Leadership for Educational Equity, EdD
Introduction
Students completing this program earn a Doctorate of Education (EdD) in the area of Leadership for Educational Equity.
The EdD program is a practice-based, doctoral-level program for professional leadership in PK-20 and community-based education and other organizational contexts. The EdD prepares leaders to address complex educational challenges, effectively translate research into practice, influence policy, use data in decision-making, and organize individuals and groups to address challenges collaboratively and successfully. The EdD program’s equity-focus equips educational leaders to recognize, identify, and eliminate those systems that create disparities, and improve policy, structures, and practices to ensure opportunities and participation for all individuals.
The EdD program uses a cohort model. Students in the EdD program select a concentration area and work with faculty mentors with expertise in the research and traditions of practice in the concentration area.
Students follow their cohort taking the prescribed coursework and research activities in a three-year plan of study. All students complete courses that are in-person, online, and hybrid with required attendance and activities. Some concentration areas offer a fully online option. A five-year plan of study option is available for select students who obtain permission from the EdD program manager and concentration faculty.
Program Requirements
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| EdD Core Courses - 12 Credits | ||
| EDFN 7410 | Power and Privilege: The Social Construction of Difference | 3 |
| EDUC 7100 | Leadership in Education | 3 |
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| Organizational Performance In Educational Contexts | ||
| Power of Data | ||
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| Learning and Human Development | ||
| Designing Professional Learning | ||
| Research Core | 9 | |
| Applied Research Methods I | ||
| Applied Research Methods II | ||
| Applied Research Methods III | ||
| Electives (two 3-credit courses) | 6 | |
| Concentration Areas (four 3-credit hour courses) | 12 | |
| Culminating Doctoral Research Project: | 15 | |
| These 15 hours include five 1-credit doctoral seminars and a minimum of ten credit hours during which candidates conduct and complete their doctoral research study. | ||
| Total Hours | 54 | |
Concentration Areas
Executive Leadership concentration is designed for professionals in leadership positions in educational, community, and non-profit organizations who wish to acquire learning and experiences related to personnel management, finance, accountability systems, evaluation, community relations, policy development, analysis, and research. This concentration supports learning activities for individuals who hold or seek to move into senior leadership positions within school districts, community colleges, education policy organizations, and community-based education organizations. Within this concentration is an option for professional licensure: Administrative Leadership Program with option for Administrative Licensure from the Colorado Department of Education (CDE).
Early Childhood Special Education/Early Childhood Education concentration is designed for educational professionals interested in issues and practices in early childhood special education and early childhood education to improve outcomes for children with disabilities across early childhood settings. The concentration supports educators and administrators in districts, agencies, and programs to effectively improve outcomes of all children, including children with disabilities.
Justice, Equity, and Diverse Identities concentration focuses on education for justice, equity, and diverse identities (e.g., Latine, Black, AANAPI, LGBTQIA+, and dis/ability) and allows students to pursue research of interest that is adjacent to or within one of the above areas. The concentration area is designed to equip educators with the knowledge and resources to see opportunities in the range of complex challenges facing the education system and ground their approach in transdisciplinary and critical frameworks to advocate for educational equity and transformative, liberatory education.
Mathematics Education concentration provides learning opportunities for education professionals focused on teacher learning and professional development experiences. Faculty and students investigate how interventions used in professional development for mathematics teachers impact their content knowledge and pedagogical practices in their classrooms. The coursework uses a situated perspective of learning and incorporates mixed methods to address research questions about interventions that support teacher and student learning.
Designing for Professional Learning concentration supports education professionals in in PK-12, higher education, and organizational settings who design and implement professional development and learning activities. Applying principles of adult learning, instructional design, and change leadership, the faculty and students in this concentration use a variety of methods to support professional growth and accountability (e.g., mentoring, coaching, site-based communities, e-learning resources, and workshops). The concentration courses prepare students in leadership roles in professional learning programs at all levels to apply research and best practices.
Science Education concentration prepares educators to explore, understand, and think critically about the nature of science and science education from a research-oriented perspective. Students may elect to focus on environmental science education as an area of specialization within this concentration through electives and discipline-specific research agendas.
EdD Program with Higher Education Concentration
Students completing this program earn a Doctorate of Education (EdD) in the area of Leadership for Educational Equity in the Higher Education Concentration Area. Within this concentration, all students complete 8-week online courses with required activities and in-person one-week intensives with required attendance/activities. This is a three year program (there is not a five year option for the Higher Education Concentration).
Students in the EdD program in the Higher Education concentration work with faculty mentors with expertise in the research and traditions of practice in a variety of post-secondary and higher education settings. The Higher Education concentration also provides a unique executive coaching support service (for a maximum of 12 months post-graduation) that students may choose to receive after completion of the EdD program.
Topics of study in the Higher Education concentration include leadership skills to improve access, equity, and success for college and university students; power and privilege; law and ethics; organizational cultures; finance and strategic resource allocations; and predictive analytics.
Course Work - 54 Semester Credits
The EdD in Higher Education concentration 54 credits include the following course work and research activities:
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| EdD in Higher Education Core Courses | 9 | |
| Leadership in Education | ||
| Power and Privilege: The Social Construction of Difference | ||
| Organizational Performance In Educational Contexts | ||
| Research Methods Courses | 9 | |
| Applied Research Methods I | ||
| Applied Research Methods II | ||
| Applied Research Methods III | ||
| Higher Education Concentration Area | 21 | |
| Higher Education Policy and Governance | ||
| Strategic Enrollment Management in Higher Education | ||
| Contemporary Issues in Higher Education | ||
| Higher Eduction Finance and Strategic Resource Allocation | ||
| Data-Informed Decision-Making and Predictives in HED | ||
| Decision-making, Conflict Resolution, & Equity in Higher Education | ||
| Law and Ethics in Higher Ed and Student Affairs | ||
| Culminating Doctoral Research Project. | 15 | |
| These 15 hours include five 1-credit doctoral seminars and a minimum of ten credit hours during which candidates conduct and complete their doctoral research study. | ||
| Total Hours | 54 | |
The following five learner outcomes are expectations of the EdD program.
- Analyze and critically evaluate educational theories, policies, research, and practices intended to improve equity and social justice.
- Collaborate with others to set direction, design, and enact improvements as a leader in education, work, or community settings.
- Apply principles of individual and organizational learning to effect positive change.
- Design and conduct research and inquiry to improve practice and promote equity.
- Communicate effectively to scholarly and practitioner audiences.