Teacher Leadership, Ed.D.

Contact: Dr. Harriet Bessette
Office: KH 3121
Phone: (770) 423-6893
Fax: (770) 423-6263
Email: hbessett@kennesaw.edu
Web address: http://www.kennesaw.edu/education/grad/edd

The Doctor of Education in Teacher Leadership for Learning and the Educational Specialist in Leadership for Learning are designed for experienced educators. The programs are delivered in cohorts offered through a combination of on-campus, on-site, and on-line learning experiences specifically designed to maximize collaboration with professional colleagues and peers. Instruction involves the use of a variety of instructional methods including, but not limited to, problem-based learning, modules, case-studies, research and individual projects. Application of learning to school-based issues and problems is a critical component of these applied programs. Candidates in the programs are required to be employed as teachers or administrators in a school district.

Program Admission Requirements for the Ed.D.

Applicants accepted into the program are expected to formally confirm their intent to enroll with the entering cohort in January in order to reserve their place in the program.

Expected qualifications for applicants to be considered for admission will typically include:

1. an earned master’s degree in professional education or a related field;
2. a clear and renewable Georgia Teaching Certificate or departmentally-approved equivalent;
3. at least three years of professional teaching or administrative experience or both in P-12 education (current full-time employment as a professional educator is preferred);
4. a competitive Graduate Record Exam (GRE) score and Graduate GPA. The GPA and GRE will be utilized with other admission criteria to determine program eligibility. Although no minimum scores are required, candidates are encouraged to prepare and score well since admission to the program is competitive. Please note: The Analytical/Writing score one receives as part of the GRE exam is used competitively in the admission review process. It is strongly encouraged for applicants to do well on this portion of the exam.

 Applicants to the program must submit the following:

1. Complete the On-line Graduate Application.
2. Obtain and submit official transcripts from EACH college attended, including those institutions where degrees were NOT earned. Official transcripts are those in a university sealed envelope. Your transcripts should reflect at least a Master’s degree with at least a 3.0 GPA (on a 4.0 scale).
3. Obtain and submit a copy of your Georgia Teaching Certificate or a departmentally-approved equivalent.
4. Complete and submit a Professional Resume documenting education, teaching experience, volunteer and service accomplishments, and record of leadership activities. Your resume MUST reflect, at least, three year of teaching experience.
5. Complete and submit a Professional Reflections Statement.
6. Submit a copy of your official GRE scores from the Educational Testing Services.
7. Submit a copy of the Transfer Credit Request Form if applicable.
8. International Applicants Only: Please contact 770-499-3002 for all international admission requirements related to your citizenship or visa status OR link to the Graduate International Admissions page: http://www.kennesaw.edu/graduate/admissions/international_admissions.shtml

Transfer Credit

If accepted to the programs, up to 15 post-master’s graduate semester hours of comparable transfer credit for the Ed.D. and nine post-master’s graduate semester hours for the Ed.S. may be accepted toward completion of the requirements. Transfer credit will not be accepted for the core course requirements that are central to the program’s distinctive focus and development of its cohort experience. Consequently, transfer credit considerations are typically restricted to courses in the concentration, guided electives, and the initial course in applied research methods. Decisions about the acceptability of transfer credit will be made on a case-by-case basis and must be approved by the concentration advisor and director of the doctoral program.

Admission Process

The admissions process for the doctoral degree consists of multiple levels of review and is a highly competitive process.

The final evaluation of applicant files is conducted by the Bagwell College of Education’s Doctoral Admissions Committee. That committee, composed of doctoral program faculty representatives, employs rubrics to systematically evaluate the merits of each applicant’s admission file. The Committee’s recommendation for admission into the Ed.D. program is based upon the Committee’s collective professional judgment of the overall merits of the applicant’s case in the context of the quality of the applicant pool and the availability of openings for doctoral student supervision with the faculty in each of the program’s areas of  concentration. Consequently, the more qualified applicants there are for a limited number of new student openings, the more competitive the selection process becomes.

A critical aspect of the final level of review is the applicant’s interview with concentration faculty. The final pool of qualified applicants for admission is identified in each concentration. These applicants are notified and an individual interview with concentration faculty is scheduled. The interview is structured with a predetermined set of questions to which the applicant responds. International applicants may meet the interview requirement through videoconference or teleconference. The interview is not waived for international applicants.

The determination of the merits of each applicant’s case is focused on a number of key variables. These variables provide evidence of a candidate’s potential to successfully complete a specialized academic program at the highest level of scholarly study, including an original research study that makes a major contribution to the field in the area of school improvement and increased student learning. Those factors include: related undergraduate and graduate degrees (master’s required); academic performance and achievement; professional teaching and administrative certifications; professional employment in K-12 schools; verbal and writing skills; quantitative and problem solving skills; evidence of teaching effectiveness, evidence of educational leadership; compatible educational philosophies and professional ethics; and other related contributions and achievements of note.

Program of Study

Teacher Leadership (GaPSC Rule 505-3-.53) prepares teachers for “providing professional development, building a school culture of continuous improvement and becoming change agents while maintaining the role of classroom teacher” (GaPSC Guidance for Educators, May 9, 2012). Graduates of this performance-based program will be teacher leaders who plan and lead professional development; who mentor and coach other teachers; who align curriculum, instruction, and assessment; who model best teaching practices; who analyze data and improve learning through data-informed decision-making; who apply research-based approaches to instructional challenges; and who collaborate with all stakeholders to improve student learning.

The Ed.D. in Teacher Leadership program includes a minimum of 45 hours of study in four areas and a six-month residency. In the residency, the teacher leader candidate works with the Candidate Support Team to develop an Individual Growth Plan (IGP) and a Residency Project Proposal, then seeks out opportunities at multiple settings to develop and demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and dispositions of effective teacher leaders. Candidates present their Residency Project and Capstone Portfolio as evidence of their accomplishment in the areas specified by the Teacher Leadership standards.

The four areas of study include:

• Certification in Teacher Leadership (24)
• Advanced Teacher Leadership (6)
• Research (6)
• Dissertation (9)