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Scholar-Practitioner Center for the Advancement of
Educational Leadership and Learning Organizations
Mission Statement
To develop professional practitioners (scholar-practitioners) who utilize research as key
components to informed decision-making and problem solving in the school and
university contexts, examine policies and practices for effectiveness, and authentically
contribute to the educational field-base through scholarship. This center will thus have as
its core to its mission the integration of teaching and research into a collaborative project
with school corporations, resulting in the dissemination of knowledge based around
topical educational concerns
Rationale
Teachers can no longer leave inquiry to the university scholar, and the university scholar
can no longer isolate herself from the life of teachers in K-12 classrooms. Otherwise,
dichotomies are entrenched: theory vs. practice, university vs. schools, academicians vs.
practitioners, administrators vs. teachers. Twenty-first century education must not
reproduce the once established dichotomy between the “academy” and the “classroom.”
In response to these timeless dichotomies, we believe that universities must initiate deep,
meaningful partnerships with public education organizations to foster life-long learning
and the development of authentic learning communities on multiple levels. The SOE
faculty is making progress in that direction as evidence by program design and creative
endeavors to support preservice and inservice professional teacher development.
SOE faculty members, in response to the 2003 NCATE review, have engaged in a
Program Review/Self-Study of M.S. Programs in Elementary and Secondary Education
under the leadership of Associate Dean Kathleen Murphey. During the Full Group
Meeting # 3, held on December 8, 2003, members began to use the Scholar-Practitioner
construct as they dialogued to advance a Vision statement for the Graduate Education
Program of the School of Education. While, the Vision statement has not been finalized,
its current version reads: Scholar-Practitioner Learning Communities for Democratizing a
Diverse Society.
The faculty at IPFW is committed to bridging the dichotomies listed earlier, as evidenced
in recent Creative Endeavors such as Title II “Improving Student Achievement through
more Effective Teachers – 2002-2003 New K-16 Transition Partnerships,” the Senior
Projects partnership with East Noble High School English Department, implementation
of field-based methods, and the recently established Appleseed Writing Project. Multiple
projects have connected multiple school corporations with the SOE, but an overarching,
foundational structure to sustain the relationship when project monies run their course is
still missing.
With the No Child Left Behind legislation and standardization of education through testdriven curriculum and instruction, we believe that a scholar-practitioner model of
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educational leadership is needed to address the complex issues of quality and equity that
emerge. We believe that sustained research practices that depict the scholar-practitioner
model on current topics in education are foundational to building a dynamic educational
structure that holds firm with each wave of legislation, supports best teaching practices,
and contributes to the knowledge of what quality teaching for learning is. Useful
educational theory grows from inquiry contextualized in practice.
In addition to the above, a vital element of the Center is to tie both our Educational
Specialist Program, and other academic masters programs in particular, to the Center’s
activities. Certainly, we see publishable projects with the new journal culminating in
some of our EDS and revised graduate programs. We also envision reaching out through
our students to their constituencies in leadership and consulting capacities so as to link
our own research interests with the activities of multiple school corporations. In other
words, we hope to develop consulting and assessment opportunities as well as
collaborative research projects between the university and the schools.
A Scholar-Practitioner Center for the Advancement of Education is intended to address
the need to sustain scholarly practice over time as a structure for improving education and
learning. Central to the proposed work of the center is to draw members of the IPFW
community, East Allen County Schools’ community, Fort Wayne School community,
and Indiana
Initial Activities
Journal
Barry Kanpol, Ph.D., Dean, School of Education has presented a proposal to Dr. Jeff
Abbott, Superintendent of East Allen County Schools for a journal that further unites a
partnership with IPFW.
Summit Meetings
The Scholar-Practitioner Center for the Advancement of Educational Leadership and
Learning Organizations will become a hub for educational dialogue. We envision the
Center sponsoring annual summit meetings, in which an invited scholar from the
academy or the public school field will facilitate dialogue on a current educational issue.
These meetings will be scholarly, but focused on practice. We envision the first dialogue
summit meeting to discuss the Scholar-Practitioner construct in educational leadership
development and propose bringing in two facilitators. Patrick M. Jenlink is an associate
professor of scholar-practitioner educational leadership at Stephen F. Austin State
University, a founding editor for the Scholar-Practitioner Quarterly, and editor of
Teacher Education and Practice. Raymond A. Horn, Jr., is an assistant professor of
education at Penn State Harrisburg and a founding editor for the Scholar-Practitioner
Quarterly. One of Jenlink’s articles (co-authored with Allison Carr), “Conversation as a
Medium for Change in Education,” is included in the reading packet for team members
participating in the April Leadership Institute.
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Prospective Activities
Evaluation studies for schools
Indiana Statewide Testing of Educational Progress has demanded that school
administrators and classroom teachers develop data analysis skills in the process of
designing curriculum and instruction. The Scholar-Practitioner Center would provide
leadership to individual schools or school corporations. These activities would include,
but not be limited to professional development of school personnel and/or evaluation
studies for schools.
Grant evaluations
The last two decades has seen the trend towards grant-writing as an avenue to access
state, federal, and corporate funds for educational projects. More and more, the
government is demanding accountability for grant funds. Grant evaluation is an inquirybased activity. The Scholar-Practitioner Center would connect grant-writers and Directors
with university scholars capable of such evaluations.
Goals
Construct knowledge through research and inquiry that will address the complex
educational issues facing administrators and teachers

