Educational Specialist in Educational Leadership

The Educational Specialist Degree program is based on the "value-added" concept of preparation of school leaders for district level leadership positions such as Superintendent and Assistant Superintendent.

Degree Admission
Applicants for admission to the Educational Specialist Degree program must complete and submit an application form and must arrange for complete and official transcripts off all undergraduate course work to be sent directly to the Arkansas Tech University Graduate Studies' Office. Applicants must also:

Hold a Master's degree or equivalent in Educational Leadership.

Hold a Standard Teaching License.

Hold an Administrative License.

Pass a written assessment or portfolio update to be administered and/or reviewed by Educational Leadership Faculty.

Unconditional Admission
Students are eligible to apply for unconditional admission to the Educational Specialist Degree Program if they meet the requirements listed above.

Conditional Admission
Applicants who fail to meet the grade point criteria specified for unconditional admission may be admitted to earn a maximum of twelve semester hours. To remove this condition, the student must earn a "B" average on the first twelve hours of graduate work attempted at Arkansas Tech University. Applicants who have satisfactory academic records at unaccredited colleges are also eligible for admission under these conditions, although in some instances transcript might be declared deficient. In such cases the applicants would be assessed a maximum of thirty hours to be completed before being admitted to graduate study.

Academic Advisors
The Director of the CLL program will assign a faculty advisor to
each student admitted to the degree program. The advisor will assist the student in the program of study that leads to the fulfillment of degree requirements. Subsequently the academic advisor, the Department Graduate Committee, and the Office of Graduate Studies monitor the student's progress as they progress through the program. It remains, however, the student's responsibility to understand and to satisfy all degree requirements.

Admission to Candidacy
Students who have been granted conditional admission are eligible for admission to candidacy for the degree upon the completion of twelve hours with a 3.00 grade point average and completion of all deficiencies. Students who have been granted unconditional admission are eligible for admission to candidacy upon completion of twelve hours with a 3.00 grade point average. Students who do not submit an "Application for Admission to Candidacy" prior to the end of the semester in which the student becomes eligible will not be allowed to register for subsequent graduate classes.

Program Requirements
Candidates for the Educational Specialist Degree program must complete a minimum of 30 semester hours (all at the 7000 level), including the completion of the following courses:

EDLD 7003 Seminar in Systems' Issues
EDLD 7013 Superintendency and Central Office
EDLD 7022 Building a leadership Community
EDLD 7033 School Personnel and Business Management
EDLD 7101 Administration Internship in Educational Facilities
EDLD 7112 Advanced Legal Issues
EDLD 7132 School Finance for District Level Administration
EDLD 7143 School Accountability Systems
EDLD 7201 Administrative Internship in District Level Finance
EDLD 7202 Administrative Internship in School Accountability Systems
EDLD 7203 School Board Relations

Portfolio
A candidate for an Educational Specialist in Education Leadership must complete a portfolio as part of the program of Study for the degree of Educational Specialist. This portfolio is an edited, integrated collection of an Educational Leadership candidate's evidence that competencies reflective of the Arkansas standard and the Interstate School Leaders Standards have been acquired. It is not merely a file of course projects nor is it a scrapbook of professional memorabilia. It is a collection of a student's best work as an educational leadership candidate and demonstrate the student's expertise relative to the principles and standards for a district administrator. The portfolio is a collection of documents providing tangible evidence of the wide range of knowledge, dispositions, and skills possessed as a professional. The candidate's porfolio is a work in progress and should be updated regularly throughout one's program of study. It should provide evidence of the value-added concept from a Master Degree Portfolio.

Special Conditions of Graduate Credit

Graduate Credit Taken Prior to Admission to Arkansas Tech University
A maximum of nine semester hours of graduate credit with a grade point average of "B" or better may be transferred from an accredited graduate school if deemed appropriate to the graduate program by the head of the student's major department and the Dean of Graduate Studies. Students must send a written request to the head of their major department to petition an acceptance of the transfer credit prior to requesting admission to candidacy to the graduate program. Graduate credit earned six years prior to the completion date of all degree requirements may not be applied toward the degree without the approval of the appropriate department head and the Dean of Graduate Studies. Credits earned by correspondence courses or for remedial purposes will not apply toward the graduate degree. No undergraduate course may be repeated for graduate credit.

