Conceptualizing Practitioner-Scholarship for Educational Leadership Research and Practice

Lochmiller, Chad R.; Lester, Jessica Nina

doi:10.1177/1942775116668525

Cited by 20 publications

(22 citation statements)

References 60 publications

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“…We designed this peer mentoring program for EdD students to raise student (mentee) voices and allow for opportunities for aspiring and current school leaders (mentors) to serve as advocates for the EdD students (mentees) in academic, emotional, social, and professional contexts. According to Lochmiller and Lester (2017), practitioner-scholarship "represents an opportunity to advance the field of educational leadership, deepen the work of educational leaders in educational organizations, and establish more meaningful connections between theory and practice as it relates to educational research" (p. 20).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mentee Perspectives of a First-Year Peer Mentoring Program for Education Doctoral (EdD) Students

Lowery

McConnell

2018

IJDS

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Aim/Purpose: In this paper, we examine how first-year education doctoral (EdD) students in a peer mentoring program may be supported in the academic and psychosocial domains to increase timely degree completion, decrease attrition, and improve the EdD program for students and faculty. Background: EdD students often face unique trials based on academic, social, professional, and personal challenges that arise during their degree program. The paper addresses how peer mentoring programs may help students overcome these challenges while completing their EdD program. Methodology: To investigate the effectiveness of a peer mentoring program for students, we focused on a single case study of an EdD peer mentoring program with 11 first-year EdD students who participated in the program. Using mixed methods, we collected and analyzed data from pre- and post-surveys, individual interviews, and a focus group. Contribution: Few studies about peer mentoring programs for EdD students exist. This study is unique because it focuses on first-year EdD students’ perspectives and, unlike other studies on peer mentoring programs, peer mentors are defined as graduates of the EdD program or current EdD students who are further along in the program. Whilst many studies of peer mentoring recommend peer mentoring for new students, our findings suggest that in the case of EdD students, extended or later peer mentoring may be more beneficial. Findings: From the quantitative and qualitative data results, five themes related to mentee perspectives of the benefits of EdD peer mentoring program emerged: 1) receiving academic advice and program support; 2) focusing on the future; 3) receiving emotional support and work-life balance advice; 4) having an experienced and relatable mentor; and 5) needing more mentoring to derive benefits. While mentees reported positive feelings about the mentoring program, many expressed that they did not yet have a need for mentoring. Considering that most mentoring studies focus on early program mentees, these results present the possibility of a need for extended or later-program mentoring. Based on the data, we identified a need for additional research which focuses on determining the correct timing for EdD students to begin peer mentoring program since students take coursework during their first year and have not begun work in the dissertation phase of the program. Recommendations for Practitioners: Sustainability of peer mentoring programs can present challenges based on the time and needs of mentees, mentors, and faculty. Doctoral faculty should evaluate the benefits of an EdD peer mentoring program for mentees on a regular basis to ensure that the program effectively supports and guides mentees to degree completion. Recommendation for Researchers: Literature and research on the evaluation, impact, and value of peer mentoring programs for EdD students and first-year doctoral students are limited. Researchers could study further the perspectives of mentees in an EdD peer mentoring program throughout their degree program from taking coursework to writing a dissertation. The benefits of early-program mentoring in comparison to later-program mentoring could be investigated further. Impact on Society: Providing mentoring opportunities to EdD students may help them overcome academic, social, and emotional challenges, and in turn, allow more education leaders to successfully complete their EdD and use their education to improve their school communities. Future Research: Future studies should examine other options of mentoring programs for first-year EdD students and EdD students who completed their EdD coursework and are working on their dissertation. Longitudinal studies are also needed to track mentees’ progression throughout the program.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mentee Perspectives of a First-Year Peer Mentoring Program for Education Doctoral (EdD) Students

Lowery

McConnell

2018

IJDS

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“…The first tasks researchers with clarifying and testing out the different mechanisms by which CI methods yield improvements in teaching and learning (Lochmiller & Lester, 2017). Underlying each CI method is an organizational theory of change (however implicit or incomplete) that is grounded in assumptions about how people learn, work together, and solve problems of varying complexity.…”

Section: Impact Amid Complexity: Challenges and Pathways Forwardmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In light of their alignment around these four pillars and their divergence across a number of other dimensions, we believe there is much to be learned by putting different CI methods into conversation with one another. With a few important exceptions that we discuss later (e.g., Coburn et al, 2013; Lochmiller & Lester, 2017; Peurach et al, 2018), much of the writing about these methods has (a) been written by proponents, (b) examined a single method only, or (c) emphasized the similarities among the methods as part of an effort to build a case for these approaches as a whole (Penuel et al, 2018). We offer an external examination of the methods in relation to each other and to their intellectual forebears, as well as the empirical evidence about their successes and challenges in practice.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Research on Continuous Improvement: Exploring the Complexities of Managing Educational Change

Yurkofsky¹,

Peterson²,

Mehta³

et al. 2020

Review of Research in Education

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As a result of the frustration with the dominant “What Works” paradigm of large-scale research-based improvement, practitioners, researchers, foundations, and policymakers are increasingly embracing a set of ideas and practices that can be collectively labeled continuous improvement (CI) methods. This chapter provides a comparative review of these methods, paying particular attention to CI methods’ intellectual influences, theories of action, and affordances and challenges in practice. We first map out and explore the shared intellectual forebears that CI methods draw on. We then discuss three kinds of complexity to which CI methods explicitly attend—ambiguity, variability, and interdependence—and how CI methods seek a balance of local and formal knowledge in response to this complexity. We go on to argue that CI methods are generally less attentive to the relational and political dimensions of educational change and that this leads to challenges in practice. We conclude by considering CI methods’ aspirations for impact at scale, and offer a number of recommendations to inform future research and practice.

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“…The debate centers on whether and to what degree students should be able to consume versus produce research (Boote & Beile, 2005; Maxwell, 2006). Lochmiller and Lester (2017) argue that programs training practitioners should provide students with experiences “immersed in leadership practice and directly situated within schools and districts” (p. 3). Malen (2017) underscores the importance of providing students with the opportunity to engage in a “real” research project that provides districts with meaningful and formative evaluations of programs to guide policy and decision making.…”

Section: Using Educational Data For Social Justicementioning

confidence: 99%

Expanding the Use of Educational Data for Social Justice: Lessons From the Texas Cap on Special Education and Implications for Practitioner–Scholar Preparation

Knight

DeMatthews

2018

Journal of Research on Leadership Education

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Educational data offer a powerful tool for supporting equity. In this article, the authors call for a shift toward greater use of data in educator preparation programs. The authors motivate their proposal by highlighting findings from the Department of Education report released January 2018, which found that the Texas Education Agency systematically denied students special education services. The article outlines three basic metrics that stakeholders can use to identify potential noncompliance with the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act. The authors describe other ways data can be used to promote equity and close with recommendations for educator preparation policy and practice.

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Conceptualizing Practitioner-Scholarship for Educational Leadership Research and Practice

Cited by 20 publications

References 60 publications

Mentee Perspectives of a First-Year Peer Mentoring Program for Education Doctoral (EdD) Students

Mentee Perspectives of a First-Year Peer Mentoring Program for Education Doctoral (EdD) Students

Research on Continuous Improvement: Exploring the Complexities of Managing Educational Change

Expanding the Use of Educational Data for Social Justice: Lessons From the Texas Cap on Special Education and Implications for Practitioner–Scholar Preparation

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