When it comes to the research phase, Vanderbilt students work in groups of two or three. Potential clients, such as school districts or institutions, present requests for assistance. Students express their interest in a particular client and most often get their first choice. The research is an 11-month process in which the subjects of the research are integrally involved in giving feedback.

Dr. David D. Marsh, a professor at the University of Southern California’s Rossier School of Education, said USC’s education school has almost totally changed their approach to the Ed.D. over the past five years.

“Our commitment as a school to urban education has been of serious focus,” he said. “We had a conference in 2001, where we had 100 people, only half of them were faculty of the school. We brought in outside teachers, stakeholders from the community and from the policy community. It really pushed us to think about our commitment to urban education and how our programs had to be designed.”

USC focuses on practitioner skills and applied research. All students have the same core curriculum their first year, which has a strong diversity component. From there, they begin working with ongoing problem-solving models. There is always a link to real world problem solving and advanced knowledge and skills are related to the professional work setting. After the first year, Ed.D. students can move toward one of four concentrations: K-12, higher education, teacher education or educational psychology.

Because of the high demand in Southern California for education professionals, approximately 150 students are admitted per year.

“The need is there and we’re trying to build a critical mass who can really make a difference,” Marsh said.

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