Penn State's College of Education is regularly ranked among the nation's best graduate schools, according to U.S. News & World Report, and the online courses for the master of education degree in educational leadership are taught by the same nationally recognized faculty.

Bernard J. Badiali, PhD

Dr. Badiali is an associate professor of educational leadership in the College of Education. His main teaching and research activities have been in the areas of school/university relationships, staff development, school reform, supervision, and curriculum. Dr. Badiali is a former leadership and project associate with the Institute for Educational Inquiry at the University of Washington. He has published more than a dozen articles in various educational journals. His most recent book is Teacher Leader (2001), with Thomas Poetter. Dr. Badiali currently serves as a professional development associate for the Central Pennsylvania Holmes Partnership Elementary Professional Development Schools.

Patricia Best, DEd

Patricia Best, a career educator, served as the superintendent of the State College Area School District for ten years. She was part of the school district for more than 30 years, first as a high school teacher and guidance counselor. Dr. Best then held several administrative positions, with responsibilities for strategic planning, curriculum and professional development, diversity initiatives, and communications. Prior to becoming superintendent in 1999, she served as assistant superintendent for five years. Her leadership of a nationally recognized school district was based on absolute commitment to student learning, excellence and innovation in instruction and services, and meaningful parent and community involvement. She was also actively involved in the leadership of the Pennsylvania Association of School Administrators (PASA), and served as President of PASA in 2006. Dr. Best currently serves as an adjunct faculty member at Penn State in the College of Education and also in the College of Health and Human Development.

She completed her undergraduate degree at Bowling Green State University of Ohio, her MA at Ohio State University, and her doctorate at Penn State. Dr. Best has received numerous professional recognitions including the Penn State College of Education Alumni Society Leadership and Service Award, the Penn State Chapter of Phi Delta Kappa Education Honorary Leadership and Service Award, and was honored by her alma mater, Bowling Green State University, with its Alumni Association Community Service Award.

Debra Freedman, PhD

Dr. Freedman is a former middle school teacher. Her research interests include curriculum theory, supervisory practices, and cultural studies. In addition, Dr. Freedman is interested in teacher education — specifically, critical pedagogical strategies and mentoring practices of cooperating teachers with preservice teachers. She teaches undergraduate courses in secondary education and graduate courses in curriculum, supervision, and research.

James Nolan, PhD

Dr. Nolan is a professor of education and co-director of the Penn State – State College Area School District Elementary Professional Development School. He is co-author of Principles of Classroom Management: A Professional Decision-Making Model, with James Levin; Teachers and Educational Change: The Lived Experience of Secondary School Restructuring, with Denise Meister; and Teacher Supervision & Evaluation: Theory into Practice, with Linda Hoover. He is the editor of the journal Pennsylvania Educational Leadership, and he was the editor of the Journal of Curriculum and Supervision from 1987 to 1993. He is also co-author of the award-winning monograph Teacher Supervision and Evaluation: A Process for School District Self-Assessment and Improvement.

Nona A. Prestine, PhD

Dr. Nona A. Prestine is a professor in the educational leadership program in the Department of Educational Policy Studies at Penn State. She received her PhD from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in educational administration in 1988. Prior to that, she had 16 years of experience as a K–12 classroom teacher and administrator. Her research interests include standards-based reform, secondary school change, and school leadership issues. Teaching specializations include organizational theory, school and district improvement, research methodology, and leadership.

Dr. Prestine is the lead professor of the new online MEd in Educational Leadership — Teacher Leadership Option. In addition, she serves as certification officer for both the Principal and Superintendent Certification Programs at Penn State and serves as a senior editor for the American Journal of Education. Dr. Prestine has been the principal investigator for two major research projects. The first of these investigated the implementation of learning standards and high-stakes testing. The other project was associated with Mid-Atlantic Regional Educational Laboratory and examined the role of district and school leadership in standards-based reform in three mid-Atlantic states. Her current interests focus on investigating supports and constraints to the development of teacher leadership in school districts.