Education Specialist Degree

The Education Specialist degree is designed for individuals preparing for leadership roles at the district levels of the education system. Completion of the program includes eligibility for the highest level of administrative certification with an endorsement for the superintendency as well as an Education Specialist (Ed.S.) degree. This program of study, learning activities, and demonstrations will result in the capacity to provide leadership in school districts. The Ed.S. program includes knowledge, skills, and dispositions needed in the operation and leading of schools at the district level.

The Ed.S. program is a natural extension of the Master’s level Educational Leadership program that prepares professionals for building-level leadership. The features of the EDL program that will be continued in the Ed.S. program include 1) a cadre approach, 2) demonstration of capacity to apply knowledge, skills, and dispositions as leaders, 3) learning through reflective practice, and 4) documentation of leadership capacity through a professional writing and demonstrations.

Participants will begin the program at the same time and remain as a cadre for the three years of the program (33 credit hours). Classes typically meet in person one Sunday per month during the academic year and one weekend per month during the summer.

Leadership Demonstration Expectations

Ed.S. graduates will be expected to demonstrate the following:

The capacity for leadership at the district level that aligns leadership at the school and program-levels to the mission, vision, and values of the district. In addition, the leaders will demonstrate capacity for building strategic plans that include goals, priorities, and implementation plans at both the system and school-program levels designed to achieve the district vision.
The capacity for leading continuous improvement planning at the district and school-program levels using data to inform decision-making and the evaluation of program effectiveness.
The capacity to apply the knowledge and skills of organizational development and systems approaches to the complex operations of the district and schools that support the core work of classrooms and the core activities of teaching and learning.
The capacity for engagement of the school-community in addressing current issues, problems, and trends in the development of policy.

Program Outcomes

The Education Specialist program of leadership development is designed around five major themes:

Strategic Leadership
Curriculum Leadership
Organizational Leadership
School-Community Leadership
Policy and Political Leadership

Strategic Leadership

The strategic leader:

Has a clear and working philosophy of leading and leadership that reflects the many dimensions to which leadership is connected.
Demonstrates the ability to build vision by engaging stakeholders in defining vision, mission, and core values for the system.
Demonstrates the ability to align programs and practices to the organization’s mission, vision, values, and priority goals.
Demonstrates the ability to act ethically, making decisions based on data and the engagement of stakeholders.
Continuously works to evaluate programs and practices for their contribution to the mission, vision, values, and priorities of the organization/system.
Aarticulates and consistently demonstrates a philosophy of organizational work/leading that honors diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Designs/adapts, and utilizes leadership processes to achieve common goals.
Values ethical action in the organization/community.
Uses data to make informed decisions that support thoughtful innovation, problem-solving, and decision-making
provides ongoing assessment of resources, programs, plans, processes, and products.
Addresses competing priorities and values.

Curriculum Leadership:

The curriculum leader:

Demonstrates understanding of the practices of curriculum design, instructional planning, and assessment as they relate to continuous improvement of teaching and learning and how they each fit into a systems approach to teaching and learning.
Demonstrates the capacity to develop professional learning communities within the organization and the capacity to infuse data and information into the collaborative process of developing better practices in teaching and learning.
Demonstrates the ability to provide for the assessment of student learning in ways that promote student self-assessment, provide information needed by teachers to adjust instruction, and frame the information needed for public reporting of student learning.
Demonstrates the ability to engage others collaboratively to create an inclusive community that honors diversity and cultural competence.
Demonstrates leadership in the design and implementation of processes for the development, revision, and renewal of system-wide planning for continuous improvement including planning.
Creates a system of supervision and evaluation reflecting the priority of improving learning as the core work of the system.
Creates collaborative plans and strategies to address the capacity-building and professional development needs of the organization/system.
Ensures that diversity is honored in gender, ethnicity, culture, socio-economic status, language, and exceptionalities that impact learning through the organization, direction, and facilitation of planning and implementing appropriate curriculum, instruction, and assessment.
Ensures that the system has a plan and process in place to assess progress including the capacity to use data for making decisions, planning, and implementation of efforts at continuous improvement, and for public reporting of critical learning outcomes.

Organizational Leadership:

The organizational leader:

Understands the organization as a system and demonstrates leadership at the system level.
Understands the importance of aligning the work of the organization at all levels to be supportive of the core of the organization (i.e., the classroom and school/department/unit), the core “actors” of the organization (i.e., the teachers and students), and the core work of the organization (i.e., teaching and learning).
Provides for the alignment of resources to support the mission, vision, and values of the organization, the core workers (teachers and students, and the work of the classrooms (teaching and learning).
Provides leadership to the design, planning, implementation, and evaluation of policies and practices that provide for the safety, health, and welfare of those engaged in the work of the educational community.
Demonstrates the ability to ensure that student activity programs are planned with alignment to the mission, vision, and goals of the organization and that they provide opportunities for all students to participate in learning activities designed to teach participation, democratic principles, cooperation, collaboration, teamwork, respect for one another, and sportsmanship.
Demonstrates understanding of how to design, plan for, implement, and evaluate processes for the recruitment, selection, and induction of personnel with attention to equity and diversity.
Demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and dispositions of developing a budget for the district that aligns with the mission, vision, and values of the district and allocates fiscal and other resources to district/school goals and priorities.
Demonstrates the capacity to create plans and processes for maximizing organization/systems investment in non-fiscal resources such as buildings and grounds, transportation systems, food service programs other non-instructional programs and services effectively using such enterprise budget strategies as depreciation funds, building funds, special funds, adjunct funds, and other such enterprise budgetary funding categories.
Demonstrates an understanding of the tools and processes for maximizing fiscal resources through establishing foundations, partnerships, and grants.
Demonstrates the ability to design, plan, implement, and evaluate systems of performance appraisal for all staff.

