Practitioner Pathways to Justice-Oriented Leadership: Exploring Collaboration and Community in Three CPED-Influenced EdD Programs

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Friday 1:45 pm - Gold 2
  In Roundtable Session: Shaping Graduate Success: Relationships, Writing, & Institutional Culture

Abstract

This qualitative investigation examined the preparation and professional practice of nearly thirty graduates from three CPED-influenced EdD programs, with a focus on the principles of collaboration and community—hallmarks of civic engagement and equity-centered leadership. Drawing on participants' experiences during and after their doctoral studies, we explore how these program design principles—rooted in a history of practitioner-centered educational reform—shape graduates' capacity to lead transformative work in PK–12 and higher education settings. In line with the 2026 AERA theme, we consider how this model of doctoral preparation reflects historical shifts in education and illuminates possibilities for future-facing, justice-oriented leadership.

Authors

• Jill Alexa Perry, Carnegie Project on the Education Doctorate

• Elizabeth C. Reilly, California State University - Channel Islands

• Kathleen Kelly Wallace, Sacred Heart University