The programs in Educational Leadership & Policy (EDL) advance knowledge and address enduring, contemporary, and future issues in education by:
- Engaging in research grounded in broader current socio-cultural, economic, and political contexts (i.e., market-based reforms, school safety, culturally responsive leadership, controversies of globalizing educational policy, and external pressures on schooling);
- Addressing the significance of the historical and the changing contexts of education
- Exploring the issues of social justice for the educational equity and opportunities of all students; and
- Disrupting persistent discourses around “achievement gaps” undergirded by xenophobia, racism, linguicism, classism, and homophobia.
Graduates of EDL adapt to a changing world, predict the consequences of proposed action, and sustain continuous education improvements over time. They develop and refine their abilities as leaders to empower, inspire, and guide the performance of others in achieving the desired goals across varied education contexts, including but not limited to schools and school districts.
Educational Leadership & Policy prepares leaders to achieve results in the nation's schools by translating theory and knowledge into practice, applying skills in interpersonal relations and political diplomacy, applying research and data-based, decision-making skills, and following ethical principles.
A Practical Application
Emphasis is placed on the practical application of critical theory and knowledge to leadership in education. Instruction recognizes and incorporates the principles of adult learning with courses, seminars, and other educational experiences featuring reflection, group, discussion, simulations, problem-solving, quantitative and qualitative research methods, and critical theory from a variety of disciplines (e.g., anthropology, sociology), as well as leadership and policy studies.
Our Core Faculty
- Joonkil Ahn, he/him/his, Assistant Professor
- Melanie Bertrand, she/her, Associate Professor, Director of the Educational Leadership Ph.D. Program
- Meg Cota, she/hers/ella, Associate Professor of Practice, Director of the M.Ed. and Certification Preparation Programs
- Dawn Demps, she/hers, Assistant Professor
- Taylor Enoch-Stevens, she/her/hers, President’s Postdoctoral Fellow
- Ruth M. López, she/hers, Associate Professor
- Cynthia Mruczek, she/hers, Associate Professor of Practice, Director of EDLP’s Ed.D. Program
- Chi Nguyen, she/her, Assistant Professor
