Education Leadership (EDLD)

EDLD 525. Executive Leadership (EL). 3 Hours.

This course is designed to develop skills necessary for a principal to lead a campus at the executive level. It will provide both the knowledge and the skills needed by an instructional leader to develop relationships with internal and external stakeholders and to implement campus and district strategic goals. Learning will focus on improving student outcomes through organizational collaboration, resiliency, problem solving, and change management.

EDLD 531. Instructional Leadership. 3 Hours.

This course is designed to provide both the knowledge and skills needed by an instructional leader to establish and implement a shared vision and culture of high expectations for all stakeholders in the education community. Key concepts include strategies to work with educators and the community as key partners to support student learning. Prerequisite: Admitted into the Educator Preparation Program or by instructor permission.

EDLD 540. Campus Strategic Operations. 3 Hours.

This course is designed to focus on the role of the principal in the planning, development and implementation of the financial aspect of a campus including budgeting, purchasing, human resources, and business office management that most effectively and equitably meets the identified instructional needs of the building and specifically supports increased student achievement as specified in the campus improvement plan. The management component of the course will address scheduling, discipline, and facility management.

EDLD 561. Coaching Strategies for Instructional Leadership. 3 Hours.

This course focuses on developing the principal as instructional leader who is equity-minded namely by building capacity in instructional coaching. While the pedagogy of instructional coaching will be the crux of the discourse, there will be a strong emphasis on instructional strategies where students will learn how to identify an area for improvement and collect additional data using the Impact Cycle, as Developed by Dr. Jim Knight. Ultimately students will be able to coach on The Impact Cycle and mentor teachers through areas for improvement.

EDLD 567. Supervision of Instruction. 3 Hours.

This course is designed to focus on the role of the principal in promoting improved instruction in the classroom through the evaluation and professional development of faculty. Aspects of clinical supervision, including classroom observation, conferencing skills, and development of improvement plans through systemic staff development will be emphasized.

EDLD 570. Texas School Law. 3 Hours.

This course is designed to examine the legal framework and study the impact of any relationship between constitutional law, statutory law, administrative law, and judicial law that influences school administrators and faculty. School leaders must be able to deal with a multitude of legal issues regarding: 1) constitutional rights, contracts, property claims, and torts, 2) the leadership of curriculum, instruction, and assessment, and 3) student and employee rights in case law influencing the public schools.

EDLD 574. Leading Special Programs. 3 Hours.

This course is designed to prepare students to administer special and compensatory education programs. Emphasis is on basic concepts, issues, problems, and procedures in the management of special and compensatory education. The student's evaluation of these programs will be from both the legal and ethical perspectives that guide decisions necessary to provide opportunities for all students to be successful in school.

EDLD 580. Data Analysis for Instructional Leadership. 3 Hours.

This course is designed to focus on analyzing and interpreting campus and community data for decision making necessary to promote the success of all learners. Special emphasis will be on continuous improvement of the campus through analyzing demographic, perception, assessment, and school process data.

EDLD 581. Improvement Science for Education Leadership. 3 Hours.

The course focuses on developing competency in the field of improvement science for all education leaders. Improvement science is a methodological framework that is undergirded by foundational principles that guide educational leaders to define problems, understand how the system produces the problems, identify changes to rectify the problems, and test the efficacy of those changes. While the pedagogy of improvement science will be the crux of the discourse, there will be a strong emphasis in data examination where students will learn how to identify an area for improvement and collect additional data using an equity audit. Students will explore and understand how to develop a root cause analysis and examine research on their problem. Ultimately students will be able to design a theory of improvement that includes aim statements, primary drivers, secondary drivers, and possible change ideas.

EDLD 587. Campus Leadership Experience Part I. 3 Hours.

