http://cpedinitiative.org
Jill A. Perry, PhDExecutive Director & Research Faculty
Presentation at the Mofet Institute, Tel Aviv
Transforming the EdD:Making It the Degree of Choice for Professional Practitioners
"I am prepared to make the following argument: when CPED programs run
the way we envision them, those graduates of CPED programs will be far
better prepared researchers than those traditional PhD candidates in education
at most American universities.
You are creating a model that will become the model for all doctoral work
in education in the future"
- Lee Shulman, April 2014President Emeritus of the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of
Teaching& Father of CPED
REDESIGNING & STRENGTHENING the EdD
More recent Calls for
Change 2005-2006
National atmosphere 2005-2007
History of EdD & Professionalization
Agenda 1920-1990s
Background & Context
Community CollegeLiberal Arts
Comprehensive College
Faculty & Leaders
PK-12 School Leadership/
Teaching
Agency/Organization
For Profit Providers/BusinessesOther/
International
Graduate School ofEducation
ResearchExtensive
(“Graduate colleges should not use a one-size-fits all standards that simply asks why a professional doctorate is not just like a PhD” CGS 2007)
The debate of spending my hard earned money on gaining USEFUL knowledge has plagued me for the last year. I would rather learn about practical applications that can make me better at my job and serving society than theorizing about educational this or that. - Assistant Principal
I need better skills for my job. We are all struggling (but afraid to say so because we don't want to lose our jobs) because the training people like me have received is either too simplistic or too theoretical. If I could get a similar level education to a medical doctor I would be pleased. What I want is a degree that tells people (and especially my board) that I know a thing or two about how to make research on teaching applicable in our school district. –District Superintendent
I want to be a university president and have been told I should get a PhD, but I want practical skills, not expertise in a discipline. – Senior Advisor to a current University President
Opportunity & space to grow the skill set of the
next generation of leaders
Habits of mind to analyze knowledge, understand it, and
engage the wisdom of practice and experience to respond
Learning environments built
around problems and practice and goals of
improvement
Professional Practice Preparation in education should provide…
WE MUSTDevelop DoctoralDistinctions
•Scholarly •Disciplinary Focus•Generation of New Knowledge •Fill Gaps in the Literature
PhD
•Practitioner Focused•Profession Driven•Applied Learning•Address Genuine Problems of
Practice•Generation of knowledge about
the profession/practice
EdD •Health Sciences•Business•Law•Architecture•Agriculture
PPDIdeals of a Profession, Shulman at CGS Mtg 2007:
• Service to society in exchange for autonomy• Understands growing bodies of knowledge, research and practice• Mastery of technical skills and practices• Makes judgments under uncertainty• Learns from experience, error and others• Member of professional community that sets standards, monitors quality, educates
• Enabling Doctoral Programs to Meet the Needs of Practitioners (Part Time Students with Full Time Responsibilities)
• Do so in a Rigorous, Responsible, Practical, Transparent, and Ethical Manner
• Direct learning at Real Problems and Real Solutions
• Emphasize Preparing Transformational Leaders to Change Schools and Colleges & Other Learning Organizations
PhD Lite
Academic vs. Practitioner PreparationSchool SuperintendentThe Superintendent shall be thechief administrative officer for the District. He is responsible for the effective operation of the District; for the general administration of all instructional, business or other operations of the District; and for advising and making recommendations to the Board of Education with respect to such activities
Assistant ProfessorThe successful candidate will an earned doctorate in educational leadership or a related field, an established program of research and a record of obtaining external funding. The position requires evidence of successful collaboration with faculty colleagues and educational professionals, and accomplishments in preparing effective educational leaders to improve learner success through graduate teaching, mentoring and dissertation supervision.
The PhD is to understand the world. The EdD is to change the world. – Gordon Kirk, University of Edinburgh
Seasoned, Respected Leader
For Example….
University of Connecticut Neag School of EducationResults of Theory to Practice Inquiry
SCHOLARLY PRACTITIONER = marriage of practical skills + scholarly knowledge
Signature Pedagogy: Theory to Practice Inquiry
THEORY&RESEAR CH
RESEARCH SKILLS
CapstoneProject
Theory and research on professional
learning
Theory and research on sociology of
educationTheory and research on
policy analysis
Theory and research on leadership
TPI within a laboratory of practice IV
TPI within a laboratory of practice III
TPI within a laboratory of
practice II
TPI within a laboratory of
practice Ibuilds to
builds into
builds into
builds into
builds into
builds to
builds to
builds to
Review 1
Review 2
Review 3
Review 4
Council of Graduate Schools (US) 2007 Task Force Report on the Professional Doctorate
“Professional degree should represent preparation for the potential transformation of that field of professional practice just as the PhD represents preparation for the potential transformation of the basic knowledge of a discipline” (p.19).
