Overview
The Educational Policy Studies Department offers opportunities to study social foundations of education, educational organizations and leadership, and education policy analysis.
The department's work emphasizes the analysis of urban contexts, and understanding and addressing educational problems in those contexts. Its programs prepare students for successful careers in urban educational research and policy analysis, and in transformational leadership of urban schools.
Programs
- Educational Policy Studies
Master's Degree Programs
Centers, Labs & Clinics
Department Faculty
- E-Mailckbarron@uic.eduOffice Phone(773) 447-0052Office Fax(219) 659-8042Location3027 EPASWMailing Address1040 W. Harrison St. M/C 147Chicago, IL 60607
- E-Mailsacosner@uic.eduOffice Phone(312) 413-8249Location3444 ETMSWMailing Address1040 W. Harrison St. M/C 147Chicago, IL 60607
- E-Mailirbyd@uic.eduOffice Phone(312) 413-7483Location3230 ETMSWMailing Address1040 W. Harrison St. M/C 147Chicago, IL 60607
- E-Mailplipman@uic.eduOffice Phone(312) 413-4413Location1404 ETMSWMailing Address1040 W. Harrison St. M/C 147Chicago, IL 60607
- E-Maildmayro@uic.eduOffice Phone(312) 996-3326Location3226 ETMSWMailing Address1040 W. Harrison St. M/C 147Chicago, IL 60607
- E-Mailclmiller@uic.eduOffice Phone(312) 413-2415Location1204 ETMSWMailing Address1040 W. Harrison St. M/C 147Chicago, IL 60607
- E-Mailnguyenn@uic.eduOffice Phone(312) 996-5660Location3406 ETMSWMailing Address1040 W. Harrison St. M/C 147Chicago, IL 60607
- E-Mailjsalis2@uic.eduOffice Phone(312) 996-1848Location3229 ETMSWMailing Address1040 W. Harrison St. M/C 147Chicago, IL 60607
- E-Maildostoval@uic.eduOffice Phone(312) 413-5014Location3048 ETMSWMailing Address1040 W. Harrison St. M/C 147Chicago, IL 60607
- E-Mailbsuperfi@uic.eduOffice Phone(312) 355-0362Location1208 ETMSWMailing Address1040 W. Harrison St. M/C 147Chicago, IL 60607
- E-Mailstozer@uic.eduOffice Phone(312) 413-2414Location3238 ETMSWMailing Address1040 W. Harrison St. M/C 147Chicago, IL 60607
Educational Policy Studies Courses
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511 Introduction to Academic Writing in Educational Policy Studies
Hours2PrerequisitesAdmission to the Ph.D. in Policy St
udies in Urban Education program or consent of the instructor.
Assesses the academic writing skills of PhD students and introduces them to the various genres of writing they will be doing while completing coursework on the way to their dissertation.
Course Information: Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory grading only.
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104 Race, Place, and Schooling: African Americans and Education
Hours3Examination of the social, political, cultural and economic factors shaping African Americans educational experiences in the United States historically and currently. Same as AAST 104. Individual and Society, and US Society course.
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361 Education in Urban Context
Hours3Prerequisites- Senior standing or above
- Admission to the Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education program.
Cross-disciplinary, critical analysis of relationships between public schools and their urban contexts, with attention to implications for teaching and learning.
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412 Politics of Urban Education
Hours4PrerequisitesConsent of the instructor
Relations between school governance and politics. The role of educational interest groups, school boards, professional educators, and citizens in formulation and execution of educational policy. 3 undergraduate hours. 4 graduate hours.
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449 Early Childhood /Early Childhood Special Ed: Perspectives, Policies and History
Hours3Perspectives, policies, history, and foundations of Early Childhood Education and Early Childhood Special Education. Emphasis on the effects of changing economic, political, legal, social, and views of human development. Same as EPSY 449 and SPED 449.
