Can Ed.D Program Wield Influence in Africa?

By Andrea Bennett on October 14, 2009 9:43 AM

Lessons from the USC Rossier School of Education’s doctorate in education program really are without borders, and knowledge from the Ed.D. program is transforming schools around the world.

This past summer, the reach of USC’s influence extended to Africa through the work of alumni Andrew Heughins EdD ’06 and Jerry Gargus EdD ’06, who share a passion for improving education beyond their respective schools.

When Heughins and Gargus, the principals of Anthony Elementary and Schmitt Elementary in Westminster, respectively, visited Nigeria this summer to help teachers and school administrators improve their practice, they found a system lacking the influence of current educational research.

“The instructional paradigm is very rigid with students sitting in rows and copying off of the board, unlike the engaging instructional model that is emphasized in U.S. schools,” Gargus explained. “In some cases, learning and performance expectations for students have not been developmentally appropriate.”

In Nigeria, teachers have little voice in school practices, and they are often expected to work long hours and weekends at the whim of school directors. In many schools, an assembly line approach is favored over staff collaboration and inspiration.

The two alums soon discovered that the teachers, administrators and school owners were hungry for any educational strategies that would make them better at what they do. It was evident that the teachers and administrators who participated in the training programs believe that improving the country’s education system is critical to Nigeria’s future.

In order to become a teacher in Nigeria, an individual needs to have earned a bachelor’s degree, but there is not a curriculum at the university level that prepares them for the classroom.

“Schools in Nigeria, including those that we worked with during our two weeks in the country, don’t have teachers who go through education programs at universities,” Heughins said. “The neat thing about working with them was they are so eager. In most cases, teachers are not exposed to the kind of ongoing professional development that is common in the U.S. The educators we worked with expressed that there is tremendous demand for further training.”

Heughins, who led a team of four education experts on the trip, taught administrators and school directors how to run schools effectively, how to motivate teachers and how to collaboratively develop school vision statements. Many of the strategies introduced to program participants were derived from research shared in Stuart Gothold’s educational leadership class, which emphasized Bolman and Deal’s “Four Frames of Leadership.”

“Everything we learned in the Ed.D. program came together,” Heughins said. “I would have never had the confidence to travel to Africa to train educators had it not been for my experiences at USC. Dr. Gothold’s leadership class during our first year was both inspiring and motivational. He definitely left a lasting impact on us.”

Gargus worked with primary grade teachers to help them develop their repertoire of instructional strategies for building fluency, engaging students in the instructional process and managing their classrooms.

“It was awesome to see the passion and energy that the teachers in both Abuja and Lagos maintained throughout the five-day training,” he said.

“USC definitely has an international brand. It’s recognized around the world, and it was wonderful to see that when we traveled to Nigeria. Having a doctorate of education from USC empowered us with instant credibility to be able to help Nigerian educators better their practice.”

Two days after their arrival, however, the American educators were reminded of the tenuous state of education in some parts of the country as a violent uprising broke out in the north by Islamic militants.

The conflict was quelled within a week. But it was clear to the team that their work was unlike any professional development program one might offer in the United States. The team plans to return next summer and expand its reach by offering professional development courses online.

Gargus credited his experience in the Ed.D. program and the responsibility that comes with it for motivating him to improve education globally.

“One of the things that was really beneficial about USC was that it broadened the horizons of what’s really possible,” Gargus said. “The opportunity that exists for us to have influence on the lives of children is no longer limited to our schools, our state or even our country.”

TAGS: education, globalization

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