Doctor of Educational Leadership

Program Graduation Requirements 

• Successful completion of all program coursework requirements with a cumulative program GPA equal to or greater than 3.5 (on a 4.0 scale) with no grade below a B;
• Maintenance of a Professional Skills score equal to or greater than 4.0 (on a 5.0 scale);
• Successful completion of Field Experiences, as evidenced by artifacts and reflections provided in the electronic portfolio, scoring “Proficient” or above;
• Satisfactory recommendations, with a mean score equal to or greater than 3.5 (on a 5.0 scale), from the educational mentor and University supervisor on program field experiences (for educators seeking licensure only);
• Successful completion and defense of program electronic portfolio scoring at the proficient level or above on the portfolio rubric;
• Successful completion of all program requirements, including the clinical research requirement, within a six-year time frame;
• Payment of all program fees; and
• Approval by University faculty.

District Leadership Licensure Requirements

• Satisfactory completion of district leadership licensure program and endorsement from Baker University; and
  
• A passing score on the ETS School Superintendent Assessment (SSA) required by the Kansas and Missouri departments of education.
  

Required Curriculum

Common Program Strands                                                                                       

• Leadership Practices
  
• Critical Thinking and Problem Solving
  
• Communication and Collaboration
  
• Beliefs, Values and Ethical Issues
  
• Enrichment through Diversity
  

Course Descriptions

DED 9000 Foundations of Educational Leadership
This course provides a beginning foundation for the knowledge and performance areas needed for educational leadership positions.  Leadership issues addressed include leadership styles and models; beliefs and values related to leadership; research and best practices of leadership; developing goals, mission, and a strategic plan; the impact of leadership on the learning culture; organizational structure and culture; communicating with diverse publics and political entities; decision making and critical thinking skills; responsibilities for financial, human, and material district resources; political, social, and economic issues; and ethical and legal issues impacting leadership.
Expected Outcome:  A candidate increases his or her educational leadership abilities based on a deep understanding of the complex and interdependent characteristics of leadership.

DED 9001 Collaborative Leadership in a Community Context
Candidates examine the philosophy, principles, practices, agencies, and organizations involved in or influencing educational programs and initiatives.  Special attention is focused on the role of educational leaders in planning and implementing system-wide communications networks.  Candidates explore their creativity and expand their ability to lead complex teams effectively and to influence collaborative problem-solving processes as both a leader and a follower in the team process.  This course addresses the identification and utilization of community resources and the creation of family engagement partnerships, community linkages, and collaborative efforts to provide for the educational, cultural, health, lifelong learning, vocational, and out-of-school needs of students and citizens in a community.
Expected Outcome:  A candidate increases his or her educational leadership abilities to engage community members in partnerships that will enhance the learning community.

DED 9002 Leading Special and Diverse Student Populations
This course is designed to examine the role and responsibilities of educational leaders of diverse student and adult populations, including serving as the administrator, director, or supervisor of special education programs that serves and employs individuals with diverse skills, needs, and abilities.  Candidates will become better skilled in leading programs through familiarity with state and federal statutory requirements, fiscal basis, relations to general school administration, and instructional and related services delivery systems.  Current issues in educating students with special needs and preparing and employing individuals in today’s workforce are explored.  Trends in the nation’s increasing cultural, ethnic, and religious diversity and the impact of these trends on organizations are examined. 
Expected Outcome:  A candidate increases his or her educational leadership abilities to meet the needs of diverse and special needs populations.

DED 9003  Developing Professional Learning Communities
This course examines the wide range in professional development with the intent to equip future educational leaders to bring about improvements in student achievement or employee productivity through professional learning.  Candidates engage in topics that include the development of learning communities through constructivist leadership and educational reform including the uses of technologies to bridge gender and race gaps in traditional professional development initiatives.  The course also discusses the important issues related to the basic principles of professional behavior and ethics with respect to students, peers, administrators and teachers from all environments.  Candidates increase understanding of adult learning.
Expected Outcome:  A candidate increases his or her educational leadership abilities for designing, implementing, and assessing effective learning communities.

DED 9004 Curriculum, Learning, and Instruction
This course addresses the supervisory process for curriculum and instruction for educational leaders at the district level, including current research on teaching and issues in instructional supervision.  The course provides candidates with the necessary leadership skills to bring about a curriculum and instructional program that result in high levels of achievement by all students.  Candidates focus on the alignment of the district curriculum with state and national initiatives and regulations as well as on the processes needed to garner input and ownership of a curriculum from a broad and diverse constituency.
Expected Outcome:  A candidate increases his or her educational leadership abilities for designing, implementing, and assessing effective curriculum that leads to increased student achievement.

DED 9005  Legal, Policy, and Ethical Issues in Leadership
This course develops a candidate’s knowledge and performance skills in the areas of policy development, planning, rights and confidentiality, and school administrative legal issues that impact both human and physical resources.
Expected Outcome:  A candidate increases his or her educational leadership abilities for the effective application of policies and legal parameters to guide the educational system.