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453 Topics in Educational Policy Studies
Hours4Topics are announced at the time the class is scheduled. 3 undergraduate hours. 4 graduate hours. May be repeated to a maximum of 12 hours.
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480 Youth Culture Community Organizing and Education
Hours4Prerequisites- Graduate standing; or consent of the instructor.
- Recommended background: Experience with working with youth in K-12 classrooms, community organizations, community centers, and faith-based groups.
Introduction to the tenets of community organizing in partnership with contemporary interpretations of youth culture as a means to interpret urban public education.
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500 City Schools: Education in the Urban Environment
Hours4PrerequisitesConsent of the instructor
Cross-disciplinary, critical analysis of relationships between public schools and school districts and their urban environments, with attention to implications for school improvement.
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501 Education Finance and Budgeting
Hours4PrerequisitesConsent of the instructor
Role of government, school boards, and community in funding education. Principles of school and district financial planning, management, and analysis. Equity issues in school finance.
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502 Advanced Foundational Studies in Philosophy of Education
Hours4Prerequisites- Enrollment in a doctoral program or consent of the instructor
- Recommended background: ED 402.
Advanced investigation of historical and emergent themes in philosophy of education, with specific attention to competing perspectives on human nature and knowing, methods of philosophic inquiry, and the nexus of democratic and educational theory.
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503 History and Historiography in Education
Hours4An advanced critical analysis of the history of education in the United States, with specific attention to competing historical perspectives, historical methods of investigation, and the educational histories of different population groups.
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505 Social Theory in Educational Foundations
Hours4PrerequisitesEnrollment in a doctoral program or consent of the instructor.
Investigates competing theoretical perspectives in the social foundations of education, addressing the evolution of social and educational theory.
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510 Introduction to Doctoral Education in Policy Studies
Hours4PrerequisitesAdmission to the Ph.D. in Policy Studies in Urban Education program or consent of the instructor
Required doctoral seminar taken in the first year of doctoral study. It introduces students to doctoral education, theoretical perspectives and research problems in both concentrations of the Ph.D. program, Policy Studies in Urban Education. Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory grading only.
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512 Data and Interpretation in Educational Policy Studies
Hours4PrerequisitesED 500 and enrollment in the Ph.D. in Policy Studies in Urban Education program or consent of the instructor.
Methodology course providing students with basic understanding and skills in assessing, interpreting and representing quantitative and qualitative evidence in educational policy studies research. Students study research design and critique.
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535 Human Development for School Leaders
Hours4PrerequisitesConsent of the instructor
Deepens school leaders' understanding of human development across the lifespan, from birth to adult learning in schools; includes attention to differentiated instruction, SpEd inclusion, and ELL learners in all age groups. Same as EPSY 535.
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544 Research Design in Educational Policy Studies
Hours4PrerequisitesConsent of the instructor or admission to the Ph.D. in Policy Studies in Urban Education, or the Ed.D. in Urban School Leadership
Alternative research design models and evaluation methodologies; quantitative and qualitative approaches; ethnography; historiography; experimentation and quasi-experimentation; institutional and practitioner research designs and methods.
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548 Leading Improvement of Literacy Learning
Hours4PrerequisitesConsent of the instructor
Leadership development to promote effective reading and writing instruction across the curriculum with particular attention paid to effective organizational and instructional strategies for PreK-12 students. Same as CI 548.
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549 Critical Pedagogy: Practice and Theory
Hours4PrerequisitesConsent of the instructor
Examine theory and practice of social justice teaching in schools, including: history liberatory pedagogies, culturally relevant and critical pedagogies, funds of knowledge, critical multiculturalism and anti-racist pedagogy, critical race theory. Same as CI 549.
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550 Improving Education Organizations
Hours4PrerequisitesConsent of the instructor
Introduction to theories, processes and leadership of organizational change in education. Particular emphasis is placed on alternative approaches to organizational change in schools, such as "turnaround" change and continuous improvement.
