DISTINCTIVE ELEMENTS

USING DATA TO MAKE DECISIONS
The Mid-Career Doctorate prepares its students to become more able consumers and producers of data. The program also models for aspiring leaders how to create a culture of inquiry within their organization so that evidenced-based decision-making becomes embedded in their organizationês culture. Students deal with the issues commonly faced by school leaders: analysis of program effectiveness; investigations of literacy and mathematics curricular and instructional strategies; the use of assessment data for instructional improvement and accountability purposes; and an inquiry into the evidence behind different professional development strategies. Students are introduced to and develop a variety of analytical skillsãboth qualitative and quantitativeãthat are required to identify, understand, and assess the quality of evidence on a particular problem.

UNDERSTANDING HOW THE INQUIRY PROCESS CAN SUSTAIN IMPROVEMENT
The elements of the inquiry cycle form the core topics that the Mid-Career Doctorate develops in students. The process of inquiry features experimentation with appropriate solutions, evaluation of effects, and reframing for the next round of inquiry, producing an iterative cycle that paves the way for continuous improvement. Students will have multiple opportunities to develop an understanding of the inquiry cycle, which individuals and organizations can use to inform strategic planning, learning, and decision-making. Chief elements of the inquiry cycle include: appropriately framing questions to guide investigations; conducting needs assessments; analyzing the quality of programs and matching programs to needs; devising and monitoring internal studies to track progress; creating organizational data/research infrastructures; understanding the capabilities and limitations of both quantitative and qualitative methods of inquiry; assessing and judging the quality of external research; building inquiry processes that develop organizational capacity; and communicating results.

TACKLING REAL-WORLD PROBLEMS THROUGH THE DISSERTATION
Upon entering the program, students will identify a problem that they are interested in addressing as their dissertation project, as well as a client (most likely their current employer) for whom they will target their work. Projects may include analyzing the effectiveness of a school district's literacy program; developing a standards-aligned community outreach program; designing a districtês teacher professional development system; or providing recommendations in preparation for upcoming contract negotiations. During the course of the program, students will refine their dissertation topics and the questions they seek to answer. Some may change topics completely as they assess the feasibility of their initial ideas. By their second year in the program, students will clearly define their dissertation projects. During the third year, students will complete their projects. In addition to a final written dissertation, the student will also deliver a culminating experience, such as a presentation or oral report to the faculty and the student's identified client.

PROGRAM IMPACT
Committed to taking an inquiry stance regarding our own work, the Mid-Career Program Research Committee manages an expanding research agenda, regarding both program impact and issues of leadership practice. In addition to standard course assignments and projects embedded in their practice, the Program gathers evidence gauging student development across various stages of the program, including their evolving theory of instructional practice at the onset and midway through their program; gauges of leadership decision-making over time through case study responses; surveys and focus groups regarding the evolution of their leadership; time-use monitoring; and quarterly feedback against personal learning objectives.

In an early finding that informs our design, the cohort support plays a critical role:

One thing that clearly emerged from students’ accounts of their experiences of becoming practitioner-researchers is the importance of support in learning practitioner research and shifting to an inquiry stance on practice. Students often commented that it was the support of their cohort members and professors that helped them to “take the risks” that they associated with these kinds of shifts to practice. Indeed, across the board, students communicated that the camaraderie and critical, intensive, and ongoing feedback that they received from their fellow leaders kept them from abandoning this new stance when it felt intimidating or threatening. The role of inquiry communities in this context cannot be overstated. (Ravitch and Kuriloff, in preparation)

We welcome your interest and collaboration in our emerging program of research, and invite you to contact Kristin Passaro at kschomis@gse.upenn.edu .

ALUMNI NETWORK
When we welcome you into the Mid-Career Program, we welcome you as a future colleague in the growing alumni network. This expanding group of dedicated educational leaders, committed to changing the landscape of education, will provide powerful ballast in our common struggle to improve our children’s learning opportunities. The cohort experience should extend well beyond graduation, with the program benefiting from regular feedback and an ever-extending research/practice network.

While the program has just graduated its third cohort, we have already established a distinguished eight-member Alumni Advisory Group to spearhead this enthusiastic network of graduates. Our plans include on-campus receptions with current cohorts, live multimedia online events, a research-practice project, a mentoring network, and a research publication series. Please see this website for the latest information or contact Kristin Passaro at kschomis@gse.upenn.edu .