The PhD program in P-12 Educational Leadership: Today’s Schools Need Well Prepared Capable Leaders.
Overview
The mission of the PhD program in P-12 Educational Leadership is to further develop the capacity of educational leaders for the diverse and evolving needs of PK-12 educational environments. The PhD program in P-12 Educational Leadership engages PhD students in relevant, demanding curriculum focused on leadership capacity. The PhD program involves high levels of academic rigor, with a relentless commitment to social justice education, and a unique programmatic focus on literacy leadership.
Candidates who seek this specialized degree program often serve in a variety of school leadership capacities: the assistant principalship, the principalship, school-level leaders, such as coaches, curriculum directors, professional development directors, instructional directors, assistant and associate superintendents, and superintendents, all of whom are required to understand, consume, and apply education research.
Applications are currently being accepted for the doctoral program in Educational Leadership & Research: P-12 Educational Leadership. Applications are considered once annually. The deadline to apply for Fall admissions is March 1st of the current year. The application must be complete with all requirement documents – only candidates with completed applications will be considered.
The PhD program in P-12 Educational Leadership is very competitive. A committee reviews all applications and applicants will be notified if they are accepted. A follow-up interview may be required of applicants.
Candidates must have at least 3 years of teaching experience to be admitted. Students pursuing the PhD program in P-12 Educational Leadership are expected to ideally have earned a Master’s degree in educational leadership. We occasionally accept students with a Master’s in an educational field; however, these students may be required to take additional coursework on a case-by-case basis.
In addition to the Graduate School requirements, the PhD program in P-12 Educational Leadership program requires:
- Minimum one-page letter of intent that explains the reasons why you are seeking a PhD
- Current curriculum vitae
- At least two professional letters of recommendation, and
- Competitive scores on the Graduate Record Examination (GRE), verbal, quantitative, and writing sections.
The curricular requirements for the PhD program in P-12 Educational Leadership include:
- a core of 20 hours (6 hours of required courses ELRC 7299 – Intro to Scholarship & EDCI 7910 – Traditions of Inquiry and 14 hours of research course work) planned with your major professor,
- 24 hours in the primary area of P-12 Leadership specialization (previous LSU Educational Leadership graduate coursework may be accepted; other prior coursework considered on a case-by-case basis),
- 12 hours of the Writing Pedagogy Minor coursework
- Minimum of 9 hours of ELRC 9000 dissertation research
- ELRC 7000 Philosophy of Education (3 hours)
- ELRC 7001 Ethics and Educational Leadership (3 hours)
- ELRC 7402 Organizational Leadership (3 hours)
- ELRC 7407 Politics, Policy, and Administration in Education (3 hours)
- ELRC 7805 Perspectives on Leadership (3 hours)
- ELRC 7806 Leadership for Learning (3 hours)
12 hours of the Writing Pedagogy Minor coursework:
- EDCI 7311.1 and .2 Topics in Language Arts Education (LSU Writing Project) (6) offered each summer
- EDCI 7314 Teaching Written Composition from PK through Grade 6 (3 hours) OR
- EDCI 7142 Studies in the Teaching of Composition in Secondary Schools (3)
- EDCI 7129 Writing Seminar: From Idea to Manuscript (3) offered every fall as a Saturday seminar
Candidates must: 1) successfully complete a General Exam consisting of written responses to questions and a comprehensive oral exam; 2) successfully propose a Dissertation Proposal which is typically the first 3 chapters of a proposed dissertation study, including an oral defense of the proposal; 3) gain Internal Review Board (IRB) approval, and 4) complete a dissertation study, collecting, analyzing, and writing up research results and successfully passing an oral defense of the dissertation study.
Meet our Current Students and Recent Graduates!
Current Doctoral Students
 |
Andrea Tory Broussard began her doctoral journey in 2020, focusing her research on the field of Data-Driven Instruction. She completed her undergraduate studies at Louisiana State University earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in English and History. Tory pursued a Master of Science in Curriculum and Instruction from Louisiana State University. Tory’s primary research interest lies in exploring the key decisions made by educational leaders to advance student achievement. With a focus on the systemic use of PLCs, currently, she is investigating instructional practices that advance the achievement of high-performing students. |
 |
Alexandra Chenevert began her doctoral journey in Fall of 2020, focusing her research on the field of teacher and professional education. She completed her undergraduate studies at Louisiana State University earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in Elementary Education Grades 1-5. Alexandra pursued a Master of Education in Curriculum and Instruction from Louisiana State University. Alexandra’s primary research interest lies in exploring/investigating professional development and training for pre-service and in-service teachers of English Learners. With a focus on second-language acquisition, currently, she is investigating how teachers and school leaders are being trained locally, state-wide, and nationally. |
 |
Nabiha Mujahid began her doctoral journey in August 2020, focusing her research on the field of special education. She completed her undergraduate studies at LSU, earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in Education. Nabiha pursued a Master of Science in Higher Education Administration from LSU. Nabiha's primary research interest lies in exploring innovative strategies for inclusive educational leadership in the realm of special education. With a focus on understanding the impact of the updated definition of visual impairment in Louisiana on educators' approaches, she is investigating the adaptations and impacts experienced by educators, following the inclusion of Cortical Visual Impairment (CVI) in the recognized forms of visual impairment. Nabiha currently works at the Accessible Educational Material (AEM) center, where she supports school systems across the state, assisting educators and students with disabilities with accessible materials and technology.
