The Ph.D. in Policy, Leadership and School Improvement will prepare you to conduct rigorous research into the social, political and economic conditions affecting schools and to recommend policy solutions that are effective, socially just, and technically sound.
Exposure to and use of tools from both qualitative and quantitative methods will equip you with the analytic skills to discern ideological from empirical questions and to investigate pressing educational problems. You will learn conceptual and analytic approaches from economics, political science and sociology, and complete intermediate and advanced courses in cutting-edge methods of educational research.
In addition to disciplinary core and research courses, you will pursue a program of study that includes courses in policymaking, policy implementation, and program evaluation.
Explore Education’s Toughest Topics
The Policy, Leadership and School Improvement concentration/strand is among the few programs at elite public universities in the nation to offer opportunities to study with a faculty whose work in K-12 administration, education policy, and school improvement is internationally known. As leaders in these areas, our faculty work collaboratively with students to develop research questions and hypotheses, study them in state and national settings, and link findings to practice.
Faculty and students in PLS are engaged in the examination and critique of today’s important and contested issues in education, including
- School and district learning and improvement
- Teacher quality and effectiveness
- School finance
- Student achievement gaps
- Postsecondary access and success
- Educational opportunity and equality
In addition to disciplinary core and research courses, you will pursue a program of study that includes courses in policymaking, policy implementation, and program evaluation.
Work With Engaged Scholars
Committed to professional service, our faculty are also members of editorial boards and advisory forums at the national, state and local levels. We also work directly with state and school systems, consulting on issues of staffing, instructional delivery, and governance. Students in the PLS program typically work alongside faculty to develop their research skills.
Open Doors to Meaningful Careers
Our graduates are postdoctoral fellows and faculty members at universities, analysts for government agencies and non-profit organizations, and leaders in research and advocacy firms in education.