On-Campus Curriculum Example

 

Fall Semester 1	Spr Sem 1	Sum Sem 1	Fall Sem 2	Spr Sem 2
EDU 631 Education Leadership and Organizational Change	EDU 636 Education Law and Policy	EDU 693 Education Program and Policy  Implementation	EDU 633 Economic Inquiry in Education	EDU 686 Proseminar in Education Policy and Leadership
EDU 634 Education and Public Policy	EDU 610 Overview of Qual. and Quant. Strat.	EDU ? Elective	EDU 790 Quantitative Research In Education	EDU ? Elective

 

Online Curriculum Example

 

Semester 1	Sem 2	Sem 3	Sem 4	Sem 5
EDU 631 Education Leadership and Organizational Change	EDU 636 Education Law and Policy	EDU 693 Education Program and Policy Implementation	EDU 790 Quantitative Research In Education	EDU 686 Proseminar in Education Policy and Leadership
EDU 634 Education and Public Policy	EDU 610 Overview of Qual. and Quant. Strat.	EDU ? Elective	EDU 633 Economic Inquiry in Education	EDU ? Elective

 

Hybrid Curriculum Example

 

Fall Semester 1	Spring Sem 2	Summer Sem 3
EDU 631 Education Leadership and Organizational Change (On-campus)	EDU 636 Education Law and Policy (On-campus)	EDU 686 Proseminar in Education Policy and Leadership  (Online)
EDU 634 Education and Public Policy (On-campus)	EDU 610 Overview of Qual. and Quant. Strat. (On-campus)	EDU 790 Quantitative Research In Education (Online)
EDU ? Elective	EDU 633 Economic Inquiry in Education (Online)	EDU 693 Education Program and Policy Implementation (On-campus)
-	-	EDU ? Elective

• 30-unit master's degree that can be completed in four or five semesters
• Cohort model for full-time teachers and other education professionals
• Full-time faculty and expert practitioners who bring policy, research, and school experience
• Practical consultancy projects with schools and DC education policy organizations
• Special emphasis on implementation and on connecting policy to education practice
• Support for identifying career pathways

• Graduates of the M.Ed. program will be equipped with the skills every education leader needs to be effective, including strategic budgeting, collaborative inquiry, policy analysis, partnership building, learning science, and program evaluation. We strive to hone students’ knowledge and develop their skills and beliefs in the following four domains:

• Students will be able to frame problems, understanding the role racialized identities and positionalities play to critically analyze education policies and leadership strategies using data, policy/legal/economic/equity frameworks, real-world experience, and other evidence.
• Students will be able to critique education and other social systems, policies, and leadership strategies necessary to implement anti-racist solutions.
• Students will be able to leverage research practices to evaluate and synthesize qualitative and quantitative data to inform antiracist decisions and continuous improvement.
• Students will be able to provide cross-boundary and antiracist leadership by focusing on collaboration, communications, advocacy, and management.
• Students will be able to disrupt and dismantle elements of oppressive education and other social systems to reimagine and rebuild antiracist systems that support all students.

Our location in the political, cultural and media capital of Washington, DC, is the most powerful lab for learning in the world, preparing students for engaged citizenship. Our distinctive character is further illustrated by the in the scope of our teaching and research programs and the diversity of the faculty, staff, alumni, trustees and student body, today representing more than 130 countries.

EPL Program Director Dr. Reuben Jacobson has worked at the intersection of education research, policy, and practice for nearly twenty years. He is committed to educational change and equity and has substantial experience designing and implementing strategies that bring stakeholders together to work on common challenges. Dr. Jacobson served as the Deputy Director for the Coalition for Community Schools at the Institute for Educational Leadership (IEL), where he helped grow and strengthen community schools by mobilizing national partners and local leaders. See Dr. Jacobson’s full profile here. 

Hurst Senior Professorial Lecturer Dr. Jason Snyder developed and served as the Founding Director of the School of Education's Education Policy and Leadership (EPL) program. His teaching and research focuses on education law and education policy. In 2022, he received the university's Outstanding Teaching Award. Prior to joining American University’s faculty, he served as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy in the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Elementary and Secondary Education. See Dr. Snyder's full profile here.

• Senior Professorial Lecturer Dr. kecia hayes' professional work and research primarily focus on urban school leadership and school structures, community engagement, and anchor institutions. She has been a champion of antiracist k-12 leadership and praxis across a variety of organizational settings in New York City for more than two decades, leading two community-focused organizations at Columbia University: the Double Discovery Center, where she transformed the organization's approach to college access and support for low-income and first-generation community youth; and the Raising Educational Achievement Coalition in Harlem, where she was the founding Director and chief architect of Teachers College's university-assisted, community school initiative. She has taught courses on leading school reform and improvement, community and school relations, research methods, and group dynamics. See Dr. hayes' full profile here.

The EPL Program offers its students dedicated support throughout their time with the School of Education. The American University Career Center provides career exploration opportunities for our students including job fairs and resources for writing cover letters and resumes. EPL Students can also take advantage of free resources like the Academic Support and Access Center, Center for Diversity and Inclusion, Bender Library Writing Center and many other resources available to students.