School-Community Leadership:

The school-community leader:

Understands the role of the organization in developing the relationships required to provide support for success in learning and in achieving the educational goals held for all students.
Understands the role of the organization/systems community in supporting students and families, and understands the strategies for identifying and accessing the resources needed by children, their families, and the educational system.
Understands the challenges of diversity, and the need for cultural competency in policy, programs, and practices.
Understands the depth and breadth of the principle of equity and the opportunity to learn.
Demonstrates understanding of the conditions affecting learning by collaborating and developing relationships with community agencies to integrate educational support services for families.
Demonstrates leadership for the organization in promoting issues relating to diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Demonstrates leadership to ensure policies and practices to meet the challenges of diversity in providing all students equitable opportunities to learn and ensure the equitable distribution of learning outcomes.
Demonstrates a leadership role in forming collaborative relationships and building support for all personnel.
Demonstrates leadership in the development, implementation, and evaluation of communication plans that are designed to enhance two-way communication and to be competent in addressing diverse needs and challenges including language.
Demonstrates leadership that models sensitivity, respect, and empathy for multiple perspectives.

Policy and Political Leadership:

The policy leader:

Understands the intricate relationship of policy at all levels local, state, and federal.
Understands the critical difference between advocacy for a cause or on behalf of groups such as students and lobbying for a specific position or for the specific benefit/welfare of a secondary group.
Leads the system’s personnel in policies and practices that reflect consistency with legal provisions and statutory requirements.
Leads the decision-making of the organization/system based on the moral and ethical implications of policy options and political strategies.
Leads personnel in applying the legal guidelines and prescriptions of state and federal law, and statutory and case law.
Leads the development of positive, collaborative working relationships with the governing boards of the organization/system.
Uses the principle of practice supported by evidence/research to determine advocacy for various policy strategies and positions.
Engages in the state and federal policy formulation appropriate to the role and needs of the organization/system of their employment.
Develops connections and collaborations with key policy and political leadership within the organization and with those policy leaders that impact the work of the district from the state and federal levels.
Works collaboratively with the policy and program level representatives from the regional, state, and federal agencies.
Provides leadership to the governing board in the selection and participation in activities designed to develop board member knowledge and skills of policy leadership.
Provides leadership to the governing board in the development of policy at the local level and in the influence of policy at the state and federal levels.

Categories of Graduate Students

The Education Specialist program recognizes only degree-seeking students pursuing the Education Specialist degree.

Admission Requirements

All candidates must have completed an approved Master’s degree program. Endorsement as a superintendent in Nebraska is typically available for only those candidates who already hold a building-level principal endorsement. Candidates with Master’s degrees in areas other than educational leadership should consult with the program director prior to application. Candidates must complete a disclosure statement of criminal history and any history of violations of the Code of Ethics of the Professional Practices Commission.

The application process is a three-step process:

The candidate completes the Application for Admission to Graduate Studies in Education form at www.doane.edu.
The admission process requires submission of the following:

a copy of the candidate’s current teaching certificate when applicable,
a resume or vita that includes all professional teaching and administrative experiences or leadership positions,
a written statement by the candidate of the reasons for interest in the Ed.S. degree program including professional goals for leadership and the candidate’s philosophy of education and leadership (250 - 500 words),
an official transcript showing the candidate’s undergraduate degree mailed directly from the institution to Graduate Studies in Education, Doane University, 303 N 52nd Street, Lincoln, NE 68504,
official transcripts of all graduate hours completed and graduate degrees received mailed directly from the graduate institutions to Graduate Studies in Education, Doane University, 303 N. 52nd Street, Lincoln, NE 68504, and
three letters of recommendation.

Candidates will participate in an interview with the program director prior to program acceptance.

Full Graduate Standing

Full Graduate Standing will be granted to students upon the successful completion of 9 hours of the specified coursework with a 3.00 or higher cumulative grade point average. A student receiving any grade below a B for any graduate course will have his/her file reviewed even though the student’s cumulative GPA may be 3.00 or higher.

Decisions are communicated to the student in writing as soon as practical after the student completes the first nine hours of the program.

Transfer Credit

Credit hours are not typically accepted as transfer credit for the Education Specialist degree.

Time Limitations

In the Education Specialist Program, a student is expected to complete the degree with their cadre or within a maximum of five years of beginning graduate study at Doane University. If a student withdraws from the cadre experience, it may be necessary to wait one year and resume classes with the next cadre. If the time away from the program extends beyond one year and the course material is deemed no longer relevant, the student must then retake appropriate graduate courses as part of the program of study.

Programs

Education Specialist, Ed.S.