|
 |
Vickey R. Silas began her doctoral journey in Fall 2020, focusing her research on the field of Leadership in Policymaking. She completed her undergraduate studies at the University of New Orleans, earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in History and Paralegal Studies. Vickey pursued a Master of Science in Secondary Education from William Carey University in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. She also completed an Education Specialist degree in Curriculum and Instruction from Cambridge College in Boston, Massachusetts as well as a 2nd Education Specialist degree in Educational Leadership from Louisiana State University. Vickey's primary research interest lies in examining gender, race and intersectional identities in policymaking. With a focus on the lived experiences of Black women as education policymakers. Vickey is currently the Deputy Chief of Policy and Implementation in East Baton Rouge Parish School System. She is responsible for developing, revising and implementing policies adopted by the school board. Vickey also directs the operations of the district's portfolio of Type 1 charter schools. |
Recent Graduates
 |
Angela Bradley, PhD, graduated with her doctoral degree in the PK-12 Educational Leadership Program in the Lutrill & Pearl Payne School of Education in December of 2023. Her research examined the relational aspect of trust, a characteristic of servant leadership, in the teacher-principal relationship. More specifically, she examined the role that trust plays in enhancing a school’s culture, how trust is established and maintained among principals and teachers, specific indicators that trust is present on a school campus, and trust’s effects on collaboration and organizational commitment. Her study was titled, Investigating the Relational Element of Trust in Teacher-Principal Relationships: An Autoethnographic Case Study. Currently, Dr. Bradley serves as a Pre-K – 8 school principal in the Jefferson Parish Public School System. |
 |
Bonnie Chelette, PhD graduated with her doctoral degree in the PK-12 Educational Leadership Program in the Lutrill & Pearl Payne School of Education in December 2023. Her research, titled A Comparative Analysis of Models of Cybersecurity in Louisiana Public School Systems, examined cybersecurity models in K-12 school systems to understand their specific needs and solutions including the importance of secure practices, diverse threat management, and the interplay of technical, procedural, and human factors in cybersecurity. Currently, she serves as the Director of Educational Technology for the Louisiana Department of Education |
 |
Ellen Brupbacher Daugherty, PhD graduated with her doctoral degree in the PK-12 Educational Leadership Program in the Lutrill & Pearl Payne School of Education in December 2022. Her research examined how Reading Recovery training transformed the way teachers understood and taught reading and her study was titled, An Exploration of Trained Reading Recovery Teachers’ Perceptions about the Program and Subsequent Influences on Select Teachers’ View of Reading Instruction. Currently, she serves as the K-2 Academic Facilitator at the LSU Lab School. |
 |
Nathan Wayne Hite, PhD graduated with his doctoral degree in the PK-12 Educational Leadership Program in the Lutrill & Pearl Payne School of Education in December 2022. His research examined critical components of principal preparation fieldwork, and his study was titled, Experience That Works: An Investigation Uncovering Essential Elements of Field Experiences and Internships within Principal Preparation Programs that Significantly Impact and Contribute to Principal Effectiveness. Currently, Dr. Hite is serving as an Assistant Principal with East Baton Rouge Parish School System. |
 |
Bridget Zeringue Lemoine, PhD graduated with her doctoral degree in the PK-12 Educational Leadership Program in the Lutrill & Pearl Payne School of Education in December 2023. Her research, titled New Standards versus New World: An examination of select South Louisiana teachers’ experiences with Next Generation Science Standards in a Virtual Context, examined certain changes made to the science standards in Louisiana and examined how the pandemic interrupted NGSS implementation in the classroom both with teachers who were familiar with the new standards and those new to the science classroom and the new standards. Currently, she serves as an Instructional Coach at Central Middle School in Ascension Parish School District. |
 |
Channing Parfait, PhD graduated with his doctoral degree in the PK-12 Educational Leadership Program in the Lutrill & Pearl Payne School of Education in May 2022. His research examined how co-planning can expand expertise for mentors and mentees engaged in a yearlong teacher residency, and his study was titled, Exploring Co-planning Conversations as a Professional Development Activity for Mentors and Mentees at the Beginning of a Yearlong Residency. Currently, he is the assistant dean for the College of Education and Behavioral Sciences at Nicholls State University. He also serves as an assistant professor in the P-12 educational leadership program at Nicholls State University. |