Historical Narrative
Dr. Charles D. Schmitz began his tenure as the Dean of the School of Education in 1996. As the leadership transition process began, Dean Schmitz immediately set in motion a strategic planning process. This process sought to address fragmentation within the School of Education (SOE) as well as external factors including growth in technology in the ever-changing global society (Schmitz, Baber, John, & Brown, 1999). Of equal importance, the strategic planning process quickly adopted as an institutional goal “to become a national leader in educational research and scholarship that supports education professionals within an expanding collaborative community” (UM-St. Louis Futures, 1997).
As an outcome of the planning process, the School of Education faculty produced Creating the 21st Century School of Education (1997). This document laid the foundation for the strategic plan by identifying four main themes. Program designs must be field-based and technology-rich; they must also promote lifelong learning, and stress collaboration with the community at-large.
The second undertaking was to organize the School of Education in a manner that would support the accomplishment of these goals. The school was renamed the College of Education (February, 2000) and four new units were created to include the divisions of Teaching and Learning; Counseling; Educational Psychology, Research and Evaluation; and Educational Leadership and Policy Studies. This document will provide specific historical information regarding the transition and developmental path of the Division of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies (ELAPS).
K-12 School Administration
Prior to the transition in 1998-99, the ELAPS division was known as Educational Studies. The division emphasized secondary, adult, and reading education; elementary, secondary, and special education administration; and the school superintendency. The new ELAPS Division narrowed its focus only to include K-12 administration, special education administration, and the school superintendency. Many changes began to unfold and soon the COE was recognized as the largest preparer of new educators in the state of Missouri. Specific to ELAPS, the division was known as the largest preparer of school principals in the St. Louis bi-state region. In 2001, the Division added the position of E. Desmond Lee Endowed Professor of Urban Education/Superintendent in Residence, and the Center for Excellence in Urban Education re-opened in 2006. Recognizing a special need to prepare principals for urban schools, the “Preparing Leaders for Urban Schools” program added a mentoring component to the existing degree program that guides students to a Master’s degree in education and principal certification from the State of Missouri. A significant number of graduates of the Master’s degree program have taken positions of leadership in the St. Louis area schools as a direct outcome of the initiatives within this department.
For many years, the K-12 Administration program also offered courses toward the “Advanced Certification” of school administrators. The Division began to offer a new Education Specialist degree in 2005 and immediately saw increased enrollment in that program as school leaders in all kinds of positions (such as curriculum coordinators and content-area specialists) also looked for additional professional preparation and advancement. The doctoral programs, including the Doctorate in Education (Ed.D.) and Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) continued with strong enrollment in an intensive research-based program. Faculty in the K-12 educational administration program also worked closely with the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, the Missouri Professors of Educational Administration, the Holmes Partnership, and other professional associations to further renewal in the field.
Higher Education Administration
Along with the continued development of excellence in K-12 School Administration, the Division was ready to broaden its scope to include Higher Education Administration. In 1999, students began taking courses to earn a Masters of Education (M.Ed.) within this new concentration. After receiving approval by the Coordinating Board for Higher Education, a Ph.D/Ed.D program was offered in the fall of 2000 to encourage students to seek positions as faculty, administrators or staff at two-year or four-year colleges as well as universities and various government and private agencies. In these new degree programs, students could expect to be involved in non-traditional scheduling of most courses. Weekend intensive courses, interactive television, and online courses expanded access to education for more adult learners and the program drew applicants from hundreds of miles away from campus.
Collaboration between current faculty in Higher Education Administration, the Association for Institutional Research (AIR), and the National Center for Educational Statistics led to the development of the Graduate Certificate Program in Institutional Research. The post-master’s program provides formal training for the development of skill sets necessary for institutional researchers. Students completing the program requirements are then eligible to apply for a Fellowship at the Summer Institute sponsored by AIR. These skills are necessary for educators in an era of increased federal and state reporting requirements, legal mandates, extensive use of data mining and pressure for accountability. This program demonstrates integration of field-based experiences, technology-rich opportunities, lifelong learning, and collaboration with national partners. In 2003, an option was added to the Higher Education Leadership and Policy Studies area that provided specific coursework to students interested in community college leadership.
