GSE Educational Leadership, Administration and Policy (Ed.D.)

Two ELAP doctoral students share in the videos below why they chose to study at Fordham:

Watch Rosalyn Barnes. 

Watch Amy Kaiser.

• committed to social justice models and are champions of the highest educational standards for all children, and of essential moral and ethical values;
• scholar-practitioners and effective users of research and improvement science to support their leadership efforts and the success of those that they serve;
• problem solvers capable of addressing significant educational challenges and pursuing opportunities to improve schools and student learning;
• solution designers who can respond effectively to changes in the people and communities their schools serve by developing innovative solutions;
• change agents who engage with and support the transformation of schools, districts, and communities on behalf of student learning;
• policy advocates capable of understanding, responding to, and influencing policy to better serve all children.

Applicants must meet the general requirements for admission to doctoral study in the Graduate School of Education and these program-specific requirements: 

• Possess a master’s degree from an accredited college or university, with coursework in leadership
• Complete three years of appropriate leadership experience in a PreK-12 education setting (e.g., assistant principal, school administrator, district leader, superintendent, teacher leader, student support director, or department chair) 
• Show evidence of leadership potential, seriousness of purpose and effective communication skills;
• Provide two references (including one current supervisor); 
• Submit Graduate Record Exam (GRE) or the Miller Analogies Test (MAT) test scores (optional); 
• Complete the online application.

Early Application Deadline: February 28
Final Application Deadline: May 9

Please contact the Admissions Office with questions at [email protected].

If the admissions committee determines that a deficiency exists in one or more areas of prior graduate study or in the applicant’s background, the committee will specify prerequisites that must be fulfilled by the student for admission to the doctoral program. Prerequisites must be completed prior to permanent matriculation.

Courses are three-credits unless otherwise noted. Browse course schedules and descriptions and review a list of courses. 

During the first two years of the program, students must complete four Laboratories of Practice (LoP), which are practicum experiences that are to be incorporated into four core content courses, one from each domain. Each LoP provides an opportunity for candidates to apply their understanding of research and theory to understand and address authentic problems of practice in the field. These four LoPs are as follows:

1. Practicum in Professional Learning
   Candidates complete an inquiry project on professional learning that includes data collection about a school or district professional learning need, analysis of key research and literature on professional learning, proposing strategies for promoting professional learning in their school or district context, and soliciting feedback from key stakeholders in their context.
    
2. Practicum in Policies for Improvement
   Candidates complete an inquiry project on the role of policy in school improvement by collecting data on a policy need or gap, analyzing the gap from key research and literature on policy and advocacy, developing a policy brief or advocacy strategy, soliciting feedback from key stakeholders on the feasibility and use of their proposed strategy.
    
3. Practicum in Transforming Schools, Districts and Communities
   Candidates complete an inquiry project on engaging and transforming schools, districts or communities by collecting data on a student need or gap, analyzing the gap from key research and literature how to engage families and communities to address this need, developing a plan and set of strategies, soliciting feedback from stakeholders on the feasibility and use of their proposed plan.
    
4. Practicum in Leadership and Organizational Learning and Change
   Candidates complete an inquiry project on leadership and organizational change to support school improvement that includes data collection about a school or district school improvement need and priority, analysis of key research and literature on leadership and organizational change for school improvement effectiveness, proposing strategies for promoting organizational change in their school or district context, and soliciting feedback from key stakeholders in their context.

As a culminating experience, students will complete an inquiry-grounded, solutions-oriented Dissertation of Practice. Following the principles improvement science, students will be prepared to  address relevant problems of practice in their school or district setting. In doing so, candidates will make a significant contribution to practice through their work and learn an inquiry-grounded and solutions-oriented approach to improvement that can guide their work as leaders in the future. 

Throughout the program’s Year 3, students will complete four courses, during which they will design and complete a dissertation of practice that addresses a problem of practice using improvement science and relevant applied research methods.