Program Values

K-12 Educational Administration adopts Michigan State University’s core institutional values as central to the Doctor of Educational Leadership: quality, inclusiveness, and connectivity. We apply these values to the design and implementation of the program itself, seeking to be recognized as the program of choice for advanced educational leadership preparation (quality), seeking to enroll diverse students, particularly those representing under-served communities, with a passion for improving the life chances of young people and bringing new spirit to communities (inclusiveness), and seeking to convene and facilitate deliberative democratic conversations among Michigan citizenry (connectivity) about matters of common interest. Additionally, the program will prepare students to embed these values in their own organizations – that is, specific policies and processes for insuring that quality, inclusivity, and connectivity become lived rather than espoused values.

Overview and Objectives

We aim to cultivate in our students the knowledge, skills, and dispositions that help educators navigate the practical demands of leading effective schools and education systems.  The following key objectives guided development of the Doctor of Educational Leadership program:

1. to prepare educational leaders to lead excellent, equitable, and responsive educational systems;
2. to qualify graduates for the Michigan Central Office Administrator certification;
3. to provide intellectual leadership around educational issues for school leaders, policy makers, politicians, community leaders, and other interested stakeholders;
4. to convene forums for democratic deliberation of educational, social, and economic issues so as to play an active role in redevelopment efforts in Michigan while also preparing students to be agents for change within their own districts or areas;
5. to support high caliber collaborative action research that puts innovative solutions to work while advancing outreach, engagement, and economic development and strengthening linkages to other MSU units and to external partners.

Year One

The first year of the program focuses on core knowledge required by educational leaders, policy makers, and researchers. Classes in this first year follow a calendar that differs from the regular MSU academic calendar. Three of the Year I core classes (EAD 920 Political Economy of Schooling, EAD 922 Analyzing Educational Systems, and 923 Organizing for Learning) meet on Saturdays over the academic year,. DEL students also take EAD 921 Leadership for Transformation, their professional seminar. This seminar meets online, once every two weeks, throughout the first academic year.

Year One – Summer Session

During the Year I Summer session, students take EAD 929 Collaborative Inquiry which is an introduction to qualitative research methods necessary for completing the Dissertation in Practice. In addition, students take either EAD 980 Engaged Leadership, which introduces students to critical issues of educational and community development in Michigan through meetings with key educational leaders from throughout the state, or EAD 991A Human Resources, which focusses on how district leaders address the human aspect of management including labor law, negotiation, and performance evaluation. These courses are offered on a two year cycle so move between Summer I and Summer II.

Year Two

The Year II schedule deepens students’ core knowledge of leadership. EAD 924 Data and Decisions explores ways to capitalize on the data streams in educational environments and EAD 926 Finance and Operations focuses on administrative systems, both courses operating on the regular MSU semester course schedule. EAD 991A Social Justice Issues (like EAD 921 in Year I) stretches across both semesters. By the end of spring term of the second year, students will submit the remaining three performance assessments aligned to the MI School Administrator Standards for Part II of the Comprehensive Examination.

Year Two – Summer Session

The Year II Summer session Includes EAD 995 which steps students through their literature review for their Dissertation of Practice proposal and prepares students for their Dissertation of Practice (DIP) proposal in the Fall of Year III. This session also includes either EAD 980 or EAD 991A, Human Resources, whichever course was not offered in Year I Summer. By the end of the second summer, teams and projects will be well specified and teams present their project proposals to a panel of faculty and partners for approval.

Year Three

Year III is dedicated to completion of Capstone Projects. Students register for two courses each semester, giving them two kinds of support for their work. Capstone projects are team projects, and each team has the support of a clinical coach through EAD 981A and 981B Capstone Project. Teams also benefit from guidance of a faculty member through EAD 982A and 982B Capstone Seminar.

Final Spring Semester

At the end of the final spring semester, teams present and defend their Capstone Project to a faculty / stakeholder panel, submitting an extensive account of their work. Each DEL student also submits the complete portfolio of performance assessments aligned to the MI Central Office Administrator Standards, as demonstrations of leadership, including the assessments documenting individual contribution to the group Capstone.

Curriculum Structure