Doctor of Education in Instructional Leadership
Program Responsiveness to Student and Community Needs
The School of Professional Studies, housing the Education and Educational Psychology Department, has representation at the meetings of the Western Connecticut Superintendent’s Association (WCSA). This connection has meant that these administrators receive a regular report about the EdD Program’s activities and the WCSA members have been asked to provide WestConn with feedback concerning the needs of the instructional leaders in their schools. For example, in a general list of suggestions made prior to the beginning of the program, the WCSA commented that this doctoral degree presented an opportunity to create a new vision of professionalism in education with an emphasis on instruction, a strong inquiry base among educators, and a focus on the multiple roles of leaders at the building and district levels. These considerations were fully taken into account in the development of the curriculum for this degree program and continue to drive program revisions.
In addition, a direct request was made by the WCSA membership to the EdD Program administrators to add the certification for Intermediate Administration and Supervision (Endorsement #092) to WestConn’s EdD Program. This certification was described by the superintendents as being a vital addition to the EdD Program. They stated that the role of instructional leader in many schools includes positions such as department chair, which requires the 092 certification. As our students have progressed through WestConn’s EdD in Instructional Leadership Program they reported being called upon as experts in instruction, curriculum, assessment, professional development, counseling, and research in their schools. These students in the EdD program also made a statement that they supported the 092 Certificate as an important addition to their program. As a result of these recommendations, WestConn chose to pursue the 092 certification for its doctoral students, which was subsequently approved by the Connecticut State Department of Education and the Connecticut Board of Governors for Higher Education in September 2007.
