Last modified: Monday, January 23, 2012
Kelley School of Business, IU School of Education partner for innovative education leadership program
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Jan. 23, 2012
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Indiana University's Kelley School of Business and the IU School of Education have launched a collaborative program to prepare school leaders equipped with the latest management and leadership skills.
The new IU Executive Ed.D. program allows IU School of Education students -- often planning for careers as superintendents and other administrative education roles -- to earn a master's degree in strategic management at the Kelley School while earning an Ed.D. in Educational Leadership. The program substantially reduces the time and cost of completion of both the master's and Ed.D. degrees.
The program coursework is developed and delivered by faculty members recognized nationally and internationally for scholarship and teaching in business management and educational leadership and policy. It will prepare innovative and transformative school leaders for administrative and policy-making roles in the state and the nation. Coursework integrates curriculum and instructional leadership, law, politics and policy, ethics and entrepreneurship, strategic planning and organizational design, and research methodologies.
"Having two of IU's highest-ranked academic units collaborating to prepare education leaders is a very exciting development," said Gerardo Gonzalez, dean of the School of Education. "Research has consistently shown that the quality of school leaders is one of the most important factors in promoting effective school reform and increasing student achievement. This collaboration brings together outstanding faculty from two different but complementary disciplines to prepare school leaders at a time when both instructional and management skills are so clearly needed for effective educational reform."
"This partnership between the Kelley School of Business and the School of Education provides a unique opportunity for school administrators to learn how to effectively manage a school system (K-12) with strategic vision," said Dan Smith, dean of the Kelley School of Business. "The Kelley School's globally recognized strategic management faculty will provide school leaders with the tools to direct the future of education in the state of Indiana and eventually nationwide."
Students must be admitted into the Ed.D. in Educational Leadership program in order to pursue the master's degree. A new Ed.D. cohort is started every other year. Applications for the inaugural cohort are being accepted now.
The Ed.D. cohort meets one weekend per month for three years. All business school courses, with the exception of the First Year Kelley Connect Week, will be offered online through Kelley Direct. Executive Ed.D. students can also earn an Educational Specialist Degree and Superintendent Licensure en route to the doctorate.
"We are excited to provide an interdisciplinary graduate program that will prepare educational leaders to be innovative and responsive to the needs of students in the 21st century," said Gary Crow, professor in the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies in the IU School of Education.
"This is an important step forward for educational leaders in Indiana," added Suzanne Eckes, associate professor in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies. "With access to business and education professors from two nationally ranked schools, Ed.D. students will acquire a deeper understanding about transforming schools."
"The online delivery of the management courses will allow educators to use what they learn while leading their school systems," said Munirpallam Venkataramanan, associate dean of academic programs at the Kelley School. "They will have the ability to apply learning, which brings a richness to their education and will enable them to manage their organizations better."
In 2011, Bloomberg Businessweek ranked the Kelley School undergraduate program sixth among public universities and 18th overall as well as 19th among business school graduate programs. Also in 2011, U.S. News & World Report ranked the school sixth among public universities, 12th in the nation overall and 23rd in graduate business programs.
The IU School of Education ranked 21st overall and 11th among public university graduate schools in the U.S. News & World Report rankings. The school had top-10 rankings for five of its degree programs: fifth for higher education administration, eighth for elementary education, ninth for counseling/personnel services and 10th for both curriculum/instruction and secondary education. Recently, U.S. News also ranked the School of Education highly in the first ranking of top online graduate education degree programs.
More information about the Executive Ed.D. is available on the Educational Leadership website, edleadership.iu.edu. Interested students can contact Cindy Wedemeyer in the ELPS office at cwedemey@indiana.edu.
