Tuesday, April 08, 2008

Eastern Ky. University starts first doctoral program, with an emphasis on improving rural education

Eastern Kentucky University, which started as a teachers' college in Richmond 102 years ago and has never offered a doctoral degree, is starting one with an emphasis on improving Kentucky's rural schools.

The degree will be Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) in Education Leadership and Policy Studies. Applications are arriving and interest is running high, an EKU official told Stephanie Kerr of Business Lexington. The state Council on Postsecondary Education approved the program in February.

"We will be able to produce researchers and become a center/clearinghouse for research that is responsive to the needs of rural Appalachia," said Dr. Jerry Johnson, director of the program. (We wonder if he said "slash" or if Kerr interviewed him by e-mail.) "For too long, we’ve used one-size-fits-all models for developing curriculum, etc., and that hasn’t worked very well because the models are generally based on urban and suburban environments. Schools in rural areas have needs, challenges and strengths that are different from those in urban settings, and we need targeted research to develop appropriate strategies to address those needs and challenges." (Read more) For the university's news release on the program, click here.

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