School of Education E-newsletter

by: Dr. Kathy Brown, Coordinator

In addition to actively participating in the NCATE and State reviews of the School of Education's assessment system, the Division of Educational Leadership is engaged in two significant partnerships focused on developing principals and other educational leaders for the Lowcountry.

The first of these is a partnership with the Charleston County School District (CCSD) for preparing the future leaders for the district. Grounded in the recognition that the demand for future administrators continues to grow, a cohort of aspiring principals is enrolled in The Citadel's masters program in educational leadership.

Through a process that required CCSD teachers and other school personnel to meet both the district's selection process and the admission criteria for The Citadel's School of Education, a cohort of twenty teachers, coaches, and curriculum specialists began their journey toward a Master of Education in Educational Leadership and principalship certification this semester (Fall 2007). Participants are expected to enroll in multiple courses each semester and to complete the program and qualify for certification in the summer of 2009.

Also beginning this semester (Fall 2007) is the University of South Carolina's Ph.D. in educational administration offered at the Lowcountry Graduate Center. There are currently 24 students enrolled in this cohort and many of these candidates earned their educational specialist degree in school administration from The Citadel. This cohort program is structured so that candidates complete two courses per semester with each class lasting eight weeks.

Members of the cohort describe the experience as "very tough and demanding." Reports one candidate, "The instructor expects us to know past and present educational theorists as well as their contributions to the field."

Members of the cohort indicate that these initial courses are assisting them in focusing their research agenda. The program focuses on developing the candidates' ability to critically read and analyze current research and on assessing the relevance of such research to current issues and legislative mandates.

While the work is challenging, the opportunity to complete a doctoral program at home in approximately two years makes the challenge both exciting and worthwhile.

In addition to our involvement in these collaborative enterprises, faculty and students in the Division of Educational Leadership are also engaged in attending and presenting at professional meetings. For example, Dr. Kathy L. Brown, associate professor in the School of Education's Division of Educational Leadership and Mr. Michael Griggs, Assistant Principal at Meminger Elementary School, presented their research on School Culture and Change at the 46th Kappa Delta Pi Biennial Convocation in Louisville, KY (October 31-November 4, 2007). As a former teacher in a high poverty school, Mr. Griggs is interested in student achievement in high poverty schools. Through his coursework in educational leadership at The Citadel, Mr. Griggs transformed his interest in this topic into a viable research agenda.

In addition to their presentation, Mr. Griggs and Dr. Brown participated in numerous sessions at the Convocation. Among these were Dr. Andy Hargreaves' Sustainable Leadership address, presentations by such distinguished scholars as Kieran Egan and Barbara Day, and a motivational speech by Andrea Peterson, the 2007 National Teacher of the Year.