DED 9006  Human Resources Management
This course is a study of human resources development practices at the system level with emphasis on responsibilities for attracting, selecting, developing, evaluating, and retaining competent faculty and staff.  The course provides a conceptual and technical background in the human resources function within the organization.  Candidates have an opportunity to research and practice problem solving and leadership skills as applied to human resources.  Classes promote the sharing of professional expertise.  The guiding question of this course is, “How can educational leaders employ, develop, and manage human resources effectively to improve student achievement and productivity?”
Expected Outcome:  A candidate increases his or her educational leadership abilities to effectively manage the district’s human resources.

DED 9007 Management of Finances, Facilities, and Resources
This course develops a candidate’s knowledge and performance areas needed to manage district (or educational organization) budgets, facilities and material resources.  Issues addressed by this course include working with boards of education, employees, and community members; aligning facilities and financial resources to the educational organization’s mission and goals; planning, developing, and overseeing budgets, facilities, and material resources; using technology to support management practices; understanding legal issues and ethical practices relating to fiscal matters; and communicating with and meeting the needs of all community populations, including special needs populations.
Expected Outcome:  A candidate increases his or her educational leadership abilities for effectively managing the organization’s multiple resources.

DED 9008 Program Planning and Evaluation
This course is a study of the theory of program evaluation, techniques used in program evaluation, and the standards of quality for professional evaluation practice.  The focus is on application of program evaluation processes in leading an educational organization.  Candidates are expected to apply the principles and processes in a study of a system-wide approach.
Expected Outcome:  A candidate increases his or her leadership abilities to plan and evaluate educational programs in a systematic manner.

DED 9010 Statistical Analysis
This course addresses the application of descriptive and inferential statistical techniques for organizing research data and testing simple hypotheses.  Candidates will learn techniques for reporting statistical results and drawing conclusions based on data.  The course will be practical in orientation and will include some theoretical concepts. 
Expected Outcome:  A candidate increases his or her abilities to collect, analyze, and use data to guide the decision making processes.

DED 9011 Methods of Inquiry and Research
This course is divided into two parts:  qualitative methods and quantitative methods.  The course presents basic statistical concepts with an emphasis on the logic of inferential statistics.  The qualitative paradigm will be presented as complementary to quantitative methods rather than contradictory and competitive.  Note:  The program course in Statistics or comparable course is a prerequisite to enrollment in this course. 
Expected Outcome:  A candidate increases his or her abilities to develop research studies that are data driven.

DED 9020 & 9021 Professional Inquiry Colloquium I & II
The professional inquiry colloquium provides candidates with opportunities to interact with the cohort and with program mentors to explore aspects of educational leadership, strengthen the cohort through increased communication, and focus on the electronic portfolio that will serve as a measure of growth throughout the program.
Expected Outcome:  A candidate increases his or her educational leadership abilities for interacting as a part of a team in the creation and implementation of a system that documents personal growth.

DED 9030 and 9031 Field Experiences I & II
Candidates plan and carry out two field experiences of a minimum of 60 hours each under the direct supervision and mentoring of an organization’s leadership.  The two field experiences may be within the same district or organization if with two different mentors.  Field experience activities must be chosen from a listing of activities that coincide with program objectives and standards.  These activities are expected to provide real-world opportunities to gain effective experiences. 
Expected Outcome:  A candidate increases his or her educational leadership abilities through the application of theory and best practices to educational leadership in the field.

DED 9032 Portfolio Presentation
The electronic portfolio will be a collection of important assessments that supports candidate performance in the Ed.D. program.  The portfolio exhibits the knowledge, dispositions, and performances gained in the program and serves as a major vehicle for the candidate to apply theory to practice.  The portfolio is organized and aligned with the KSDE and ISLLC standards for district leadership. A candidate is required to achieve a minimum of “Proficient” on each of the portfolio areas prior to the completion of Field Experience II.   The candidate uses a variety of technology tools and applications to enhance the portfolio and to present its contents before a committee of adjudicators.  Defense of the portfolio will be considered a major exhibit of the candidate’s knowledge of educational leadership.
Expected Outcome:  A candidate will provide evidence of his or her ability to perform at the proficient level on all program objectives/standards.

DED 9900 & 9902 Clinical Research Development, Completion and Presentation
The doctoral clinical research project provides the candidate the means to demonstrate breadth of scholarship, depth of research, and ability to investigate educational problems independently and efficiently.  The clinical research is an extended, coherent and written investigation that demonstrates the candidate’s comprehensive knowledge and mastery of methodological, historical, topical, empirical and theoretical issues relevant to the chosen research subject.  The research investigation contains the results of extensive research of documentary source materials and field work.  The Clinical Research Development will be completed when Chapters I, II, and III are submitted to and approved by the candidate’s research advising team.  The Clinical Research Presentation will be scheduled for defense when the completed research has been approved by the Candidate’s research advising team and the Dean of the School of Education. 
Expected Outcome:  A candidate increases his or her educational leadership abilities and provides evidence of the ability to perform, explain, present and defend significant research.

8001 College Boulevard, Overland Park, KS 66210-1846 | Phone: 913-491-4432 | Fax: 913-491-0470