Evaluate educational outcomes in Indiana

Evaluate classroom instructional practices

Collaborate with classroom teachers in action research
Educational improvement through the development of professional leadership

Provide scholarly-practitioner leadership in Indiana

Develop administrators and teachers as scholar-practitioner leaders
Facilities and Equipment
Office Space: One central office to visibly locate the Center and journal, house one
administrative secretary
Office needs to be large enough to house the Appleseed Writing
Project Library as well as space for working on the journal
Office should be viewed as a research and resource center
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Technology Equipment: Computer, Transcriber, and Journal software. The administrative
secretary will use the computer to process incoming and outgoing manuscripts, store
manuscripts, and transcribe data. The secretary will transcribe data for the journal.
Journal software will make it possible to send manuscripts to reviewers electronically and
maintain blind review processes.
Structure
The Interim Director of the Center will be Barry Kanpol. Associate Directors are Glenda
Moss, Kathleen Murphey, and Joe Nichols. (Term specified by appointment letter.) We
suggest a three-year renewable terms, subject to Associate Vice Chancellor for Research
and Vice Chancellor of Academic Affairs evaluation
Membership Criteria for East Allen County Schools as Foundational Member and CoInitiator of the Journal: Negotiated with EACS for journal start-up
School Corporation Membership Criteria: Annual School Corporation Membership Fee
to be determined.
Membership
The Scholar-Practitioner Center membership would include the IPFW Associate Vice
Chancellor for Research, IPFW Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, IPFW Vice
Chancellor of Academic Affairs Staff, Dean of the School of Education, Associate Dean
of the School of Education, East Allen County School Board, and other School Boards of
corporations who join the center.
Administration
The Scholar-Practitioner Center will be housed in the SOE and administrated by a
selected faculty member from the SOE. The journal will be housed within the Center and
administrated by co-editors, Glenda Moss, Kathleen Murphey, and Joe Nichols. Support
staff will include one administrative assistant, who will assist in the production of the
journal and scholarly activities of the Center. We anticipate the center growing in
productivity to point of needing a Director by the third year. We are requesting $3000 in
their third year to cover the cost of hiring adjunct faculty to give the Director one course
release in the fall and spring.
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Journal
The primary activity of the Scholar-Practitioner Education Center will be the production
of a scholar-practitioner type journal to produce scholarly educational research and
provide scholarly information for public school organizations.
Dr. Kanpol, Dean of the SOE, has requested $33,000 funding from EACS for two-year
production cost of a journal. Following the initial two years, we are proposing a split
profit arrangement between IPFW and EACS for the production of the journal. The goal
is for the journal to become financially self-sustaining through institutional and
individual sales.
Sustainability
Institutional and Individual Sales
Annual Membership Fees
Consulting Services
 Program evaluations
 Grant evaluations
 Test scores analysis
 Problem solving
 Change processes
 Contracted research studies
 Teacher research
 Inquiry-based professional development
In summary, a Scholar-Practitioner Center would potentially make IPFW a hub for the
advancement of educational leadership and lead area school corporations in the kind of
deep inquiry that is necessary to make informed, scholarly decisions in a complex world.
Peter Senge (1999), in The Dance of Change, wrote:

Organizations are products of the ways that people in them think and interact.

To change organizations for the better, you must give people the opportunity to
change the ways they think and interact. (p. 33)
The proposed Scholar-Practitioner Center would give educators the opportunity to learn
how to slow down their reactive thinking processes and think reflectively within a
community of learners committed to authentically raising educational standards through
inquiry in the context of practice.