadsheets such as Excel to sort, compare, and display data.
• Understand a variety of types of data including economic, interview, survey, and test data.
• Engage public communication and public opinion by gathering information through face-to-face interviews, observations, focus groups, paper and pencil and web surveys.
• Understand the principles behind testing, different types of tests and the limitations of information provided by tests.
• Identify purposes and evaluate the effectiveness of programs.
• Research literate leaders can examine the cost effectiveness of decisions

Because we believe that inquiry is at the center of problem based learning, we do not offer research classes. Rather, every module and class contains an inquiry component.

Capstone

The capstone project is undertaken in the Summer, fall and spring of the final year in the program. Problems of practice articulated by field organizations are the topics for study. Students work in groups on these problems of practice in a collaborative endeavor that requires them to understand the problem as posed, analyze the issue from a number of perspectives, and respond with policy and practice. The model used is a consultancy project where:

• Clients prepare a request for assistance description of a project. This request includes: (1) A context statements (2) the problem to be addressed; (3) the expectation of the client; (4) the data sources that will be made available and/or the agreements for data to be collected; (5) the expectations regarding communication and reports; and (6) the expectations for the final report.
• Students “bid” on the project on which they wish to work. Once a student team has selected a project, the team presents a scope of work memo to the client and the Leadership faculty that defines the scope of the project, including key questions; specifies the analytical focus and data collection strategies; develops a timeline and task completion schedule; and assigns team members.
• The final project is a written and verbal report of the analysis undertaken, including a description of the literature which informed the topic, a description of the data used, and the policy and practice recommendations.
• The final project is reported to both faculty reviewers and client reviewers.

Syllabi

• Frameworks for Decision-making - Legal Perspectives
• Leadership Presence

Key Contact Person

Dr. Cheri Magill, Director of the Ed.D. Program
School of Education
1015 Main Street
PO Box 842020
Richmond, Virginia 23284
804-828-1940
Ccmagill@vcu.edu

Dr. Charol Shakeshaft, Chairperson School of Education
1015 Main Street
PO Box 842020
Richmond, Virginia 23284
804-828-1940
Cshakeshaft@vcu.edu

Cost Structure

This is a 48-hour program. Each point costs $200.

Program Handbook

In revision.

Program Link

Forthcoming.