EdS - Education Specialist - District Level Leadership Major (Non-licensure)
The Education Specialist (Ed.S.) with a Major in District Level Leadership is a post-graduate degree program. 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.
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.
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 in which a superintendent or school administrator is willing to serve as a mentor for the internship phase of the program.
- Submission of a completed internship agreement form with an appropriate administrator will be required prior to the beginning of the program.
- Hold a current teaching license.
- 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 or highest administrator in the school 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 to remunerate the services of a mentor.
All candidates must secure an Internship Mentor at the school district in which they are currently leading or teaching. The mentor administrator must be a current head of school and be able to attend scheduled video conferences with the internship professor. The Internship Mentor will work with the candidate throughout the course of the Internship.
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.
- Payment of all tuition and fees is required to receive a diploma.
EdS - Education Specialist - District Level Leadership Major (Non-Licensure) - 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 |
