Master of Education in Urban Educational Leadership

Advance as a responsive, effective leader in urban schools

Master of Education - Urban Educational Leadership (36 credits)

Gain the skills and strategies critical to leading schools and districts in our cities through the master of education in urban educational leadership at Davenport University. Our leading-edge urban education leadership program supports and empowers current and aspiring school administrators to succeed in urban schools.

This master’s of education is delivered 100% Online+ through Davenport’s innovative Global Campus. You’ll benefit from culturally competent urban education courses and a master’s of education that immerses you in actual clinical settings through internships and more.

Receive exceptional preparation for leadership roles in urban education, including principal, vice principal, dean of students and other urban educational leadership positions. Graduates of the master’s of education are often promoted to leadership positions and many serve as administrators in K-12 settings.

Train to be a change agent in urban education

Through Davenport’s master of educational leadership, you’ll focus on urban studies, including the impact of race, culture and equity, and learn to navigate these and other urban education issues. This master’s of education is for you if you are an educator or administrator who is a transformative thinker with a strong desire to make an impact in urban schools.

Explore classes for Davenport’s master of educational leadership

You’ll take rigorous, relevant and culturally competent courses that teach you best practices in urban educational leadership. Your urban studies include foundations of urban education leadership as well as business essentials you’ll need in leadership roles in urban schools. The master of educational leadership is aligned with national standards for educational leaders and meets Michigan Standards for Preparation of School Administrators.

See Full Course List

Foundations Of Urban Educational Leadership		12 Credits
UEDU622	Educational Leadership This course introduces candidates to contemporary and classic theories of leadership. Additionally, this course examines the replacement of trait-based leadership theories by research-based practices in the educational context. The topics explored in this course are drawn from multidisciplinary perspectives, including psychology, anthropology, and sociology. Applicable Course Fees can be found at https://my.davenport.edu/financial-aid/how-much-does-du-cost/tuition-and-fees. Prerequisite(s): Admission to the Master of Urban Education program	3
UEDU656	Education and the Law Students must master the general principles of American school law with particular emphasis upon Michigan statutes. The course will examine the legal bases of federal, state and local administrative levels. The course will review the salient legal provisions of the Education Code respecting administration of schools, the rights of patrons and employees, torts, contracts, certification, tenure, school planning and the rights and obligations of pupils. Applicable Course Fees can be found at https://my.davenport.edu/financial-aid/how-much-does-du-cost/tuition-and-fees. Prerequisite(s): Acceptance to the Urban Education Program	3
UEDU710	Race, Culture, & Equity This course will give candidates the strategies necessary to develop and sustain inclusive, equity-focused schools and systems. Candidates will gain understanding of how the intersection of race, identity, power, and privilege in our society impacts urban schools. Methods to identify inequitable structures and practices reflecting the legacy of racism and other forms of exclusion will be introduced. Candidates will learn strategies for building school culture, curriculum, and programs that include strengths-based instruction, cultural competency and effective communication with all stakeholders resulting in family and community engagement. Candidates will develop the capabilities to do this critical work within schools and urban educational systems. Applicable Course Fees can be found at https://my.davenport.edu/financial-aid/how-much-does-du-cost/tuition-and-fees. Prerequisite(s): Admission to the Master of Urban Education program	3
UEDU735	Leading & Managing Urban Sch Candidates in this course will examine effective methods of school leadership based on data that impacts instruction, school culture and managing leadership teams. This course also examines the political and cultural context of educational reform and innovation efforts in urban districts and charter management organizations over the past decade. Candidates will compare the perspectives of several school and district leaders who helped lead the reform efforts in large and diverse urban districts and those of critics of the reform movement. Applicable Course Fees can be found at https://my.davenport.edu/financial-aid/how-much-does-du-cost/tuition-and-fees. Prerequisite(s): Admission to the Master of Urban Education program	3

