Content

• Program Updates

• Recent Graduates' Career Advancements

• Recent Publications

• CPED Presentations 2023

• School of Education EXPO

• Interview with Joseph Clay

• Interview with Andrea Jackson

• Upcoming Conferences

• Job Board 2023

program updates

Our EdD program went through a rigorous review process conducted by the Carnegie Project on Education Doctorate (CPED) and we are officially a CPED member. Joining CPED is a milestone as the consortium offers us professional networking and academic resources. In the past year, we have published in the CPED journal, presented at a Webinar, and actively participated in the CPED Convening. This year, Dr. Lee-Johnson joined a task force to draft a white paper regarding the Carnegie classifications of education doctorates and a new group for ChatGPT and generative AI in CPED. 

Besides joining CPED, our program offers new initiatives that benefit our doctoral students. Starting from the cohorts of 2022, students may choose between a traditional dissertation, dissertation-in-practice, or doctoral digital portfolio to complete in Year 3. The doctoral digital portfolio allows students to create an innovative project that utilizes digital technology which will be done in a two-course-sequence, EDOC 8001-8002 instead of one-on-one registration with a dissertation chair. 

This new initiative is cutting edge, and it echoes with the paradigm shift in the field of EdD that moves away from traditional dissertation. It is anticipated to substantially increase graduation rate, reduce textual representation of findings that can be done by ChatGPT, and increase our doctoral students' capacity of utilizing digital technology in representing research findings. 

New doctoral students also benefit from the following resources: 

• NVivo Student Subscriptions 

• Peer-Mentorship Program

• Conference Presentations

• Research Incentives for Participants in Doctoral Research Projects

recent Graduates' Career advancements

Webster University’s Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) program is excited to announce our recent graduates’ career advancements. Besides academic careers, our program graduates have pursued professional opportunities in higher education and K-12 leadership and administration positions. Among them, Dr. Chavon Curry has been promoted from Assistant Principal to Interim Principal within St. Louis Public Schools; Dr. Trezette Dixon has been promoted to Senior Director, St. Louis Business Diversity Initiative, The Fellows Experience at Greater St. Louis, Inc.; Dr. John Link has been promoted to Associate Dean for Career Development and Field Work at Bennington College in Vermont; and, Dr. Kerri Fair has been promoted to a fulltime faculty position at Washington University in St. Louis. These successful stories attest to the rigor of the program, as well as the excellent leadership qualities of our graduates. 

recent publications

CPED Presentations 2023

Webster University’s Doctor of Education (EdD) program presented four papers at the peer-reviewed and highly selective Carnegie Project on Education Doctorate (CPED) Convening 2023, held in Florida, from Oct. 4-6. During the CPED Convening, Lee-Johnson, Tamara Rodney, Jennifer Ono, Chavon Curry, and Kerri Fair led a presentation which explored creative modalities for representing doctoral research in digitalized platforms, called “Alternative Dissertation Collaborative: Possibilities and Challenges for Completing the EdD Without Dissertations.” After the session, the presenters received an invitation to submit their corresponding paper to a journal. 

Lee-Johnson, Fair, Rodney, Ono, and Curry presented their researcher positionalities and reflexivity when designing qualitative research, based on a paper titled, "Reflexivity for Restorying the Ontological and Epistemological Truths in Qualitative Research.” The paper was recently published in CPED journal’s themed issue, Reimagining Research Methods Coursework for the Preparation of Scholar-Practitioners (II). 

The most popular session led by the EdD group from Webster was “Can ChatGPT Write Dissertations? Collaborative Review of Quality and Ethics,” authored and presented by Lee-Johnson, Rodney, Ono, and Curry. This presentation attracted an audience so large that there was standing room only.  

Curry was invited to present her dissertation project, “Leading Through Trauma: An Exploration of Social-Emotional Leadership Practices that Optimize Effectiveness in PK-12 Urban School Leaders,” at the Convening. Her topic generated thoughtful questions and overall interest from attendees. 

*Adapted from Webster Today

School of Education Expo

On Thursday, October 12, Webster's School of Education held an EXPO at Webster Hall. Interim Dean Dr. Stephanie Mahfood spoke in the Winifred Moore Auditorium on the formation of the new LIGHT cooperative. Webster Today put out a release on the EXPO highlighting LIGHT as, "a cross-departmental effort within the School of Education, will directly impact the preparation of education students, support and shape practices in preschool through grade 12 classrooms locally, and contribute to future dialogue within the field of education." The Webster Today release can be found here.

The EXPO included various stations set up in classrooms throughout the School of Education, including one for the Ed.D. program. We displayed recent Ed.D. graduate dissertations, recently published articles by Ed.D. students and faculty, as well as a video with our international students from China and Tashkent. We also highlighted the work of 2023 Ed.D. graduates Dr. Kerri Fair, Dr. Chavon Curry, and current Ed.D. students Tamara Rodney and Sue Donze. Images of the posters displayed at the EXPO can be found below. Many thanks to Kerri, Chavon, Tamara, and Sue for your great work in exemplifying some of the research within the program, and your participation at the EXPO!

What does it mean to be a transformative educator?

