On average, successful projects have ranged in length from 20 to 25 pages of content (not including the title page, abstract, references or appendix) to accommodate the expected depth appropriate to reflect mastery.

In the final course EDU 624, candidates specializing in Leadership of Educational Organizations will write a thesis based on library research of a controversial topic appropriate to their specialization area. The topic must be a controversial issue facing the field of education and not a problem that is addressed at the local level. The topic must be an issue or problem that has experts suggesting at least 2 distinct sides to the issue both presenting valid points of view. The candidate will be expected to complete an extensive and intensive discussion of all sides of the chosen issue giving specific strengths and weaknesses of both sides with equal fervor. All points of view must be backed by appropriate research data not just opinions and be given equal representation. The candidate must then, address how they would deal with a disagreement among faculty on this issue. In a conclusion section, the candidate will present their own thoughts and ideas justified by supporting sources. Extensive use of primary source information will be expected. At a minimum, citations and references should include at least 2 research studies with data for each side of the discussion and at least 3 peer reviewed expert sources for each side of the issue. The paper must be written in APA 6th manuscript format  include the following:

• Title page

• Abstract

• Introduction

• Discussion of the overall topic

• Discussion of various points of view

• Review of the Literature and data supporting different points of view

• Discussion of how to deal with a disagreement among faculty on this issue

• Conclusions of the author supported by data.

• Reference Page

• Annotated Bibliography in an appendix 

Before submitting your topic idea be sure to research and verify that there are suitable research studies and peer reviewed sources for both sides of the issue.

Your topic is “The Change within the Youth Center that Target Youth in Care”

The project must be original work, created and completed by the candidate during the EDU 624 class session, and reflect mastery of specialization skill sets. The Library Thesis will be due as the final IP project for this class and will be worth a maximum of 500 points. This is your culminating project experience that must reflect all facets of your M.Ed. journey. 

Educational Leadership Unit 5 Final Project

Purpose of Assignment and Content Development: Demonstrates outstanding or exemplary use of appropriate, relevant, and innovative content demonstrating mastery of the subject in order to solve problems, analyze current trends, theories, opportunities and challenges. All requirements of the assignment are included in the response including: discussion of an approved controversial issue in the field of education that has at least 2 distinct sides, both with valid points of view, an extensive discussion of each side providing (at least 2) research data sources supporting each of the views and (at least 3) peer reviewed expert sources. Discussion includes a complete explanation of the views expressed and includes strengths and weaknesses of each side, and a discussion of how as an educational leader you would deal with differing sides of this issue among your staff. 150/150 points earned

Organization, Grammar and Presentation: Demonstrates outstanding or exemplary application of written and visual skills. Demonstrates outstanding expression of topic, main idea, and purpose. Errors in grammar, spelling, and sentence structure are minimal. Paper is written in correct APA format including title page, headers, abstract, topic headings, citations, references and an annotated bibliography in the appendix. 150/150 points earned

Information Literacy and Research: Demonstrates outstanding selection and use of high quality, credible, and relevant sources to develop ideas that are appropriate to the assignment. Sources are consistently cited according to required documentation (e.g., APA), with almost no errors. Research data as well as expert opinions are provided on each side of the issue. 75/75 points earned

Critical thinking: Demonstrates outstanding or exemplary ability to evaluate, integrate, and critique a wide range of opinions, beliefs, abstract ideas, and data to inform judgment, identify and solve problems and, where appropriate, propose new hypotheses. Analysis of the differing sides is original work of the writer and not just a paraphrase of a source. Clear justifications for both sides of the issue are provided. The author’s opinion is justified by the presentation of the data. 125/125 points earned