This course provides campus-based experiential learning opportunities for students to develop the leadership skills necessary to guide instructional programs. Through program texts, interviews, assignments, and projects, students will demonstrate their growth in leadership by creating a Principal Leadership Portfolio (PLP). In this course, students will focus on the first phase of the PLP, which includes conducting a needs assessment and developing an action plan to address campus priorities. The principal practicum meets Texas Education Agency (TEA) requirements as a supervised, school-based experience for students pursuing principal certification in Texas. As part of the Principal Certification Program, students must complete six semester credit hours (SCH) of practicum experience across Campus Leadership Experience Part I and Part II. Practicum requirements include: • 160 documented clock hours (80 minimum per course), recorded in a Leadership Activity Log, to demonstrate proficiency in each Texas principal standard. • Three 45-minute formal observations (totaling at least 135 minutes) • Three 15-minute walkthroughs per semester (six total throughout the practicum) By integrating practical experience with structured mentorship, this course equips aspiring principals with the skills and confidence needed to excel as campus leaders.

EDLD 588. Campus Leadership Experience Part II. 3 Hours.

EDLD 589. Individual Study. 3 Hours.

This course is designed for individual instruction. It may be repeated when topics vary.

EDLD 597. Special Topics in Education Leadership. 3 Hours.

Instructors will provide an organized class designed to cover areas of specific interest. Students may repeat the course when topics vary.

EDLD 611. Doctoral Seminar. 3 Hours.

The Doctoral Seminar provides support and information to help graduate students in the Doctor of Education programs to successfully navigate the doctoral process. This course will focus on graduate level writing skills, writing literature reviews, APA formatting, use of library and university systems, and requisite skills to be successful in the program. Prerequisite: Admission into the doctoral program.

EDLD 612. Strategic Management and Change. 3 Hours.

To succeed in the future, leaders must develop the resources and capabilities needed to gain and sustain an advantage in traditional and emerging education systems. The focus of this course will be the strategic management for successful change with respect to the intended direction and goals of the organization; the organization’s strengths and weaknesses; the current system structure; and the social, political, technological, economic, and global environments. Leaders must have a solid understanding of how to influence organizational change that supports diversity, equity, and inclusion for all.

EDLD 613. Education and Non-Profit Law, Policy and Futurism. 3 Hours.

Students will examine the legal framework for education including the United States Constitution, federal and state statutes, and the body of case law affecting all aspects of education and non-profit organizations. Current policy and legal statutes are evaluated in relationship to the concepts and changes in futurism and the global issues in the field of education and other non-profit ventures. Prerequisite: Admission to the doctoral program.

EDLD 622. Theories in Educational Leadership. 3 Hours.

This course examines foundational and contemporary theories that influence educational leadership, organizational management, and psychological and sociological dimensions of decision-making and systemic change. Students will focus on understanding, critiquing, and applying theories to their dissertation research. By the end of the course, students will have a solid foundation in relevant educational theories and their integration into a scholarly literature review. Prerequisite: Admission to the doctoral program.

EDLD 623. Education Marketing and Public Relations. 3 Hours.

Effective public relations skills are essential to much of the success in private and public spheres. Public relations efforts address how we wish to present ourselves to others and how to deal with the perceptions of who others believe we are. A successful public relations program helps build and maintain positive relationships through an open exchange of information between and among internal and external stakeholders of an organization. This course will help prepare students to engage in successful marketing and public relations to promote a variety of efforts, including fundraising, bond issues, and other priority efforts in the public administration arena.

EDLD 624. Applied Instructional Technologies. 3 Hours.

This course provides students with an overview of current topics, trends and issues affecting technology and technological needs in education (PK-12 and higher education). Special attention will be placed on current technology related trends and issues that affect leaders in education. Prerequisite: Admission to the doctoral program.

EDLD 625. Field Study in National and International Cultural Perspectives. 3 Hours.

This course serves to broaden students' cultural and sociological perspectives in education through regional, national or international travel. Prerequisite: Admission to the doctoral program.

EDLD 626. Improvement Science for Education Leadership. 3 Hours.

