Chapter 5: From Practitioner to Scholar–Practitioner: Professional Growth in an Executive EdD Program: Professional Growth in an Executive EdD Program

The University of Oklahoma’s Jeannine Rainbolt College of Education (JRCOE) is nationally recognized for its quality programs in counseling psychology, educational psychology, continuing education, school improvement, early childhood literacy, multicultural issues in education, and educational leadership. These accredited programs have been approved by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education, Oklahoma State Department of Education, American Psychological Association, as well as by several professional associations for specific subject areas (Jean-Marie, Adams & Garn, 2010). Within JRCOE, there are three departments: Instructional Leadership and Academic Curriculum (ILAC), Educational Psychology, and Educational Leadership and Policy Studies (ELPS). In the ELPS Department, there are three graduate program areas that offer master’s and doctoral degrees: Adult and Higher Education (EDAH), Educational Studies (EDS), and Educational Administration, Curriculum and Supervision (EACS). With faculty located on the Norman and Tulsa campus, the EACS program offers principal and superintendent certification in the form of master’s (MEd) and doctoral degrees (EdD and PhD).