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Doctorate of Education in K-12 Educational Leadership Course Descriptions

The K-12 Educational Leadership Ed.D. program prepares students for a licensed position as a principal, superintendent, or other school site district administrator.

Licensure Component

The Superintendent/District Leadership licensure program is approved by the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction for PK-12 administration licenses. Students who have successfully completed the 24 credits in the Superintendent/District Leadership Licensure Program will have the opportunity to apply for the Superintendent License. As necessary for advance licensure, the principal license is also available through this program. Further, the Director of Instruction, Director of Student Services, and School Business Management licenses are available, although additional classes and experiences may be necessary for any of these three licensing areas.

Ed.D. Degree Completion Component

Students who have successfully completed the 24 credits in the Superintendent/District Leadership Licensure Program will then complete 30 credits through the Doctoral Completion Program to complete the K-12 Educational Leadership Ed.D. degree.

* Students who are not pursuing the Superintendent/District Leadership License will complete a 3-credit research course in place of practicum development.

54 Total Credit Hours

Program Requirements

  • EDU 800 – Ethical and Inclusive Leadership I 3 credits. This two-part course will provide a comprehensive overview of leadership at the superintendent, district, principal, and teacher levels. In Part I, various models of leadership in K-12 private and public settings are examined. Analyses of leadership quadrants and strengths of individual leadership styles are completed. Academic writing and applied research skills are stressed. Guest presenters who are working in current roles of leadership supplement and enhance reading and writing assignments and activities. The value and impact of professional associations and the role of social media in leadership will be examined. An observation and analysis of a school board meeting is required. Standards and guidelines for all assignments are provided.
  • EDU 802 – Ethical & Inclusive Leadership II 3 credits. For those who aspire to leadership roles in Wisconsin public and private schools, Part II of the course will use criteria set forth by the Department of Public Instruction, and Wisconsin Statutes and Standards : knowing teacher obligations; creating a vision for education; the need for awareness of the inclusive and diverse needs of students, nurturing a school culture of continuous improvement; managing resources of the organization; collaborating with others, acting with integrity in an ethical manner; and interacting with the larger community politically, socially, legally, and economically to affect educational improvements. Additionally, students will begin the process of identifying their dissertation topic and employ research practices as they perform applied research relevant to their topic and/or their current educational position. A culminating project focusing on leadership aspects of a student selected issue or problem is required.
  • *   EDU 803 – Practicum Development 3 credits. The practicum is a three-semester placement with a mentor where the candidate can obtain real-time information, examples, and experiences relating directly to the Seven Wisconsin Administrative Standards. In this course, students will work with the instructor to consider licensing options and review the content guidelines for desired licenses. During the development phase of the practicum, qualified mentors will be identified, and the mentor/mentee relationship will be formally established. 
  • EDU 804 – Political and Policy Leadership 3 credits. The relationship between politics, educational policy, and educational practice is explored in its broadest sense. Particular emphasis is given to political and leadership theories, their practical application and the role of leadership in developing and implementing policy in the political environment within and outside of educational organizations. Politics and policy are discussed within an ethical framework of social justice and equity. Content will be applied in a variety of class experiences, mentoring activities, and related field assignments.
  • *   EDU 805 – Practicum Experience 3 credits. The practicum is a three-semester placement with a mentor where the candidate can obtain real-time information, examples, and experiences relating directly to the Seven Wisconsin Administrative Standards and licensed content guidelines. The partnership design of the practicum experience blends coursework and reflection with practical experience. The application of learning and research under the guidance of a school district mentor or doctoral faculty member provides the structured “hands-on” experience required to fulfill the licensing requirement as well.  
  • EDU 806 – K12 Human Resource Management 3 credits. This course examines how to manage human resources effectively in the dynamic political, legal, social, and economic environment currently impacting schools. Among the topics included are: recruitment and retention; training and development; workforce diversity; organizational structure and job design; performance evaluation; and, compensation models. Students will gain a solid understanding of the fundamentals of human resource management and its strategic relevance in K-12 education. By providing a practical perspective on the development of human capital in intensely “people-oriented” organization, students will develop a conceptual framework of how to create a system of attracting, retaining and developing talent that creates and supports the vision and values of the school district.
  • *   EDU 807 – Practicum Reflection 3 credits. The practicum is a three-semester placement with a mentor where the candidate can obtain real-time information, examples, and experiences relating directly to the Seven Wisconsin Administrative Standards and licensed content guidelines. The reflection phase of the practicum allows the cohort to share their mentorship experience, providing additional insights and cooperative learning to the practicum experience. Students will also finalize their licensure portfolio as a part of this course. 