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551 Cycles of Inquiry for Improving Schools
Hours4PrerequisitesConsent of the instructor
Introduces an integrated model of school assessment practices that bridges the gap between internal and external assessment; introduces descriptive statistics, data representation and cycles of inquiry as core drivers of continuous improvement. Extensive computer use required.
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552 Leading Urban Schools
Hours4PrerequisitesConsent of the instructor
Describes the deep structure of conventional and transformational approaches to the principal's role in improving school leadership.
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553 Leading Urban School Systems
Hours4PrerequisitesConsent of the instructor
Leadership and management responsibilities of system-level administrators in urban school districts. Theory and research on system level leadership using case study analysis and field work with system administrators.
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555 Political Economy of Urban Education
Hours4PrerequisitesConsent of the instructor
Politics of urban school policy and practice. Interest groups, school boards, educators, citizens, and governments as political actors. Educational leadership in political context.
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556 Leading Classroom Diagnostics and Interventions
Hours4PrerequisitesConsent of the instructor
Instructional improvement role of educational leaders of urban schools. Human resource development, parent/community support, supportive organizational contexts. Strategic planning, implementation, and evaluation.
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557 Developing Organizational and Leadership Capacity
Hours4PrerequisitesConsent of the instructor
Assessment and development of organizational and leadership capacity in urban schools. Human resource development, parent/community support, supportive organizational contexts. Strategic planning, implementation, and evaluation.
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558 Leading Improvement of Mathematics Learning
Hours4PrerequisitesConsent of the instructor
Leadership understandings that promote high quality mathematics instruction with particular attention to student and adult learning for early childhood, intermediate, middle school and high school levels.
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559 Internship in Education Leadership
Hours4PrerequisitesConsent of the instructor
Provides on-site coaching, mentoring and classwork to support students' entry into Ed.D. residency, facilitates integration of coursework and leadership practices, and intensifies leadership learning throughout the year.4 hours. May be repeated to a maximum of 8 hours. Extensive computer use required.
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563 Politics of Gender, Sexuality, and Education
Hours4PrerequisitesConsent of the instructor
Cross-disciplinary examination of issues related to gender, sexuality, and sexual orientation in education, with critical attention paid to educational policy and practice. Same as GWS 563.
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565 Globalization and Education
Hours4PrerequisitesGraduate standing; and consent of the instructor.
Examines implications of global economic, political, and cultural processes for educational policies and practices at local and national levels.
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566 Cultural Studies in Education
Hours4PrerequisitesConsent of the instructor
Examines origins, evolution, and current frameworks of cultural studies, with a focus on educational policy and practice.
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567 Economics of Education
Hours4PrerequisitesConsent of the instructor
Introduction to the economics of education. Relates education and income, studies and conditions for efficient production of education, teacher markets and school finance.
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568 Education and the Law
Hours4PrerequisitesConsent of the instructor
Legal rights, responsibilities, and authority of students, parents, teachers, administrators, boards, and government units in relation to schools. Legal issues in education policy and practice.
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570 Historical and Philosophical Analysis of Education Policy
Hours4PrerequisitesConsent of the instructor
Historical and philosophical research methodology in the study of educational policy.
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571 The Education Policy Process
Hours4PrerequisitesConsent of the instructor
Influences on the processes of educational policy making, adoption and implementation, with a focus on the school leader?s role.
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572 Sociology of Education
Hours4PrerequisitesConsent of the instructor
Education as a social institution in interaction with other institutions, such as the economy. Topics include the emergence of national systems of education, purposes of education, inequality and educational reform. Same as SOC 572.
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573 Seminar in Education Leadership Practice
Hours4Prerequisites- Admission to the Ed.D. in Urban Educational Leadership program
- Consent of the instructor
- Requires concurrent registration in EDPS 559.