What it means to be a transformative educator is working in any environment with various folk and personalities on different educational and cognitive levels. Recently, I was reflecting on my upbringing and how I was encouraged in my own family to challenge the status quo since I was a kid. This experience has allowed me to think deeply about what students need to repair their connection to learning and how to rebuild lasting relationships with students, families, and our community, espcially after the pandemic in my elementary school as an educational leader and transformative educator.

Joseph's Research Interest

My Educational Specialist (EdS) experience relates exceptionally well to the coursework and research that will be needed in the Doctor of Education (EdD) program by preparing me for the next level and fundamentals of analysis by being able to identify an area of focus, collect data, analyze & interpret the data and how will we use it has prepared me for the EdD. Therefore, my research proposal is evolving and focuses on the "Epistemology of Educational Skills Needed for Success in Career Technical Education." I will look at our local St. Louis and county region and evaluate if students can obtain the demand for a qualified workforce through high school Career Technical Education (CTE) programs. One of my research problems posed is schools providing social-emotional learning (SEL) skills employers seek in tomorrow's workforce. For example, do schools offer soft skills so candidates can relate to others and work as a team, i.e., get along with others to achieve shared goals?

What does it mean to be a transformative educator?

To be a transformative educator is to make a difference in the way students learn and interact with the world and other concepts around them. Reaching far beyond teaching to standards and objectives, as a transformative educator, my aim is to shift, or at least open up, students' and other learners' perspectives. In addition, I strive to remain open-minded about the world around me to learn and grow in my own personal purviews. 

I obtained my EdS in Educational Technology Leadership. In that program, I learned about how to make spaces more accessible for diverse learners through tactics such as spatial modification and technology implementation. Now that I am in the Transformative Learning in the Global Community EdD program, I am able to utilize the foundational knowledge gained in the EdS program to make spaces and opportunities more accessible in my current field of practice. I've been able to take a deeper dive into some hinderances in the field, get a better understanding of the literature surrounding the problem of practice, and began to brainstorm ways to conduct the most efficient and effective research which will add to the current body of knowledge.

Andrea's Research Interest

I would like to explore the relationship between Black librarians and Black K-12 student achievement. There are very few Black librarians in the United States, with reports showing approximately 5-8% year-over-year. Knowing the critical role libraries and librarians play in access to education and knowledge, I would like to explore the ways in which Black student exposure to Black librarians and developing close working relationships with them in grades K-12 impact overall academic achievement.

about andrea Jackson

Andrea Jackson is a second-year doctoral student in Webster University’s Transformative Learning in the Global Community program. She entered the program after having obtained her educational specialist degree in Educational Technology Leadership at Webster University in 2020. Ms. Jackson holds a master’s degree in Global Strategic Communication and a bachelor’s degree in Public Relations, both from Florida International University. 

Currently, Ms. Jackson holds the position of marketing specialist at Orange County Library System in Orlando, FL where she manages relationships with community leaders and other partners to promote library services. She also has extensive classroom experience teaching at secondary and higher education levels, domestically and internationally. 

Ms. Jackson is passionate about diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility. She routinely participates in workshops and works toward certifications to further support her commitment to equitable diversity practices. 

Special Thanks to Mary Rose Reynolds for compiling the following professional info for our students. 

Upcoming higher education conferences

Apply for the AERA Graduate Student Research-in-Progress Roundtable Series

Deadline: December 15

AERA is accepting submissions for the Graduate Student Research-in-Progress Roundtable Series (RiP). Submissions are due on December 15.

The initiative will provide a formal presentation opportunity for graduate students who are engaged in research that is underway but was not sufficiently far along to submit a paper in response to the AERA Annual Meeting Call for Submissions.

This opportunity is open only to graduate students who did not otherwise submit a paper as an author or co-author for the 2024 Annual Meeting. Those who submitted a paper for the Annual Meeting, whether accepted or declined, are not eligible to present in the RiP Series. Up to six roundtable sessions will be held in Philadelphia during three days of the Annual Meeting on April 12–14.

To be considered for the RiP roundtables, graduate students will submit a short-form overview of their research with information about its current stage. The submission includes a brief working paper (maximum 1,000 words) that presents the research in progress and any findings or salient issues to date, as applicable.

If the number of eligible submissions exceeds the number of spaces available, submissions will be accepted in the order received.

The Call for Submissions provides additional information about eligibility and submission requirements. Applications are due no later than 11:59 p.m. PT on December 15; notifications will be sent out on January 22. 

Apply to the RiP Rou

job board - FALl 2023

Post-doctoral fellowships

Faculty & Adjunct positions

Administrative positions

higher education DEI Positions

*All images from CC Search Portal (creativecommons.org) 

contact us

Feel free to reach out to Dr. Lee-Johnson, Director of the Ed.D. program, or Mary Rose Reynolds, Research Assistant, if you have any questions, comments, or concerns.

Ed.D. Director: Dr. Yin Lam Lee-Johnson

Webster University Ed.D. Director - Webster Groves Campus

314-246-7643

yleejohnson31@webster.edu 

Executive Editor of the Ed.D. Newsletter: Mary Rose Reynolds

SoE Research Assistant - Webster Groves Campus

314-856-8538

maryreynolds@webster.edu