This course focuses on developing the scholarly practitioner who is equity-minded namely by building capacity in improvement science. While the pedagogy of improvement science will be the crux of the discourse, there will be a strong emphasis in data examination where students will learn how to identify an area for improvement and collect additional data using an equity audit. Students will explore and understand how to develop a root cause analysis and examine research on their problem. Ultimately students will be able to design a theory of improvement that includes aim statements, primary drivers, secondary drivers, and possible change ideas.

EDLD 627. Education Leadership. 3 Hours.

This course examines the philosophical, theoretical, and conceptual foundations of research essential for developing a dissertation proposal. Students will critically analyze key philosophical perspectives, including the contributions of Karl Popper and Thomas Kuhn, to understand the evolution of research paradigms and frameworks. They will engage deeply with the dissertation manual to format an early draft of Chapter 1 according to its guidelines. By the end of the course, students will produce a complete Chapter 1 draft, which will include a clearly defined problem, a purpose and significance statement, theoretical and conceptual frameworks, research questions, and a discussion of assumptions and limitations.

EDLD 632. Contemporary Issues in Educational Leadership. 3 Hours.

This course explores contemporary issues that educational leaders face as they continue to lead organizations to higher levels of performance and achievement. A strong emphasis is placed on examining current problems in education that contribute to ongoing inequities in education. A variety of topics such as current legal, political, social, cultural and economic issues as they relate to educational policy and decision-making will be discussed. Prerequisite: Admission to the doctoral program.

EDLD 650. Investigating Phenomena Using Quantifiable Data. 3 Hours.

Education leaders must be able to analyze, interpret and report on increasingly large amounts of available data. To do so, leaders must be able to ask logical questions addressing relevant issues that make data meaningful. Education leaders must be able to conduct quantitative research ethically and in a manner that appropriately informs policy and practice. Prerequisite: C or better in EDLD 663.

EDLD 661. Dissertation Prospectus Development. 3 Hours.

This course explores the theory, design frameworks, and how they relate to research methodologies in education. Various applications of research and procedures including quantitative analyses, naturalistic inquiry, research design, and preparation of research proposals as they relate to the discipline of educational administration constitute the core topics of this course. The end product of this course will be Chapter 1 of the dissertation proposal. Prerequisite: Admission to the doctoral program. This course is to be taken in the final semester of course work before dissertation.

EDLD 662. Methods of Inquiry. 3 Hours.

As an in-depth study of the theoretical and methodological approaches to qualitative research, students will explore the sociological/anthropological roots of qualitative research and apply these methodologies in practical situations related to executive leadership in education. The research approaches studied in this course include: ethnography, phenomenology, case studies, grounded theory, naturalistic inquiry, and thematic synthesis. Technologies that assist qualitative researchers in their investigations are utilized throughout this course. The development of doctoral research proposals, using qualitative research methods, is emphasized through this course. Prerequisite: Admission to the doctoral program.

EDLD 663. Statistical Methods in Educational Leadership. 3 Hours.

The course is designed to provide the student with the knowledge and skills needed to read, analyze, and synthesize educational research to give the student necessary fundamentals to develop and conduct doctoral level research. As an in-depth study of the theoretical and methodological approaches to quantitative research, students explore foundations of quantitative research and apply these methodologies in practical situations related to executive leadership in education. The research processes studied in this course include: univariate statistics, including the use of Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) with exercises related to various descriptive and inferential statistical techniques, and survey and action research analysis and design. The development of doctoral research proposals, using quantitative research methods, is emphasized throughout this course. Prerequisite: Admission to the doctoral program.

EDLD 670. Critical Conversations and Team Building. 3 Hours.

Building collaborative teams that are cohesive with accountability and purpose requires specific skills and training that is crucial for successful education leaders in a variety of settings. This course will focus on the critical communication skills necessary to manage personnel effectively, having critical conversations and best practices in team building. This course provides the opportunity for students to develop these skills and apply them in varied settings.

EDLD 689. Individual Study. 3 Hours.

This course is designed for individual instruction. It may be repeated when topics vary.

EDLD 690. Leadership of the Education Community. 3 Hours.

