For many decades now, those on college and university campuses who aspire to become administrators must have received a Ph. D., by definition in an academic field. The Educational Doctorate (Ed. D.) is regarded as a professional certification lacking in academic focus and carries none of the status of the Ph. D. Thus, those holding the Ed. D. are not considered for administrative positions, because they would not be regarded by their colleagues as fellow scholars.
Those who do pursue an Ed. D. do so with the aspiration of rising in the strange world of the preK-12 public education establishment. They seek to be education professors or public school administrators. Their acquisition of the Ed. D. does nothing to further the academic achievements of students, because those holding the Ed. D. have little knowledge of those academic subjects that matter most: mathematics, biology, chemistry, physics, history, government, economics, literature, visual arts, musical arts, technological arts, and the broad array of vocational arts.
Those who write dissertations for the Ed. D. do so as an obscure, vacuous exercise for personal ascendance in the public education bureaucracy.
This is the case for new Minneapolis Public Schools Department of Teaching and Learning Executive Director Aimee Fearing, who matriculated at a low-tier religious institution--- University of Northwestern (in St. Paul--- by no means the fine Northwestern University in Evansville, Illinois [Chicago area]) to acquire a bachelor’s degree in English as a Second Language (ESL) and then received flimsy master’s and doctoral degrees in education from Hamline University.
None of such bureaucratic maneuvering does our students any good. The typicality of the Fearing profile for public school administrators resides as one of the major factors that engender the low quality of academics in locally centralized school districts.
Consider the following abstract of Aimee Fearing’s dissertation for an understanding of why our children are under such lamentably low quality administration in the Minneapolis Public Schools:
The Role And Impact Of Reflective Practice On Education Doctorate Alumni’s Professional Practice
Author
Term
Spring 4-30-2015
Capstone
Dissertation
Degree Name
EdD
Primary Advisor/Dissertation Chair
Barbara Swanson
Secondary Advisor/Reader One
Laurel Walsh
Peer-Reviewer/Reader Two
Kimberly Byrd
Abstract
Reflective practice in its most complex form can most impact one’s professional practice. A mixed-method research design, including the use of survey and interview, was used to address research questions of how do alumni of a specific Education doctorate Degree (EdD) program describe the impact of reflective practice in their professional work, and how do they describe reflective practice as it relates to their experience in the EdD program. Findings from survey and interview indicated reflective practice is highly valued yet challenging among EdD cohort alumni in professional practice. Additionally, participants felt empowered within and beyond their professional practice to incorporate equity and social justice in their personal lives. Findings varied regarding the implications of reflective practice based solely on EdD cohort membership. Implications for teachers include incorporating reflective practice the best they can within the systems in which they work and should seek and define equity within their classrooms as indicated in the literature as being a catalyst for critical reflection and transformation. Leaders should reflect-for-future in order to be a change agent of structures and systems. Educational leaders in this study felt empowered to change, personally and professionally, in order to make a greater impact. A foundation of a cohort is based on opportunities for relationships within the academic culture. Reflective practice can be implemented through activities that engage members in dialogue and challenging situations. Recommendations for further research include the impact of reflective practice on scholarly research and writing, relationship between reflective practice and various roles of educational leaders and impact of personalities and level of reflective practice in a cohort.
Keywords
Community Building, Reflective Practice, Staff Development, Teachers/ Teaching
Recommended Citation
Fearing, Aimee Young, "The Role And Impact Of Reflective Practice On Education Doctorate Alumni’s Professional Practice" (2015). School of Education Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations. 115.
https://digitalcommons.hamline.edu/hse_all/115
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