1. INTRODUCTION TO THE “DISSERTATION OF PRACTICE” EDUC 888 FALL, 2012

2. SCALING THE SUMMIT: COMPLETING THE DISSERTATION

3. PURPOSES OF THE ED.D. The key proficiencies that we expect students to attain:  Problem solving Framing problems of practice that are concrete, significant, solvable, and tied to the mission and priorities of the organization Determining and verifying underlying causes  Inquiry Understanding and critically evaluating evidence related to a problem of practice Appropriately investigating problems of practice, their causes and possible solutions  Developing testable solutions

4. EXPECTED OUTCOMES Professional and Content Knowledge: the ability to know, understand, and apply key concepts, theories, terms and ideas in urban school reform and national school reform initiatives; to the problems of practice within the school system Research Competence: the ability to perform a literature review and synthesis, identify seminal works in the school reform movement, identify relevant district data that inform the problems of practice, formulate research questions that lead to potential solutions and conduct pilot studies to test and evaluate the results Professional Competence: the ability to effectively and efficiently communicate the rationales, methodological decisions, and analysis of results relevant to students’ own research as well as the research projects of others, both orally and in writing. It further includes the ability to present students’ research in a formal public setting.

5. HOW WILL THE OUTCOMES BE ASSESSED? Professional and Content Knowledge Students show competence in this area by demonstrating the ability to: Identify important system level problems of practice Identify strengths and limitations of current research in the field Identify system level data that inform problems of practice within the district Propose studies to identify potential solutions to the problems of practice within the district. Produce the following products: o Integrative review of literature o Literature review used for pre-candidacy examination o Literature review for dissertation-in-practice electronic portfolio

6. HOW WILL THE OUTCOMES BE ASSESSED? Research Competence Students show competence in this area by demonstrating the ability to: Identify critical Problems of Practice and a set of inquiry questions to address the problem based on an understanding of foundational literature and other pertinent documents Develop a design for analyzing the problem of practice Select and implement specific research methods to address the problem of practice Identify, collect and analyze information and data which correspond to the problem Develop conclusions and recommendations for solutions to the problem of practice Produce the following: o “White Paper” o Successful completion and defense of dissertation in practice o Formal presentation of findings and recommendations to the local Board of Education, Superintendent’s Cabinet, or other district level group deemed appropriate by the Superintendent and the Advisors Group

7. HOW WILL THE OUTCOMES BE ASSESSED? Professional Competence Students show competence in this area by demonstrating the ability to: Effectively communicate - in both oral and written language - a clear understanding of a problem of practice affecting the district Present a white paper on the selected problem of practice with viable recommendations for addressing the problem

8. OUR PROGRAM GOAL: WHAT ARE WE TRYING TO ACHIEVE? We aspire to develop Scholarly Practitioners. Scholarly Practitioners blend practical wisdom with professional skills and knowledge to name, frame, and solve problems of practice. They use practical research and applied theories as tools for developing solutions to “wicked problems.” Scholarly Practitioners disseminate their work in multiple ways, and they have an obligation to resolve problems of practice by collaborating with key stakeholders, including the university, the educational institution, the community, and individuals.” (adapted from CPED website)

9. INQUIRY: THE SKILLS & KNOWLEDGE NEEDED FOR PROBLEM-SOLVING Inquiry is the process of posing significant questions that focus on complex problems of practice. By using research, theories, and professional knowledge; scholarly practitioners design innovative solutions to address the problems of practice. As such, Inquiry of Practice requires the ability to gather, organize, judge, aggregate, analyze situations, literature, and data with a critical lens.

10. INQUIRY AS COMMON GROUND It is an oversimplification to say that the Ph.D. is a research degree and the Ed.D. is a practice degree. Inquiry is important in both Inquiry in the service of generating new generalizable knowledge and theory development (Ph.D.) Inquiry in the service of addressing or solving a significant problem of practice (Ed.D.)

11. Ed.D.Ph.D. GoalPreparation of leaders in practicePreparation of researchers and research scientists Research focusApplication of research to practice, innovations in educational practice Discovery of new knowledge OutcomeLeadership in practiceCareers in academia and other research-intensive environments Hallmark of educational program Mentorship in leadership to include understanding and responding to problems in the practice Mentorship in research Final program productPractice-oriented scholarly project based on a real problem of practice Dissertation based on original research HOW DO THE ED.D. AND PH.D. DEGREES DIFFER?

12. WHAT IS THE DISSERTATION OF PRACTICE? A Dissertation of Practice is a scholarly product that demonstrates a student’s mastery of ability to frame and critically inquire into a significant educational problem of practice and to develop defensible recommendations to solve the problem of practice. NOTE: SOME INFORMATION IN THE FOLLOWING SLIDES HAS BEEN ADAPTED FROM CPED WEBSITE

13. SIMILARITIES AND DIFFERENCES IN DEGREES New Knowledge Research (Ph. D. Model)Problem Solving Research (Ed. D.) PurposeGeneralizable/Transferable Knowledge Improvement of Practice; Identify promising practice TheoryExplanatory or InterpretiveTheory of Action Origin of a ProblemScientific LiteraturePublished Literature; Practice Researcher’s RoleExpertExpert observer Practitioner’s RoleConsumer of ResearchProducer of Research Benefit to ParticipantsMinimal to moderateYes MethodologyQualitative or QuantitativeMixed LevelIndividual(s) or Organization (s)Organizational ClientScholars in Like DisciplinesScholars, Leaders, Practitioners, Community PerspectiveOutsiderInsider or Participant Research SampleRandom or PurposefulPurposeful CollaborationNone or a Few Other ExpertsFew to Many Collaborators GeneralizabilityDefining CharacteristicTransferable to similar settings Standard for JudgingIntellectual Rigor Credibility and actionable outcomes in a Local Setting GoalPublishable Article Documents, processes, products that lead to improvement at organizational level DisseminationRefereed Paper or ArticleOral or Written Report (s) Need IRB Approval?Yes

14. Individual Study PH.D. - SINGLE CHAIR, INDIVIDUAL STUDY Single Chair

15. Individual research question 1 THEMATIC GROUP – SINGLE CHAIR, COMMON THEME, DIFFERENT RESEARCH QUESTIONS Product = single author dissertation Common Theme Single Chair Individual research question 2 Individual research question 5 Individual research question 3 Individual research question 4

16. Individual study 1 SINGLE CHAIR, SINGLE TOPIC, COMMON QUESTIONS & METHODOLOGY, INDIVIDUAL STUDIES Product = single author dissertation Common Questions & Methodology Single Chair Individual study 2 Individual study 5 Individual study 3Individual study 4 Single Topic

17. NON-NEGOTIABLE ELEMENTS FOR DISSERTATION OF PRACTICE  The dissertation of practice includes a problem statement and framing of the approach, which establishes the rationale and significance of the problem and proposed inquiry  The literature is used as a foundation for the inquiry at key points: framing the problem, synthesizing what is known about the problem, investigating the problem and informing the solutions and implications of the dissertation of practice  The dissertation work contributes to educational practice

18. NON-NEGOTIABLE ELEMENTS FOR DISSERTATION OF PRACTICE CONTINUED  The dissertation is rigorous and demonstrates an individual’s ability to apply theory and research to solving or informing an educational problem  The dissertation demonstrates an individual’s ability to present ideas, arguments and evidence in a logical, systematic, and coherent fashion in both written and oral formats