The Princeton Review recently named the U of A College of Education and Health Professions' educational leadership doctoral program among the best online Doctor of Education programs in the country, citing its flexibility, affordability and access to innovative technology that students look for to advance their careers.

While in Fayetteville recently for the program's intensive weekend doctoral seminar, students in the current cohort added a few other favorite features: supportive faculty, synchronous classes and each other.

Educational leadership cohorts meet in person for intensives twice a year. Thirteen of the program's doctoral students traveled from coast to coast to the U of A's Fayetteville campus for this semester's meetup. The 2024 cohort represents various states in addition to Arkansas, including Texas, Oklahoma, Georgia, Kansas, Iowa, Wisconsin, Connecticut, California and Wyoming.

The students see each other every week online, but the in-person meetups allow them to strengthen their bond, learn face-to-face from their professors and receive feedback on their dissertations.

Professor John Pijanowski, who teaches in the program and serves as its coordinator, said the program's unique blend of intercommunication is powerful for students and faculty.

"We value the opportunity to learn directly with, and from, each other. So, whether that is through the live interactions we have online, school-embedded experiences working through real problems of practice or these on-campus intensive seminars, social learning sits at the center of our program," he said.

The 2024 cohort is wrapping up its first of three years in the program. They work in various education professions such as superintendent, principal or teacher, so synchronous classes that meet at night are ideal.

Rob Lunak, who attended the recent intensive on campus, works in a private school network in Wisconsin and would eventually like to be the superintendent of that system.

"I'm glad these intensives are part of the program," he said. "It allows me to connect with the members of the cohort, and it gives us the ability to learn from the faculty in a focused way that is really helpful and is something not every program offers. The conversations I have had with cohort members and our professors have been invaluable. The relationships we have created allow us to support each other as we work towards this degree."

Olivera Jankovska said the program complements her work as director of education in the city of Houston's mayor's office. "It supports my decision-making, especially with academic research and the consumption of program evaluations in education," she added.

Jankovska, a published economist with a decade of international development experience and fluent in seven languages, especially appreciates the interactions with the program's educational leadership professors. "They are super helpful and renowned in their fields," she said.

As a single mother, she needed an online and affordable program. A U of A alumna, she was also excited to be earning a doctoral degree from her alma mater. "There are tons of online programs, but the U of A educational leadership program is strong academically and community-wise," she said.

Shannon Tisher, the associate superintendent at Springdale Public Schools, is also an alumna. She earned a bachelor's, Master of Arts in Teaching and Educational Specialist in Educational Leadership degrees from the U of A.

"I'm so happy that I chose this doctoral program," she said. "It truly is a scholar-practitioner model program. The way the classes are structured allows practitioners to view the content and learning through the lens of realistic problems of practice while pushing us to become consumers of peer-reviewed research."

Tisher said she and her peers are becoming researchers along the doctoral journey. They're also learning from one another. "It's a blessing to be a member of a cohort comprised of practitioners from all over the nation," she said. "We learn so much from one another by processing the content through each of our unique educational landscapes and the roles we occupy as educators. We are all professionals with full-time jobs, and we support each other as we all work to navigate the doctoral program together."

She said the program is doable in the students' busy lives because it's structured around relevant problems of practice. "We are immersed in research and writing our dissertations in real time," she said.

The program admits a new cohort of doctoral students each summer. The faculty just completed interviews for the 2025 cohort.