• Educational Leadership Home
• Program Information
• Curriculum
• Degree Requirements
• Course Descriptions
• Information Session/Open House
• Faculty
• Admissions

Welcome M.S. Educational Leadership Program

Dear prospective students,

You are considering a potentially life changing adventure.  School leadership is an amazing journey.  Schools are the method that our society has to level the playing field.  In well run schools, any student can find the strands that, if woven well, will build a garment that prepares her or him for a lifetime of success.

PSST, hey kid, you want to speak a foreign language…learn to weld… conquer physics… literacy…numeracy?  Schools invite children into the life of the mind.  A part of the social justice mission of this school of education is to prepare leaders who can guide a team to establish excellence and equity.

Teaching is a truly critically important profession.  But, in this department, we teach students how to run the enterprise of education.  It’s not an easy job.  Nor, is our program without challenges.  This program uses a case study approach.  We put our degree candidates in the Principal’s seat and causes these candidates to decide what to do.  The beauty is that when our students finish this 18 month program, they will actually be able to do this important work, with vision and grace, leaving a lasting legacy. 

The faculty members are all people who have distinguished themselves as educational leaders.  They, of course, have attended to the theory and research about the profession, but they know personally what it is like to be in the vortex of public pressure and crushing time constraints.  The nuanced richness that this brings to the classroom, when combined with the student’s own continuous internships, makes for a powerful classroom environment.

Each student entering the program is issued a high-end laptop computer, which is theirs to keep, upon completion.  The students who graduate from this nationally recognized program are competent to lead in many ways, including technologically.

The program is highly selective in its review of candidates.  We demand a writing sample and two letters of recommendation from school administrators, along with other evidence of achievement.  But if you are lucky enough to be accepted, buckle up because this is one intense but immensely valuable ride.   

Warmly,
William B. Stroud, Ed.D.
Director of Educational Leadership Department

Diane Reed, Ed.D.
Interim Co-Program Director