The objectives of the course are based upon assisting students to enhance and expand their knowledge, skills, and conceptual awareness as related to current and future leadership roles. Course objectives underscore a belief in the value of informed “reflection on practice” both individually and collectively. Prerequisites: None.

This course explores concepts of leadership and leadership styles in the context of educational administration. Students examine the role of institutional leader, as well as factors that influence decision making, initiating change, psychological constraints, and techniques for establishing and maintaining a unique culture in the institutional setting. Prerequisites: None.

This course provides an overview of the legal and political framework of education in the nation. Emphasis is on current issues and how they affect the learning environment. Prerequisites: Completion of Qualifying Courses

This course studies theory, strategies and techniques of effective organizational behavior in educational/institutional settings. Intervention techniques will be studied to improve organization effectiveness. Prerequisites: Completion of Qualifying Courses

This course explores the economic theories of institutional finance. Emphasis on the management and evaluation of fiscal operations in an institutional setting. Prerequisites: None.

This course provides an analysis of the influences of curriculum and instruction from a philosophical, psychological and sociological perspective. Various approaches to the design and evaluation of curriculum and instruction will be examined. Prerequisites: Completion of Qualifying Courses

This course examines diversity in society and in schools. Emphasis is on understanding the similarities and differences in culture, economic backgrounds and academic diversity. It will prepare teachers for the wide diversity of students that they are certain to meet in their classrooms, schools, and communities. It provides an updated and broad treatment of the various forms of human diversity found in today’s schools including nationality, ethnicity, race, religion, gender, class, language, sexual orientation, and ability levels – highlighting the need for differentiation of instruction. Prerequisites: Completion of Qualifying Courses

This course emphasizes the types of research designs and the skills needed to develop and organize research studies in institutional settings. Prerequisites: Completion of all other Core Courses. This will be the last course prior to the Dissertation phase.

This course deals with systematic philosophies, with attention to individual philosophers who developed important philosophical and educational ideas and with a critique of each philosophy to present its strengths and weaknesses. We also review major social influences as they are applied to current movements in educational instruction, research and curriculum. Prerequisites: Completion of Qualifying Courses.

This core course studies psychological principles as related to learning. Learning theories, motivation and quantitative methods will be explored. Prerequisites: Completion of Qualifying Courses

This course examines strategic marketing and branding, and their contribution to effective charter school recruitment and operations. Topics include marketing strategy development, marketing research, communications, media relations, building partnerships, public relations, and fund raising. Prerequisites: Completion of Qualifying Courses

This course explores the administrative workings of charter school operations. Topics include facilities location, staffing, sourcing and reporting revenue, budgeting, auxiliary services, legal issues, and safety and security. The course also examines the practical skills necessary to work effectively with authorizers, the charter school board, and other groups that are critical to the success of the charter school, as well as the legal framework of charter school education at the national, state, and local levels. Prerequisites: Completion of Qualifying Courses

This proctored examination, which can be taken anytime between the completion of the core courses and the Dissertation Proposal, is designed to measure a student’s knowledge and understanding of the curriculum content that has been covered in the Program. Students must pass the examination prior to advancement to candidacy. Prerequisites: Successful Completion of all Required Courses.

A three week online seminar on developing a concept paper or prospectus for the dissertation or applied doctoral project. Students leave the course with a quality draft prospectus for their dissertation or applied doctoral project.

A three week online seminar that covers all aspects of the dissertation or applied doctoral project proposal. Students leave the seminar with a quality draft proposal that can be presented to their chair and committee.

This course assists students through the process of organization and design of a formal proposal including a substantive research topic of original work. An accepted proposal constitutes the framework for the Statement of the Problem (Chapter 1), Review of the Literature (Chapter 2), and Research Methodology (Chapter 3). Prerequisites: Successful Completion of the Comprehensive Examination (EDU700).

The successful completion of a dissertation results in a quality research effort, documented and written following American Psychological Association, (APA) guidelines, an oral defense consisting of a PowerPoint presentation presented to the student’s dissertation committee, and written in a format ready for publication. The completed dissertation document is a five-chapter dissertation beginning with the Introduction to the Problem, Chapter 1; Review of the Literature, Chapter 2; Research Methodology, Chapter 3; Research Findings, Chapter 4; and the Summary, Conclusions, and Recommendations of the Researcher, Chapter 5. In addition, the final document will include the frontal pages as described in the University’s Dissertation Handbook, as well as necessary appendices, references, and other appropriate documents. Prerequisites: Approval of Dissertation Proposal (DIS701).

The commencement of the Applied Doctoral Project begins with development of the ADP Proposal.  The Proposal consists of three phases: Phase 1 is the Project Justification; Phase 2 is the review of the literature; Phase 3 is the Project Approach. The Project Justification should include a discussion of the specific problem you propose to address. You should then provide a brief description of the methodology you plan to use and why the methodology is appropriate (for example, review and analysis of previous work versus new research). The Review of the Literature entails a critical analysis, synthesis and integration of work that others have done in order to show where the proposed study fits into current debates and inquiries. Phase 2 is thus a formal summary and analysis of the literature directly related to your particular study. The Project Approach describes the procedures that will be followed in conducting the study. The format and content of this phase will vary depending on the nature of the study. For example, a project that requires collection of data will differ significantly from a project that analyzes data from a third party, or a study that relies on a scholarly review of the literature.

The Applied Doctoral Project (ADP) is an alternative to the traditional dissertation in the Doctor of Education program. The ADP students are expected to expand and apply existing knowledge and research to existing problems in their professional field. It allows a student to apply theories, principles, and processes they have learned in the Taft ED.D. program to an actual problem in education or an issue of interest and relevance to them in their professional activities.  The focus of the work in the ADP is on development of an extensive scholarly document that will provide a professional value to the student’s work as an educator.