Budget and finance, strategic planning and decision making, communication, use of data and technology, parent/community relations, student support services. Different sections will focus on school-level and system-level administration. May be repeated. 4 hours is required for the Illinois Type 75 certificate. Additional hours may be needed for students to satisfy local school system administrator certification requirements (such as Chicago Public School's 1019 requirement).
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578 Political Theory and Education Policy
Hours4PrerequisitesConsent of the instructor
Theoretical perspectives on the role of politics in the development of educational policy at the federal, state and local levels.
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579 Organization Theory in Education
Hours4PrerequisitesConsent of the instructor
Organizational effectiveness and organizational improvement in education. Multi-disciplinary and historical perspectives and their application to understanding the nature and function of educational organizations.
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581 Collective Bargaining in Education
Hours4PrerequisitesConsent of the instructor.
Role of collective bargaining in governance, function, and improvement of school systems. Models and processes of negotiation, engagement, and conflict resolution.
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582 Cultural Pluralism and Education Policy
Hours4PrerequisitesConsent of the instructor
Social philosophical analysis of the theory of cultural pluralism, its relation to the liberal-experimentalist tradition in educational thought; selected equal educational opportunity policies; recent federal and state legislation on multicultural education.
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583 Women in Education
Hours4PrerequisitesConsent of the instructor or enrollment in the Ph.D. in Policy Studies in Urban Education program.
An overview of girl's and women's educational experiences and placement within the academic structure (as students, professionals and intellectuals). The impact of gender on the realization of educational, economic and social opportunities. Same as GWS 583.
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586 Practitioner Inquiry for School Leaders
Hours4PrerequisitesConsent of the instructor
Development and application of systems and protocols that support progressive cycles of formative assessment and institutional problem-solving; leadership development strategies for taking these systems to scale. May be repeated to a maximum of 8 hours. Extensive computer use required.
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587 Methods of Case Study Research
Hours4PrerequisitesConsent of the instructor
Study and practice in documentary and field research methods of collecting, organizing and integrating educational data for case study. Includes attention to interviewing, observation, ethnography, and historiography. May be repeated to a maximum of 8 hours. Students may register in more than one section per term.
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588 Critical Race Theory: Race and Racism in Education
Hours4PrerequisitesConsent of the instructor
Examines theories of race and racism in education within the interdisciplinary construct of Critical Race Theory.
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589 Adminstrative and Leadership Theory in Education
Hours4PrerequisitesConsent of the instructor
Introduction to administrative and leadership theory, focusing particularly on issues of leadership and administration in organization context. Applies theory to understanding the effectiveness of leaders and leadership and to contemporary problems.
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591 Professional Capstone Inquiry
Hours8PrerequisitesConsent of student's doctoral advisor
Students design, implement, and analyze results of a research problem in this area of specialization. Completed study is reviewed by faculty. Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory grading only. May be repeated to a maximum of 12 hours.
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592 Professional Career Training in Education Policy Studies
Hours4PrerequisitesConsent of the instructor and approval of the Department Chairperson
Faculty supervised training through university teaching, research or field-based practice. May be repeated to a maximum of 16 hours.
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593 Doctoral Research Project
Hours8PrerequisitesConsent of the instructor
Students design, implement, and analyze results of a research problem in this area of specialization. Completed study is reviewed by faculty. May be repeated to a maximum of 8 hours.
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594 Special Topics in Educational Policy
Hours4PrerequisitesConsent of the instructor
Exploration of an area not covered in existing course offerings. Topics vary. May be repeated to a maximum of 12 hours. Students may register in more than one section per term.
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596 Independent Study in Educational Policy Studies
Hours4PrerequisitesConsent of the advisor and the Department Chairperson
Students carry out independent study in Educational Policy Studies under the direction of a faculty member. May be repeated to a maximum of 12 hours. Students may register in more than one section per term.
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599 Dissertation and Thesis Research in Educational Policy Studies
Hours16PrerequisitesConsent of the dissertation advisor.
Research on the topic of the student's dissertation. Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory grading only. May be repeated. Students may register in more than one section per term.