Eiad Masri of Fairfield, NJ has successfully defended his doctoral dissertation at the College of Saint Elizabeth to earn an Ed.D. in Educational Leadership.
“The doctoral program in Educational Leadership at CSE provided me with the necessary tools to sharpen and advance my leadership skills, particularly in servant leadership,” says Masri. “The program is designed to permit doctoral students to reflect on three major components: the self, area of research, and career. The consistent support from professors enables students to succeed and reach their full potential.”
The title of Masri’s dissertation is, “The Underrepresentation of Gifted and Talented Students within the Intervention and Referral (I&RS) Process.” His research focused on the unique population of twice exceptional students, or students who have outstanding talents in some academic areas and significant learning difficulties in other areas, who are frequently overlooked in the educational school system. This lack of recognition puts them at an increased risk for underachievement and reduced educational intervention.
Masri’s study revealed that an inability to identify twice exceptional students requires greater professional development of elementary and middle school teachers who work with gifted children. This would then improve their ability to refer students to I&RS.
In order to rectify this problem, Masri’s research offers three recommendations: 1) continue with efforts to change the mindset of those associated with gifted students who may have a disability; 2) establish greater collaboration with parents; 3) provide more differentiated professional development for teachers in meeting the special demands of students in a variety of contexts to improve identification of twice-exceptional students in the I&RS process.
A first-generation college student, Masri spent his early childhood in Ramallah, Palestine. He earned a bachelor’s degree in sociology from Rowan University then proceeded to obtain two graduate degrees: a Master’s in Student Personnel Services/Counseling from Rowan University and a Master’s in Educational Leadership from Montclair State University. For the last 12 years, Masri has worked as an adjunct professor at Passaic County Community College and Essex College.
Within the educational leadership doctoral program, CSE offers two tracks: Pre-K to 12th grade and higher education. The higher education track is part of CSE’s ED CHOICE program. ED CHOICE is a program, unique to the College of Saint Elizabeth, that allows students to choose whether to attend class on campus or complete coursework online depending on their individual schedules.
For more information about ED CHOICE click here.
For more information about CSE’s Education programs click here.
Mary Colleen Robinson has a communication degree with a concentration in journalism and is currently working as the PR/Social Media Specialist at the College of Saint Elizabeth.
