Naima Duncan of Montclair, N.J., Earns Doctorate in Educational Leadership at College of Saint Elizabeth

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Naima Duncan

MORRISTOWN, NJ (04/21/2014)(readMedia)--  Naima Duncan of Montclair, N.J., has successfully defended her dissertation at the College of Saint Elizabeth (CSE), 2 Convent Road, Morristown, N.J., to earn her doctorate in educational leadership. Duncan's dissertation is entitled, "Kindergarten Readiness Expectations and Challenging Behaviors in Preschool Children: Is There a Connection?" Her dissertation examined state and federal policies that require preschool programs to meet new academic expectations. Duncan's research explored how these academic expectations affect the primacy of social skill development in the preschool classroom.

"I am eternally grateful to have completed the last few years of my higher education experience with College of Saint Elizabeth," said Duncan. "At CSE, true servant leadership is practiced and embedded within the program. It is here, future leaders are bred to serve the communities for which they are responsible for."

Duncan serves as an education supervisor with North Hudson Community Head Start and Early Head Start in West New York, New Jersey. She has taught as an early child educator for nineteen years. Duncan received her Master of Arts in Education Leadership from CSE and her Bachelors of Arts in Early Childhood Education and English from Montclair State University.

The doctoral program at CSE, which is dedicated to preparing leaders who are committed to social justice and ethical practice, began in August 2007. "Integrated into all course work and learning activities are the central values and beliefs necessary for school leaders to function as morally purposeful stewards for their school communities," states Dr. John Crews, CSE educational leadership program chair. "This philosophy of servant leadership represents a major shift from the traditional paradigm of school leaders as managers of resources, which is so prevalent in today's practices."

Sponsored by the Sisters of Charity of Saint Elizabeth, Convent Station, New Jersey, the College of Saint Elizabeth enrolls more than 1,500 full- and part-time students in more than 25 undergraduate, 10 graduate and 2 doctoral degree programs; an Ed.D.in educational leadership and a Psy.D. in counseling psychology. For information on other activities or programs, visit the College of Saint Elizabeth web site at www.cse.edu.