Leadership, Policy and Administration

Donald LaMagdeline, Ph.D.., Department Chair
Jackie Grossklaus, Department Assistant

MOH 217
1000 LaSalle Ave. 
Minneapolis, MN 55403-2009
Phone: (651) 962-4885
(800) 328-6819, Ext. 2- 4885
Fax: (651) 962-4169
E-mail: soe_edlead@stthomas.edu

The Leadership, Policy and Administration Department offers programs of study leading to a master of arts degree, an education specialist degree and a doctor of education degree in leadership. These programs are designed to prepare qualified persons for leadership, management and administrative roles in schools, community, higher education, police, corporate and public agencies or in any organization whose goal is to promote lifelong learning and development. The course of study for each degree program challenges students to:

• Sharpen critical thinking about the theory and practice of leadership and administration in schools and other educational settings
• Improve skills of communication, decision making, collaboration, evaluation and research
• Examine ways to provide quality education that is sensitive to race, ethnicity, gender, social class and special needs of learners
• Strengthen understandings and applications of learning theory, curriculum development and instructional strategies basic to providing maximum educational opportunities for all learners
• Develop supervisory, financial, legal, political, public relations and other specialized skills needed to lead and administer a school, program or agency
• Deepen commitment to ethics rooted in the values of a democratic and pluralistic society

Core Assumptions

In our degree programs (master of arts, education specialist and education doctorate) and in our other efforts to assist educational leaders in clarifying their own rationale for practice and in developing a strong foundation in leadership, we are challenged by our assumptions that:

• Fostering lifelong learning and exploring and celebrating our differences are enduring commitments
• Understanding our pluralism and interdependence constitutes a central challenge for our times and requires deliberate action.
• Furthering the belief that educational leadership is an intellectual and moral practice grounds our teaching, research and service
• Learning is best facilitated under the following conditions
  • When a diversity of perspectives, disciplines, voices and expressive modes is present and highly valued
  • When it fosters an awareness of connections and interdependence
  • When the interplay between theory, practice, and research assists students in a reflective, critical exploration and understanding of educational practice
  • When open discussion and respectful, critical conversation are an important foundation for promoting intellectual and moral growth, questioning conventional wisdom, and strengthening affiliations between learners
  • When invitation, hospitality, generosity and caring are emphasized and learning is celebrated within a community of inquirers

A person interested in obtaining a license as a principal, superintendent or director of community education should contact the Leadership, Policy and Administration Department for more specific licensing information and for details on the assessment process of previous educational experience. Those seeking licensure as directors of special education should contact the Special Education Department, (651)962-4980 or 1 (800) 328-6819, Ext. 2-4980.

The section on licensure below serves as a general guideline and is subject to change. Students are encouraged to meet with their advisers for specific requirements related to their degree program or license.