Introducing Dr. Copeland, Ed.D

Superintendent of CCSD#2 Jim Copeland just completed the long journey in becoming "Dr. Copeland".

Recently, Copeland defended his dissertation and received his Ed.D in Educational studies from the University of Northern Colorado (UNC) in Greeley.

Copeland began the process in 2012, as UNC started a doctorate program in Educational studies. It was a hybrid program, with most of the classes taking place online. For Copeland, who was living two hours away from campus in Fleming, Colo., the program was a perfect fit.

"I couldn't drive two hours to class everyday, I just had too many responsibilities I needed to be attending to," he said. "So I saw (the online program) as an opportunity."

It was always a goal for Copeland to receive his doctorate. After his youngest son went to college, Copeland said he finally had time to take on a doctorate. He felt if he was not ready to retire and he wanted to continue in education, it would be a good way to keep him current.

The process, he said, encouraged him to stay up to date with the latest research on education. He said he may look for ways to implement some of the studies he encountered in CCSD#2.

Copeland said he ran into a few road blocks along the way. During the summer of 2013, he had a few family emergencies, which he said essentially eliminated any productivity on his work. Additionally, he said moving to Saratoga in May delayed his process.

But as he got settled in his job, Copeland found the time to finish his education.

The title of Copeland's dissertation is "Implementation of a Inter-district Curriculum Consortium Among Ten Rural Colorado Schools." The case-study followed 10 rural Colorado school districts and how they adopted the same curriculum and develop common assessments. Copeland selected teachers and administrators and asked them a list of questions. He then looked for themes that came through during the interviews and made his assessments.

"It was kind of one of the first of its kind in Colorado," Copeland said. "There is not a lot of across-district lines, real collaboration among rural districts ... and I just feel like there is a lot of potential there to save some time and resources."

One of the strongest themes that came through during the interviews was what he calls "teacher agency." He said increasing mandates from federal and state governments has restricted teachers and school districts from developing curriculum to fit their classrooms.

His research has already helped him as superintendent of CCSD#2. Copeland said they were able to work with Carbon County School District No. 1 (CCSD#1) during the beginning of the year during their inservice day. He said he plans on working with CCSD#1 more in the future. Additionally, Copeland said it has helped him with finding common ground among many of the schools in CCSD#2.

"There is lots of competition between communities," he said. "Whether it's test scores or sports, there are a lot of pride between rural schools."

Copeland said defending his dissertation was nerve-w racking. He said he had to explain his research in front of four professors who Copeland said were very critical of his research. The then professors discussed Copeland's work behind closed doors. Copeland was then brought back into the room and his work was complemented by his professors. Copeland said that process is standard practice when defending a dissertation.

Copeland's dissertation was ultimately approved, and is currently being edited. He officially received his degree this month.

Copeland said he may look towards teaching part-time when his days in administration are over. After working in districts for many years, he believes his hands-on experience, along with his academic knowledge, can be beneficial in college education departments.