Democratic Learning Through Social Justice: An Exploratory Analysis of an Ed.D. Program in Higher Education

• In Event: 18.053 - Challenging the Status Quo: Invoking Social Justice Leadership in Ed.D. Programs

Abstract

Purpose:
Conceptual in nature, the paper provides an analysis of a practitioner-focused educational doctoral program in higher education (EdD) for administrators located in the Southern United States. Acutely aware of the way historic, insidious and institutional racism has shaped the local context, the program actively promotes and models the integration of social justice, equity, and ethics into professional practice. The paper describes these key tenets and the ways they shape program admissions, curricula, assessments, and capstone projects.

Theoretical Perspectives:
This paper broadly defines democracy as an organizational system of governance in which all stakeholders make management and planning decisions (Dewey, 1927/2012, 1935/2000). Further, stakeholders within the referenced Ed.D program are students, faculty, and higher education communities of practice (Lave & Wenger, 1991). As co-stakeholders, all serve as responsive agents in addressing higher education, practice-based issues of social justice, equity, and ethics. This shared responsibility results in a theory-based model in which co-stakeholders become co-educators within the program, and the modus operandi is democratic teaching and learning.

Related Literature:
Lee Shulman’s article on the need to distinguish the practice doctorate in education (Ed.D.) from the research doctorate (Ph.D.) greatly influenced the Ed.D. program (Shulman, Golde, Bueschel, & Garabedian, 2006). As such, critical ideas and commentary from the article are identified and integrated into the descriptive analysis to contextualize the program’s development and implementation.

Conceptual Model:
An original model used in the preparation and training of higher education, doctoral students is included. Major attributes of the conceptual model include collaborative input and mutually beneficial exchanges of teaching and learning among three primary stakeholders: (1) students, (2) program faculty, and (3) higher education communities of practice. The phrase higher education communities of practice refers to extended college/university-communities and focused partnerships. The major components of the model include (a) democratized inclusion, (b) reflective responsiveness, (c) reciprocity, (d) mutuality, and (e) authenticity. This model is adhered to throughout all stages and elements of the doctoral program, including the dissertation in practice (DIP)—which is a capstone project based on research focused through the lens of professional practice and conducted in consultation with co-stakeholders (i.e., program faculty and higher education communities of practice). Using the model as a conceptual guide, the paper analyzes the role of the program’s intake and onboarding procedures, structured curriculum, assessments, and DIP in promoting and addressing complex and persistent issues of social justice, equity, and ethical practice in higher education.

Significance:
The Ed.D program discussed here is designed for higher education leaders and is one of only a handful of higher education programs that are part of the Carnegie Project on the Education Doctorate—an international effort to strengthen the educational doctorate so that it provides students with focused knowledge and applied skills to critically respond to 21st century educational needs demands. As such, the program provides a contextualized example regarding the preparation of administrators to understand and practice democratized inclusion, reflective responsiveness, reciprocity, mutuality, and authenticity in addressing issues of social justice, equity, and ethics in higher education.

Author

• Phillis George, University of Mississippi