  • EDU 808 – School District Law 3 credits. This course offers a case study approach to school law in the areas as staff, student, district, and personnel law as well as broader state and federal categories such as tort liability, civil rights, gender equity, and facility administration. Legal issues of inclusion and diversity will be examined. Ethical and leadership implications of legal issues will be explored under the tutelage of experienced and dedicated specialized educational lawyers and certified district administrators. Completion of several projects are required with the focus on expanding knowledge of how to address applied legal issues in a K-12 setting.
  • EDU 812 – Curriculum & Instruction 3 credits. Curriculum, instruction, assessment, and the learning environment are stressed in a context emphasizing organizational frameworks for management and leadership; leadership roles in staff development; learning theory, human development, and ethical considerations of supporting teaching and learning at the district level.
    • Consideration of multicultural understanding and responding to individual differences are emphasized in the process of creating professional learning communities. Specific attention is given to emergent research in learning style, cognition, intelligence, constructivism in theory and practice. Candidates are required to research curriculum issues and to apply course content to district and/or department situations in a variety of class experiences and mentoring relationships. 
  • EDU 814 – School District Budget & Finance 3 credits. This course will provide a substantive approach to public school finance at the school district level. Students will gain a practical understanding of the Wisconsin Uniform Financial Accounting Requirements (WUFAR), state and local funding systems, and tax impacts as related to Wisconsin school finance. This course will also cover technological applications and ethical considerations specific to districtwide leadership positions. Students will have the opportunity to research specific topics of interest within the scope of school finance and budget. 
  • EDU 950 – Ed Leadership Foundations & Ethics 3 credits. This course introduces students to the Dominican ethos as it relates to students’ leadership identity, professional lives, and their doctoral work. The foundations of educational leadership are the cornerstone for this course. Students will complete the necessary ethics training for conducting research and build their expertise as it relates to academic writing and scholarly research. Students will have an opportunity to build community with their cohort members as well as become familiar the tools and resources vital to their successful completion of their dissertation.
  • EDU 955 – Ed Leadership Research Discernment 3 credits. Students are guided in making the connection between their role as an educational leader and contributing to the field of educational leadership through their dissertation research project. This course is designed to guide students as they draft the first three chapters of their dissertation. Students continue to hone their study and align the critical components of their study through instructor feedback. Students learn about and incorporate their particular research method into their prospectus. Students continue to work in writing groups, conduct peer reviews, and incorporate instructor/advisor feedback.
  • EDU 960 – Research Methods and IRB Proposal 3 credits. Students will devote time to completing their research design, develop their instruments for collecting data, and prepare the IRB paperwork. Students will receive guidance in developing instrumentation (survey design, interview/focus group protocol, observation rubrics, etc.) Students will be introduced to Qualtrics, a survey design tool. Students will learn about the ethics of research and will develop an IRB proposal.
  • EDU 965 – Proposal Writing & Presentation 3 credits. Students engage in continued alignment of their critical study components including problem statement, purpose statement, theoretical/conceptual framework, literature, and method. Students present a mock proposal and get feedback from cohort members to finalize their proposal. Students continue to meet in their writing groups and incorporate instructor and advisor feedback. Students end the course with a formal proposal to their committee.
  • EDU 970 – Data Collection 3 credits. Students continue to meet in their writing groups. Students will begin to gather their data and are supported by advisors and experts. Students incorporate committee feedback into their proposal document. Students begin to collect data, as they continue to gain knowledge and skills related to academic writing and research through peer interaction and guidance by the advisor.
  • EDU 975 – Data Analysis 3 credits. Students continue to meet in their writing groups. Students meet with research methodologist to analyze data and determine preliminary results. Students learn how to use the tools for analyzing quantitative and/or qualitative data, depending on their data set, and they work with a research methodologist to analyze their data and determine results of preliminary data analysis.
  • EDU 980 – Study results and discussion 3 credits. Students attend classes to work with each other, their advisors, program experts, and their peers to communicate their findings, conclusions, and recommendations. Students receive significant and substantial feedback on their findings from their advisors, committee members, and program experts to determine the conclusions and recommendations to be drawn from the data. The objectives are that students will complete their data analysis, work closely with advisors, editors, and writing groups to analyze data and communicate results.
  • EDU 985 – Guided Dissertation Writing Minimum Credits Awarded: 3 – To be taken a minimum of 3 times to earn at least 9 credits. Continuous enrollment in ED 985 is required until dissertation is complete. Students submit their final draft of their dissertation to the Coordinator of the dissertation process, who then sets the defense date and distributes the student’s document to the committee. Students prepare the defense presentation. Upon successful completion of the defense, students incorporate feedback from the committee to prepare their document for publication to UMI. Students will successfully defend their dissertation through a presentation to their committee members. Next, students incorporate suggested changes and submit their document for publication.