To achieve quality and excellence in professional preparation, the Task Force argued:
“All parties charged with assuring quality in higher education—including graduate schools and deans, regional accreditors, disciplinary accreditors, university systems, universities and individual academic units—need to engage in vigorous dialogue in order to articulate clear standards and processes for the approval and evaluation of professional doctorates. This dialogue must take place because professional doctorates differ substantially from research doctorates with regard to faculty students and curriculum, while professional doctorates must, like research doctorates, meet well-defined standards of quality, review processes for professional doctorates much be respectful of these differences and may requires changes in the academic culture of institutions” (p. iv).
86 Colleges & Schools of Education with Shared Beliefs:
• Faculty led, dean supported bottom up change
• Common Commitment to Distinguishing and Differentiating
• Research Scholars vs. Scholarly Practitioners
• Practical/Narrative Knowledge vs. Analytic Knowledge
• Guided by a Set of Shared Principles
• Work Based on a Shared Language (Shulman)
• Inquiry as Practice
• Laboratory of Practice
• Signature Pedagogy
• Scholarly Practitioner
• Dissertation in Practice
The process
Bi-annual meetings (professional development for faculty)
Experimenting and learning on campus
(Design experiments)
Sharing & Learning across context
(critical friends)
Definition of the Education Doctorate (EdD)
The professional doctorate in education prepares educators for
the application of appropriate and specific practices, the generation of new knowledge, and
the stewardship of the profession.
- CPED Consortium (2009)
Scholarly Practitioner
Blend practical wisdom with professional skills and
knowledge to name, frame, and solve problems of practice.
Use practical research and applied theories as tools for
change because they understand the importance of
equity and social justice;Disseminate their work in
multiple ways; and Have an obligation to resolve
problems of practice by collaborating with key
stakeholders, including the university, the educational institution, the community,
and individuals.
Practice
Principles of DesignThe Professional doctorate in education:1. Is framed around questions of equity, ethics, and social justice to bring about solutions to
complex problems of practice.2. Prepares leaders who can construct and apply knowledge to make a positive difference in
the lives of individuals, families, organizations, and communities.3. Provides opportunities for candidates to develop and demonstrate collaboration and
communication skills to work with diverse communities and to build partnerships. 4. Provides field-based opportunities to analyze problems of practice and use multiple
frames to develop meaningful solutions.5. Is grounded in and develops a professional knowledge base that integrates both practical
and research knowledge, that links theory with systemic and systematic inquiry. 6. Emphasizes the generation, transformation, and use of professional knowledge and
practice.(CPED Principles for Program Design, 2009)
The pervasive set of practices used to prepare scholarly practitioners for all aspects of their professional work: “to
think, to perform, and to act with integrity” (Shulman, 2005, p.52).
Three dimensions (Shulman (2005):•Deliberate, pervasive and persistent--challenges assumptions, engages in action, and requires ongoing assessment and accountability.•Grounded in theory, research, and problems of practice. Leads to habits of mind, hand, and heart that can and will be applied to authentic professional settings.•Helps students develop a critical and professional stance with a moral and ethical imperative for equity and social justice.
Exampleso Learner-Scholar communities:
collaboration & practice around student-driven contextualized inquiry projects or action research (Olson & Clark, 2009)
o systematic and intentional inquiry o Theory-Practice-Inquiry to develop
analogical reasoningo Annual research conference, all
students must present their annual projects
o Team-taught, yearlong case study courses--process of asking and answering questions
Signature Pedagogy
Laboratories of Practice
Examples• Embedded field work in
courses• Community Center &
collaborative projects• Presentation of research to
stakeholders
Settings where • theory and practice inform and
enrich each other• address complex problems of
practice • ideas—formed by the intersection of
theory, inquiry, and practice—can be implemented, measured, and analyzed for the impact made.
Laboratories of Practice facilitate transformative and generative learning that is measured by the development of scholarly expertise and implementation of practice.
