Reimagining Doctoral Education: Designing an Equity-Centered EdD for Future Educational Leaders

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Thursday 7:45 am
  In Roundtable Session: Reimagining Preparation Programs for Equity and Social Justice Leaders

Abstract

Recent scholarship has stressed the importance of equity-centered approaches in doctoral education, yet few studies have documented how new EdD programs are being reimagined to operationalize social justice, practitioner inquiry, and culturally sustaining leadership. Looking at the development of a newly designed EdD program at a HSI, this paper focuses on how institutional mission, historical inequities in doctoral access, and conceptual frameworks such as “servingness” informed program structure. This paper examines the collaborative and participatory processes that guided curriculum and structural decisions. It highlights the importance of district-partner engagement, leadership identity development, and community-based dissertation work in supporting equity-minded educational leadership preparation. Implications are discussed in relation to doctoral program design strategies that promote inclusive, justice-oriented leadership in educational systems.

Authors

• Shana Matamala, University of LaVerne

• Andrea Minkoff, University of La Verne