Business Essentials for Urban Schools and District Administrators		12 Credits
UEDU744	Human Capital Management This course is designed to introduce candidates to the whole spectrum of traditional human resources’ responsibilities and major functions and to grapple with the organizational challenges that have emerged in urban school districts due to poorly functioning HR systems, and challenges with labor and reactionary management. Topics will include intentional recruitment of a diverse workforce, effective candidate screening and selection processes, onboarding, performance management and evaluation, compensation, career progression and employee and labor relations. Additionally, candidates will learn how to transform an urban school or district’s human resource management function into a more strategic and integrated component of a district’s overall approach to improving student achievement. Applicable Course Fees can be found at https://my.davenport.edu/financial-aid/how-much-does-du-cost/tuition-and-fees. Prerequisite(s): Admission to the Master of Urban Education program	3
UEDU753	Stratgc Imprvmnt Urbn Sch/Dist In this course, candidates will be introduced to successful reform strategies and best practices that address how time, resources, and responsibilities can be allocated in urban schools and districts. Candidates will determine how each of these strategies can be managed politically and communicated to stakeholders. Exploration of strategic frameworks including strategic decision making and analysis of complex systems, structures and problems from multiple stakeholder perspectives will take place from a socio-economic and a socio-political context. Applicable Course Fees can be found at https://my.davenport.edu/financial-aid/how-much-does-du-cost/tuition-and-fees. Prerequisite(s): Admission to the Master of Urban Education program	3
UEDU765	Financial Management Candidates will examine a series of best practices in school budgeting, which clearly outline steps to developing a budget that best aligns resources with student achievement goals. Urban school and district budgets will be evaluated with a specific focus on coherence and optimizing student achievement with available resources. The role of the school and district’s instructional priorities as a guide for decision-making will be evaluated with a specific focus on making budgetary decisions in the context of increased numbers of diverse and impoverished candidates, dwindling state and federal resources and the redistribution of public school educational funds to private and charter school management organizations. Applicable Course Fees can be found at https://my.davenport.edu/financial-aid/how-much-does-du-cost/tuition-and-fees. Prerequisite(s): Admission to the Master of Urban Education program	3
UEDU774	Performance Management In this course, candidates will learn the essentials of performance management, specifically how to judge the performance of individual schools, decide which are effective enough to continue supporting, and how to use data to determine whether to shore up struggling schools or create new ones. Candidates will reflect upon the literature on government agencies and businesses that have shifted to performance-based accountability and management, learn why traditional compliance-based systems and structures are not suitable to achieve breakthrough student achievement in urban schools, and examine the necessary technical, cultural and staff capacities in performance-based organizations. Candidates will critique the differences between the leadership and management skills, competencies and dispositions needed in performance-based organizations compared to those valued in compliance-based organizations and the implications surrounding tenure, legacy systems of promotion and seniority. Applica	3

Instructional Core Transformation Strategies		12 Credits
UEDU778	Advanced Instructional Strateg In this course, candidates will review recent research on effective instruction and explore advanced classroom strategies and techniques designed to enhance their effectiveness in meeting the needs of diverse populations of learners. Examples include direct instruction, cooperative learning, dimensions of learning, creative problem solving, and applications of technology to thinking and learning. Candidates will develop expert teaching skills and learn to diagnose and deliver instructional strategies that are most appropriate in specific circumstances commonly found in urban schools. Applicable Course Fees can be found at https://my.davenport.edu/financial-aid/how-much-does-du-cost/tuition-and-fees. Prerequisite(s): Admission to the Master of Urban Education program	3
UEDU788	Culturally Responsv Instructn Candidates will learn a new way of viewing teaching that is grounded in an understanding of the role of culture and language in learning. Candidates in this course will compare the best practices outlined in multiple cultural, linguistically responsive frameworks, eventually adopting one of the proposed frameworks or creating their own to be implemented in their work context. Candidates will also explore relevant coaching and change management strategies and apply them as they learn about their students’ family makeup, immigration history, favorite activities, concerns, and strengths. Applicable Course Fees can be found at https://my.davenport.edu/financial-aid/how-much-does-du-cost/tuition-and-fees. Prerequisite(s): Admission to the Master of Urban Education program	3
UEDU791	Managing Partnership Develpmt This course explores the leadership and management skills, competencies and dispositions needed to develop culturally responsive school, family, and community partnerships. Topics covered include engaging youth through culturally relevant experiences and capitalizing on their funds of knowledge in cultural contexts; training teachers and youth program workers to understand the importance of utilizing culturally relevant pedagogical strategies; and how to assess newly developed and existing programs to determine the level of efficacy, inclusivity, equity and cultural relevance. As a learning community, candidates will explore their beliefs about the role of families and community members in school reform. Candidates will research the impact of home-school and community-school partnerships on student learning and explore the various theoretical frameworks about these partnerships. Applicable Course Fees can be found at https://my.davenport.edu/financial-aid/how-much-does-du-cost/tuition-	3
UEDU796	Transfrmtn & Mgmt - Instr Core Candidates in this course will explore the need for schools to establish their own internal systems and professional cultures to improve student outcomes and develop their own systems for leading the instructional core in context. Candidates will learn how to evaluate the learning experience of students in classrooms and the implications of these experiences for the instructional core. Applicable Course Fees can be found at https://my.davenport.edu/financial-aid/how-much-does-du-cost/tuition-and-fees. Prerequisite(s): Admission to the Master of Urban Education program	3

Which class should I take? When should I take it?

