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The University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL) Department of Educational Administration (EDAD) faculty conduct leading research and outreach related to the most pressing and complex challenges and opportunities in the education field and support students in connecting theory to practice. Below is a summary of recent hands-on research published by UNL EDAD faculty. Contact them to learn more.

Educational Administration program focuses on preparing Indigenous school leaders

By Shavonna Holman, Ed. D.

For over 21 years, the Indigenous Roots Teacher Education Program in the University of Nebraska–Lincoln’s College of Education and Human Sciences has prepared American Indian students to become elementary education and bilingual teachers working in American Indian-serving school districts in Nebraska.

According to the Nebraska Department of Education, data from this year shows that of the 2,100-plus school administrators in the state, only 0.1% are American Indian/Alaskan Native. “Representation in the classroom matters significantly to Indigenous students,” said Nancy Engen-Wedin (Dept. of Teaching, Learning and Teacher Education), who has served as the ROOTS Project Director for more than two decades.

To build on the success of ROOTS, Engen-Wedin, Dr. Shavonna Holman and a group of faculty and staff collaborated to secure a grant from the U.S. Department of Education that will allow the program to expand efforts to training Indigenous school principals and administrators.

This new program is built on the existing partnerships with Little Priest Tribal College, the Nebraska Department of Education and K-12 school districts in northeastern Nebraska to address the rising demand among reservation schools to place American Indian role models in classrooms and as school administrators. The curriculum for this program has been adapted to better represent the indigenous communities and students, and to challenge historical perspectives in teaching and educational administration.

Six American Indian students have been selected to participate in the program’s first administrative cohort, with school districts serving Native students helping to identify potential students for the program. Students will complete coursework and internship experiences, and graduate after two to three years.

The course structure will mirror the Master of Education in Educational Administration program, a 36-credit-hour program that meets Nebraska Department of Education requirements for the elementary or secondary principal endorsement. The program blends online and face-to-face instruction and the latest technology for communication, including videoconferencing, a learning management system and virtual reality.

“This project is based over 20,000 square miles, so it’s important to use dynamic web-based course delivery to meet the students where they are,” said Shavonna Holman, assistant professor of practice and P-12 school leadership Master of Education coordinator in the Department of Educational Administration.

Upon graduation, students will receive induction assistance in securing employment in qualifying school districts serving American Indian students. They also will receive support during their first two years as school administrators, in which they will have opportunities to engage in statewide professional development and share their experiences with stakeholders to elevate Indigenous knowledge systems.

Dr. Shavonna Holman serves as the coordinator of the Masters in Education program and is an assistant professor of practice in the Department of Educational Administration at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Dr. Holman has worked at the university since 2013. Prior to higher education, Holman spent more than 10 years in the public education sector serving both as an elementary teacher and elementary principal in diverse and urban settings. ■

HOLMAN