The Role of Partnerships in the Professional Doctorate in Education: A Program Application in Educational Leadership

Abstract

This article presented a rationale for building partnerships into professional doctoral programs in educational leadership and a description of Saint Louis University's use of partnerships in its redesigned Ed.D. program. Although the program has been implemented, it continues to be a work in progress because of the underlying assumption that the faculty represent a learning community engaged in a problem-based learning project that focuses on the preparation of students for leadership roles in education. The current debate about the quality and scope of educational leadership preparation programs provides a rich context in which to do that work. The debate offers criticism as well as recommendations for improvement that influence the faculty discussions, program revisions, and accountability approaches that are essential to successful outcomes. Currently, the faculty is engaged in a program review and has organized into small work teams to address three main areas: (1) accountability and quality assurance; (2) students' experiences from the beginning to the end of the program; and (3) faculty experiences and roles in the program. Fortunately, a collaborative culture exists within the department. The interview process used during the initial program assessment made clear how important this culture is. The analysis of interview data suggested that there was broad agreement among program faculty that the culture of the department contributed significantly to their willingness to both innovate and collaborate. (Contains 20 endnotes.)