EdS - Education Specialist - District Level Leadership Major

The Education Specialist (Ed.S.) with a Major in District Level Leadership is a post-graduate degree and licensure program leading to Indiana’s P-12 District Level Administrator license. The program identifies outcomes and expectations based on current school leadership principles and practices and enables candidates to engage in analysis, problem-based learning, collaboration, and standards-based assessment from a district-level P-12 perspective. The program is aligned to Indiana’s Rules for Educator Preparation and Accountability 3 (REPA 3) for district administrators and also aligned to the National Educational Leadership Preparation (NELP) District-level standards. Candidates will develop and demonstrate proficiency through performance on key assessments throughout the program that include field experiences. The curriculum and district administrator internship reflect a standards-based emphasis and will prepare candidates to pass Indiana’s district-level leadership licensure exam.

This post-graduate degree program meets the academic requirements for recommendation for District Level Administrator (superintendent) licensure in Indiana. Indiana candidates must complete other requirements of the Indiana Department of Education before a superintendent's license will be issued.

Candidates who have completed this program should be able to:

Demonstrate competence in the following School of Educational Leadership dispositional domains: Communication, Critical Thinking, Human Interaction, Character, Leadership, and Professionalism.
Demonstrate the collaborative methods used to create a shared district vision, mission, values, goals, and a culture of continuous improvement based on best instructional practices and processes.
Demonstrate the ability to collaborate with other education professionals and other district systems leaders to evaluate and then create a comprehensive and rigorous curricular program with an acute focus on student learning and academic success for all students.
Demonstrate the knowledge and capacity to collaborate with elected or appointed boards to monitor school operations, manage resources efficiently and provides a safe learning environment for all families in order to provide the needed resources and school governance that ensures the maximum success for all students.
Build diverse relationships that engage diverse families and all members of the community in the learning process based on established goals while leveraging all community stakeholder resources to promote the current and future success all students.
Apply Christ-like leadership by modeling personal integrity, fairness, accountability, cultural responsiveness, and ethical/legal decision-making, and expect the same from staff and students.
Use appropriate communication to promote the success of all students by advocating for the district and its stakeholders to the larger local, state, and national leaders so the leaders and local community adapt to and influence emerging trends in the larger political, social, economic, legal, and cultural context.
Analyze a district related topic and review the literature.
Exhibit the aptitude to cultivate professional norms in others by modeling legal and ethical decisions and integrity in the broader district culture.

Admission Requirements

To meet the admission requirements for this specialist degree program, candidates must:

Have completed a master's degree from a college or university that is accredited by an accrediting agency recognized by both the U.S. Department of Education (ED) and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA). The degree must be verified on official transcripts and sent directly to Indiana Wesleyan University.
Have a graduate GPA of 3.0 or higher in graduate-level courses from master’s degree-granting institution.
Be currently employed by or have access to a P-12 public or non-public school corporation in which a superintendent (or other central office administrator who holds a superintendent’s license) is willing to serve as a mentor for the internship phase of the program.
- Submission of a completed internship agreement form with an appropriate central office administrator signature will be required prior to the beginning of the program.
Hold a current, proficient practitioner teaching or administrator license issued by any state in the United States.
Submit experience verification letter(s) signed by an employer on letterhead stating position and at least three years of instructional experience.
Submit a signed FERPA Release Form.
Present at least three letters of recommendation; one must be from the current superintendent in the district or corporation in which the candidate is employed.

Clinical Experience Requirements

All Ed.S. candidates must complete a three-credit-hour Internship spanning six months in accordance with NELP Standard requirements. Candidates should anticipate paying an additional clinical experience fee during EDL-718.

All candidates must secure an Internship Mentor at the school district in which they are currently leading or teaching. The mentor administrator must have a superintendent's license and be able to attend scheduled video conferences with the university professor. The Internship Mentor will work with the candidate throughout the course of the Internship to provide real-world district-level leadership opportunities.

Graduation Requirements

To graduate the Ed.S. degree, candidates must:

Successfully complete all courses and a six month internship.
Maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.25 or above in all graduate work and a minimum grade of "B-" in each course.
Provide evidence of a passing score for the Indiana licensure exam for District-level Administration.
Payment of all tuition and fees is required to receive a diploma and be recommended for licensure.

EdS - Education Specialist - District Level Leadership Major - Program of Study

Core Courses

EDL-702	Curriculum Leadership Processes	3
EDL-703	District-level Assessment	3
EDL-704	Culturally Responsive Leadership	3
EDL-706	District Talent Management and Labor Law	3
EDL-708	District Facilities Management	3
EDL-710	District Budgets and Finance	3
EDL-712	Politics and Current Issues	3
EDL-714	Ethical Leadership and Change Theory	3
EDL-716	Research Methods, Topics and Review	3
EDL-718	Supervised Internship	3
Total Credit Hours:		30