Graduate Credit Taken After Admission to Arkansas Tech University
If after admission to graduate study at Arkansas Tech, a student wishes to take a course at another institution to count toward degree requirements at Arkansas Tech, the student must (in advance of enrollment) obtain written approval from the head of the student's major department and the Dean of Graduate Studies.

Course Descriptions

EDLD 7003 Seminar in Systems Issues.
This course focuses on system issues and the resulting development of coherent educational policy for public elementary and secondary schools that unifies purpose. This focus is primarily at the state level, where formal responsibility lies, but it concerns federal and district policy as well as school practice.

EDLD 7013 The Superintendency and Central Office.
The scope and function of the central office will be the focus of this course. Theory and practice from the central office/superintendent's perspective of such areas as superintendent-board relations, public relations, strategic planning, professional negotiation, special programs administration, leadership style, and school climate.

EDLD 7022 Building a Leadership Community.
School leaders must have the knowledge, competence, and belief system to positively shape a school's culture. This requires a thorough understanding of purposeful, systematic change and skills in positive interpersonal relationships, collaboration, verbal and non-verbal communication, conflict resolution, leadership teams and organizational management.

EDLD 7033 School Personnel and Business Management.
Principles, processes and procedures of school personnel management and business management are probed. Issues and topics investigated include supervision, evaluation, recruitment, staff development, salary and contractual obligations, attendance accounting, APSCN procedures, financial accounting, and property accounting.

EDLD 7101 Administrative Internship in Educational Facilities.
This is a field study experience providing the student with an opportunity to synthesize and apply knowledge, and develop and practice administrative skills as they relate to educational facilities and transportation services. It applies reflective practice under the direction of a practitioner mentor and a university advisor and utilizes existing sites, new sites, and planning sessions.

EDLD 7112 Advanced Legal Issues.
This course focuses on the United States Constitution and its effects on due process requirements for public schools. Issues include the relationship of constitutional, statutory and case law to public school districts particularly in these areas of current concern - students' rights and responsibilities, teachers' rights and responsibilities, procedural and substantive due process, and liability.

EDLD 7113 Seminar in Current Issues.
The course will investigate contemporary issues and trends related to educational leadership and examine problems and solutions that are of current concern for school organizations. These issues include school finance alternatives, serving a diverse constituency, meeting individual and group needs, accountability issues, instructional issues including the integration of technology, evaluation of instructional issues including the integration of technology, evaluation of programs and personnel, and changing policies at the state and national level.

EDLD 7122 Educational Facilities.
This is a study of school facilities' and transportation planning and concepts, management and practices. Topics include how to use and maintain present school plants, keeping the board and community informed as to building needs, selecting architects, financing construction, safety and security issues, and developing educational specifications.

EDLD 7132 School Finance for District Level Administration
Economics and school finance: Basic concepts include local, state and federal support of education, the Arkansas State Financial System (APSCN), budgeting and projecting, financing capital items, centralization vs. site-based concepts, fiscal management, auditing, and communication finance to the board and community.

EDLD 7143 School Accountability Systems.
This course probes the essential elements of a monitoring system designed to help schools and districts acquire the information they need to better realize their intentions for improvement, accountability, and school restructuring.

EDLD 7201 Administrative Internship-Finance.
A field study experience providing the student with an opportunity to synthesize and apply knowledge, and to develop and practice administrative skills as they relate to the principles of district level school finance. It applies reflective practice under the direction of a practitioner mentor and a university advisor and focuses on existing state and district level financial practices, resources, and responsibilities.

EDLD 7202 Administrative Internship in School Accountability Systems
A field study experience providing the student with an opportunity to synthesize and apply knowledge, and develop and practice administrative skills as they relate to school accountability systems. It applies reflective practice under the direction of a practitioner mentor and a university advisor and focuses on a monitoring system model.