Inquiry as Practice
Process of posing significant questions that focus on complex problems of practice. By using various research, theories, and professional wisdom,
scholarly practitioners design innovative solutions to address the problems of practice. At the center of Inquiry of Practice is the ability to use data to
understand the effects of innovation. As such, Inquiry of Practice requires the ability to gather, organize, judge, aggregate, and analyze situations,
literature, and data with a critical lens.
Decipher ability to decipher the methods, findings, and conclusions.
Debate ability to debate with policymakers and special interest groups, so as to advocate for their students, faculty, schools, districts, and states
Design apply the findings of research literature in the design of practical solutions to address pressing universal problems of practice (develop solutions & evaluation programs
Role
of R
esea
rch
EdD PhD
Condition Consequence if not solved
Don’t understand something
Solution Is to DO something Answer a question
Cost Is a degree of unhappiness
Not understanding the “thing”
How Find In practice (real world) In literature (books)
PRACTICAL CONCEPTUAL
Problem of Practice DissertationDefines –• Describes a challenge in educational practice• Persuade not proveSituates –• Must build a case that there is a problem– contextual, theoreticalInvestigates –• Many questions vs. single hypothesis• Seeks empirically to investigate the causes of the challenge and/or test solution(s) to address the
challenge
Results -• Professional report not research monograph• Generative Impacts potential for greater change/Impact• Generates actionable implications• Recommendations & designs for action not conclusions
Dissemination-• Appropriately communicates these implications to relevant stakeholders
Adapted from Archbald (2008)
A Problem of Practice is as a persistent, contextualized, and specific issue embedded in the work of a professional practitioner, the addressing of which has the potential to result in improved understanding, experience, and outcomes.
Consultancy Model
Thematic Groups Manuscripts 5-Chapter Other
- Problems of practice articulated by “client”
-Students work in groups to understand the problem as posed, analyze the issue from a number of perspectives, and respond with policy and practice.
- Several student- Related topic or
database- Problems of
practice situated into literature
- Faculty advise group, not individual
- Tied to faculty interest
- Individual dissertation & group project result
- Three publishable papers
- + intro and conclusion
- Edited volume
- Facilitated within the Laboratory of Practice
-Integrated throughout the entire course sequence
-Additional chapter = action product for generative impacts
Scholarship & Action: synthesize research and literature in their well-defined niche in the field 1) Use knowledge to demonstrate competency completion of an article that has been deemed submission-ready 2) project with clear articulation of how it fits within the broader niche and intended purpose of the experience
Dissertation in PracticeThe culminating experience that demonstrates the scholarly practitioner’s ability to
address problems of practice, the Dissertation in Practice exhibits the doctoral candidate’s ability “to think, to perform, and to act with integrity” (Shulman, 2005).
Dissertation in Practice of the Year Award 2012 & 2013 & 2014
54% of institutions reporting specified action research as an option for DiPmethodology/format. Similarly, 54% of institutions noted evaluation as a
methodology/format. 49% stated that thematic dissertations were an option in their program.
Authorship (n = 39)
Individual only: 51.28%
Individual and/or group: 38.46%
Group only: 2.56% Other: 5.13%
DiP Committees
Partnership vs. mentorshipAcademic vs. practitioner writingConceptual vs. applied
ACTION STEPS FOR THE DESIGN PROCESS
Step I: Define Graduate Proficiencies• Beginning with the end, the first action step
will focus on working to:• Translate the established core values,
dispositions and competencies of the program into a meaningful and strong list of graduate proficiencies
• Define the value that your institution adds (“advantage”) to professional preparation
Step II: Develop EdD Missions and Goals Statements• Advancing the graduate proficiencies into the
program design will involve defining the missions and goals of the EdD.
• Define the mission of the EdD as one degree with various concetration strands if possible
• Outlines the goals of EdD– Explain how these translate into program
concentrations
Step III: Transform the Mission and Goals and Graduate Proficiencies into the components of the program• Central design teams should be developed
around these three areas with regular connection between the groups to ensure that the programs weaves together and reaches the end goals.
• Full faculty body defines program components—standard/traditional or innovative/new?
• Divide faculty into working groups to define each component
• Weave mission, goals and proficiencies into components
Step IV: Align program admissions to graduation• Work with program director to clearly define
program from start to finish including • Admissions processes• Milestones• Faculty support• Student support