Adult Education
COE leadership requested that the Adult Education program move from Continuing Education, increase graduate admissions in the ELAPS Division Graduate degrees of Masters in Adult Education (M.Ed.) and Ph.D./Ed.D. in Adult Education were added in 2001 and are considered appropriate for this division because of their interdisciplinary nature. UM-St. Louis courses for professionals in Adult Education are based on the idea that adults, as learners, are different from children as learners. Central to the UM-St. Louis Adult Education degree programs is the development of a student's abilities along with each individual's career needs. Core courses in the Adult Education curriculum are designed to help participants develop learning projects that are compatible with and relate to their work setting, areas of interest, and career pursuits. Division faculty augment instruction with personal experience in research and practice through community partnerships. Students are also encouraged to gain additional expertise within the division from emphasis areas in higher education, educational administration, community education, educational technology, and character education.
The Regional Institute for Tutoring Education
The Regional Institute for Tutoring Education (RITE) is a unique program that uses research based tutoring strategies in community partnerships. The first tutoring program was based upon research, accompanying technology and assessments called the “Blueprint for Reading Success”. A second program, “Blueprint for Math Success,” followed. Using these research-based and compatible reading and math programs, university students, community volunteers or teachers can provide motivational, individualized, consistent, and flexible student instruction. Research and anecdotal data on each program’s effectiveness has been consistently positive for students and for tutors. With 20% more schools turning to tutoring because of the No Child Left Behind national legislation, the “Blueprint” programs and RITE services will become even more in demand by additional agencies and schools. (March, 16, 2005; Education Week )
RITE hosted Associate Professor Dr. Eun Soon Oh at UMSL in January 2005 as a visiting ESL and early childhood scholar. She assisted in developing effective ESL and parent training programs. Other tutoring programs created at RITE are: “Anger Management,” “Conflict Resolution,” “Communication Effectiveness” (a social skills training program adapted from work with the Dallas Police Force’s First Time Offenders), “Practical Strategies for at Risk Students” (for special education and ESL students) and “Kid Training for Volunteers.” These videos are currently streamed on RITE’s web page for regional and national use. http://www.umsl.edu\~rite
Since 2003, RITE has had an $800,000 21st Century grant and a two-year AVID tutoring grant with the Wellston and St. Louis Public Schools districts. Using the evaluation data and the “Blueprint,” progress has been made in closing the achievement gap in math and reading for after-school participants in St. Louis Public Schools and RITE agencies.
Community College Concentration
In 2004, the COE made its community connections stronger and collaborated with the Missouri Community College Association to create a new endowed faculty position in the ELAPS division. The Community College President in Residence/Mary Ann Lee Endowed Professor in Community College Leadership allowed for students earning an advance degree in Higher Education Administration to specialize in community college leadership. The position and close connections with community colleges has also improved the level of articulation for transfer students to UM-St. Louis majoring in teacher education.
In addition, the Chancellor approved the Center for International Community College Education and Leadership (CICCEL) in 2005. CICCEL was created to assist countries and Ministries of Education with development of educational systems similar to the U.S. Community College system. This community-based model delivers formal and non-formal education to those who might not otherwise have access to higher education. Community colleges are designed to be responsive to specific economic development and learning needs of the communities in which they are established.
Regional Center for Education and Work
The Regional Center for Education and Work is an important part of the College of Education. Created in 2000, the RCEW is connected to the Division through the work of its faculty, specifically in the administration of large multi-year grants such as the $1.6 million U.S. Department of Labor grant. Other large grants have included those to support Teacher Quality, Drug-free Families, Teacher Workforce Replenishment, National Science Foundation professional development for teachers. Another example is the five-year grant for statewide evaluation of the national No Child Left Behind reading initiative.
Conclusion
In essence, the expansion of advanced studies in Higher Education Administration, Adult Education, and K-12 School Administration not only increased the number of doctoral and graduate program admissions, it served to provide a technology-rich learning environment to create stronger connections between the COE and lifelong learners (Schmitz et. al, 1999). Collaboration with a number of universities, school districts, and community colleges made graduate programs more available, accessible, and accommodating to full-time faculty and staff at multiple educational institutions.
References
Olson, L. “NCLB Choice Option Going Untapped, But Tutoring Picking Up” Education
Week, March 16, 2005, p. 1, 20-1.
Schmitz, C., Baber, S., John, D. & Brown, K.S. (2000) Creating the 21st Century School of Education: Collaboration, Community and Partnership in St. Louis. Invited article in Collaboration (Special Issue), Peabody Journal of Education, 75(3) November 64-84.
University of Missouri – St. Louis (1997) University of Missouri - St. Louis Futures Strategic
Planning Report. School of Education: St. Louis, MO.
University of Missouri – St. Louis (1997) Creating the 21st Century School of Education. School of
Education: St. Louis, MO
Kimberly Allen and Kathleen S. Brown, Editors