See our Recommended Program Sequences:

100%

Take urban education courses 100% online through Global Campus

$2K

Qualify for up to $2,000 annually in graduate student scholarships

Finish your master of educational leadership in just two years

40,000

Number of students positively impacted by our program

Why pursue a master of educational leadership at Davenport?

By pursuing your masters of education in educational leadership, you’ll benefit from our relationships with educational leaders across the region and beyond. Selected through a rigorous process, these key educator partners represent both the K-12 and higher education sectors. Along with Davenport, they’re dedicated to preparing you to become a highly effective leader in urban schools.

You'll learn from certified teaching professionals with 30+ years of experience as educators, collectively. You'll also receive weekly coaching regarding educational leadership and through cultural intelligence assessments and course curriculum, you will gain insights into unconscious bias and systematic inequity.

Experience the Davenport difference:

Convenient online master’s of education

Enjoy the convenience and quality of a master of educational leadership that’s delivered 100% Online+ through Davenport’s Global Campus.

Educational partners in urban schools

Take advantage of Davenport’s relationships with partner districts, some of which often offer increased pay and/or tuition benefits to candidates enrolled in the master of educational leadership.

Hands-on experience in urban schools

Put your new skills into practice in real time through a master of educational leadership that offers hands-on learning opportunities, such as internships, research, projects, service learning and more.

Faculty who are urban school experts

Benefit from a 18:1 student-faculty ratio. Learn from exemplary urban education leaders with expertise in areas like curriculum design, district leadership, Online+ learning and educational policy.

Urban education leadership certificate

Not ready for a full master’s? Start on your path to becoming a high-performing transformative leader within urban schools with Davenport’s urban education leadership graduate certification.

Dedicated financial aid counselor

Find the maximum financial aid to offset the cost of your urban studies with the help of your own dedicated financial aid counselor. You may qualify for up to $2,000 annually in graduate scholarships.

“The program helped prepare me for success in a doctoral program.”

-Meaghan Polega, M Ed ’16

Teaching and Learning Coordinator, Davenport University

Get started on pursuing your urban education leadership degree at Davenport

Explore the admissions requirements and then take the next step toward earning the Davenport master of educational leadership.

Talk to a graduate admissions advisor

Davenport’s admissions team is here to answer your questions. Please call us at 800.686.1600 or email us at info@davenport.edu.

Apply now or request more information

Get started launching or advancing your career in urban schools. Request more information or begin your application now.

Programs related to the master’s in urban educational leadership

Master of Urban Education

Certificate in Urban Educational Leadership

Certificate in Urban Education

About Davenport University

Davenport is a private, not-for-profit university with more than 150 years of experience preparing students for successful careers.

Offering over 80 degree and certificate programs, we align with top employers to design degree programs that help you gain the skills and real-world experience you need to rise above the rest. With small class sizes and campuses across Michigan or online, you’ll earn a quality education on your schedule at Davenport University.*

Additional resources

Students in a classroom, asking questions

Urban education leadership scholarships for DPSC staff & faculty

Detroit Public Schools Community District staff and faculty can receive a scholarship to pursue urban education degrees and certifications at Davenport University.

Alum credits urban education program for leadership role

“Many doors of opportunities opened” after finishing his graduate studies in urban education at Davenport, says Arnaldo Melendez, M Ed ’17, principal at Dickinson Academy Cultural Center.

Admissions checklist

Step 1: Apply for admission to Davenport University.
- Must have a bachelor's degree with a cumulative GPA of at least 3.0
- Send official transcripts to electronictranscripts@davenport.edu
Step 2: Complete the Urban Education Graduate Supplement
- To do so, you'll need:
  - Answers to short-form questions
  - Resume
  - Information for background check

Some programs require a student to complete a portion of their degree plan off-campus.
View a full list of those programs and courses

Source:

DU Student Data, Fall 2023
Davenport University, 2023/2024 Catalog