EdD class with guest speaker Berliner

Guest speakers this past summer included internationally acclaimed scholars David Berliner (above) and Gene Glass, co-authors of “50 Myths and Lies That Threaten America’s Public Schools: The Real Crisis in Education” (Karl Nielsen photo).

Media contact: Pat Lopes Harris, 408-924-1748

SAN JOSE, CA – Seeking to nurture regional educational leaders from pre-school through high school, San Jose State has initiated a doctoral program in educational leadership, the first independent doctoral program to be offered by the university. The endeavor offers principals, district officials, teacher leaders and non-profit leaders the opportunity to deepen their understanding of the forces shaping their profession so that they may better serve their communities and advance in their careers.

“The doctoral program in educational leadership reinforces San Jose State’s commitment to preparing educators for the Bay Area,” said Elaine Chin, dean of the Connie L. Lurie College of Education. “San Jose State was founded more than 150 years ago as a teachers college.  This new doctoral program will expand our ability to prepare the leaders needed to build a system that provides all students with a high-quality education.”

EdD class

The inaugural Ed.D. class includes principals, assistant principals, district office personnel, and teacher leaders (Karl Nielsen photo).

The inaugural class of 16 Ed.D. candidates includes principals, assistant principals, district office personnel, and teacher leaders from a diverse group of schools and districts in the greater San José region.  These working professionals will spend three years at San Jose State, taking classes each summer, fall and spring, culminating in a research project and dissertation. The program is now recruiting its second class.

Diverse Curriculum

The Ed.D. curriculum focuses on case studies and rigorous inquiry in four core areas: leadership and reform, organizational behavior, contexts of leadership and learning, and research methods. Although San Jose State is the 14th California State University campus to offer an Ed.D., SJSU is the system’s only program to include a global studies component, which will expose participants to other nations’ systems, challenges and solutions.

“Global experience is essential given the multinational composition of today’s schools,” said Ed.D. Program Director Arnold Danzig. “While America’s schools have always welcomed children from abroad, the national origin of our students is growing beyond Europe, Mexico and East Asia to Africa, the Middle East and Central America. We believe the international context creates and reflects a major set of opportunities and issues that schools must address.”

Faculty Expertise

The Ed.D. program draws on the diverse expertise of San Jose State’s faculty. The team includes professors and researchers in the fields of engineering, psychology, sociology, ethnic studies, communication studies, global leadership, and urban and regional planning.

Of course, at the core of the Ed.D. program is the College of Education’s experienced faculty in educational leadership, counseling, general teacher education, child development, special education, and research methodologies.

The program was launched in summer 2014 with lectures by internationally acclaimed scholars David Berliner and Gene Glass, co-authors of “50 Myths and Lies That Threaten America’s Public Schools: The Real Crisis in Education.” Their book, published in March, attempts to methodically debunk myths about the American educational system using logic and data in order to better inform the public and form the basis for sound policy making.

Nurturing Leaders

The CSU doctoral programs for educational leaders were authorized by the California Legislature in order to respond to the urgent need for well-prepared administrators to lead California’s public schools and community colleges. More than 80 percent of California’s superintendents will be eligible for retirement in the next five years. In Santa Clara County, nearly 1,000 administrators serve 398 schools.

The CSU Board of Trustees standardizes tuition for all doctoral programs. SJSU Ed.D. candidates also pay campus-based fees. The annual cost has been estimated at just over $18,000.

San Jose State — Silicon Valley’s largest institution of higher learning with 30,000 students and 3,740 employees — is part of the California State University system. SJSU’s 154-acre downtown campus anchors the nation’s 10th largest city.

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