Teacher Leadership

The Teacher Leadership program specialization is designed for teachers and individuals filling roles in areas including assessment, curriculum, technology, literacy, and grade or team coordination. Teacher leaders are essential to overcome student barriers to learning, especially those that emerge from high-need environments. Placing highly trained teachers who are prepared for systemic change and leadership in schools will help close the achievement gap, facilitate learning for all students, and develop equitable practices to meet the needs of diverse learners.

Students in the Teacher Leadership program specialization will work with faculty advisors to select program electives that reflect this specialization, as well as student goals and interests. The list of WKU courses described below provides a starting point for program development, but is not exhaustive. Courses described under other WKU doctoral program specializations may serve as appropriate electives.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Although the Teacher Leadership doctoral specialization is not specifically designed for Kentucky teachers seeking Rank change, students may be able to work with their advisor to embed a planned sixth-year program within their doctoral elective coursework. Students desiring this option should make their advisor aware of this desire early in their program so that their doctoral program of study can be carefully planned to include the necessary course requirements.

WKU courses specifically designed for this specialization:

EDU 701 Teacher Leadership and Assessment I: Focuses on a teacher leader role in the evaluation of international, national, state and local assessment frameworks. Topics include the role of teacher leader in closing achievement gaps and improving student learning.

EDU 702 Teacher Leadership and Assessment II: Focuses on understanding the relationship between classroom assessments and curriculum decisions. Students will explore the concept of standards and standard setting processes in relationship to student depth of knowledge and assessment differentiation.

IED 703 Equity Pedagogy and Issues of Diversity: Issues and effects of diversity in contemporary society. Topics include: race, gender, ethnicity, class, language differences, and student ability. Relationship of diversity to preparation, recruitment, instruction, equity pedagogy, professional development, policy, curriculum, assessment, achievement gaps and student learning.

IED 704 Leadership and Ethics in Teaching: Historical and contemporary perspectives on leadership and the ethics of teaching, including topics such as power, cultural leadership change, instructional leadership, and building community.

General WKU graduate courses that may serve as additional electives:

EDFN 601 Applied Statistics and Design: Parametric and non-parametric statistical techniques applied to experimental and quasi-experimental research designs in education.

EDFN 603 Qualitative Research in Education: Qualitative research for graduate students within the educational setting. Includes the foundational theory of qualitative research, methodological designs and techniques of data collecting, analysis, and reporting.

EDFN 703 Field Methods for Qualitative Research: Developing and conducting qualitative research.

EDU 695 Advanced Topics in Education: Readings or special projects in education.

LME 737 Leadership in Educational Technology: Emphasis on educational technology leadership, professional development, and instructional management. Topics include equitable access, technology plans, meeting needs of diverse learners with technology, and technology integration strategies.

CNS 710 Leadership and Stress Management: Examines the meaning of stress, its effects on the individual and the organization, how it manifests itself, and strategies for its management. Explores the organizational demands that contribute to stress and addresses how leaders in organizations can help provide preventative stress management.

Additional graduate courses in the School of Teacher Education or the Department of Educational Administration, Leadership, and Research that may be appropriate for this strand are described in the WKU Graduate Catalog.

Dr. Pamela Petty

Professor; Director, WKU Center for Literacy

Office:  Gary A. Ransdell Hall Room 1103

Phone: 270-745-2922

Email:  pamela.petty@wku.edu