This course is designed to provide prospective public school superintendents/CEOs and other executive leaders with the knowledge and skills incorporated in Domain I of the test framework for Texas Superintendent Standards - Leadership of the Educational Community. The competencies included with Domain I address: (1) acting with integrity, fairness, and in an ethical manner; (2) the development, articulation, implementation, and stewardship of a vision of learning; (3) communication and collaboration with families and community members, including mobilizing community resources; and (4) responding to the political, social, economic, legal, and cultural context, including working with governance boards. The application of sound leadership principles developed in the business sector will be translated into effective strategies for the leadership of large governmental agencies. Prerequisite: Acceptance into the Educator Preparation Program or instructor permission.

EDLD 691. Superintendent Leadership in Public Schools. 3 Hours.

Translating all Texas standards for superintendent certification into action is the focus of this experiential-based course. The course of study encompasses the culmination of the analysis, synthesis, and application of the skills and knowledge needed to begin a career as a Texas public school superintendent, assistant superintendent, or district administrator. The content of the course is designed into broad categories organized by the State Board of Educator Certification (SBEC) proficiencies for the Texas Superintendent’s Certificate into three domains: leadership of the educational community, instructional leadership, and administrative leadership. Within the three domains, all eight of the educator standards for the superintendency are organized and further defined by competencies required to demonstrate the knowledge and skills necessary to be a successful entry-level superintendent or district administrator. Participating in leadership projects, activities, discussions, interviews, and shadowing experiences provide a context for students to garner the knowledge and skills necessary for successful executives. Learning sites include private businesses, local or state government and/or management, Texas public schools, Texas public school support institutions, non-profit organizations, and/or others as determined appropriate on an individual basis. In order to experience the whole year’s cycle of skills and knowledge required of superintendents, the assignments and experiences are woven throughout all four courses in the Superintendent Certification Program. Students document their learning with an electronic portfolio and mastery of the Comprehensive Examination.

EDLD 693. Dissertation Research. 1-6 Hours.

A candidate must present a dissertation acceptable to the student's advisory committee and the Dean for Graduate Studies and Research on a problem in the area of specialization. To be acceptable, the dissertation must give evidence that the candidate has pursued a program of research, the results of which reveal superior academic competence and a significant contribution to knowledge. The focus of this course is to complete the final chapter of the dissertation and defend the dissertation. This course may be repeated until successful defense of the dissertation. Prerequisite: Instructor Approval and admission to candidacy.

EDLD 694. Instructional Leadership. 3 Hours.

Leadership at the chief executive officer (CEO) level is the theme of this standards-based course. The application of strategic planning skills to enhance teaching and learning; to ensure alignment among curriculum, curriculum resources, and assessment; and to support the collection and use of multiple measures of success are promulgated through the requirements of this course. Emphasis is placed on skills designed to advocate, nurture, and sustain an instructional program and a culture that supports student learning and staff professional growth. Staff evaluation, improving staff performance, and effective models of supervision are emphasized. Prerequisite: Principal certification or Program Director's approval.

EDLD 697. Special Topics in EDLD. 1-6 Hours.

Instructors will provide an organized class designed to cover areas of specific interest. Students may repeat the course when topics vary.

EDLD 698. Administrative Leadership. 3 Hours.

Public school finance at the superintendent level and the general operation of the business office and other peripheral support functions of a public school will be studied. Related topics include student food services, transportation, facility management, maintenance and construction, development and marketing of bond elections, human resource management, district level budget development and management, data managment/analysis, and safe schools. Technology based infrastructure that supports student, personnel, and financing management will also be evaluated. The application of organizational, decision-making and problem-solving skills to facilitate position in varied contexts. Prerequisite: Principal certification or Program Director's approval.

EDLD 699. District Leadership Practicum Experience. 3 Hours.

The course provides students with an opportunity to extend the time needed to complete the superintendent certification practicum requirements. Students may enroll in this course multiple semesters until the TEA practicum requirements are met.