A doctorate or doctoral degree is an academic degree awarded in many different fields, ranging from the humanities to scientific disciplines. We asked Ed.M. alumni that went on to pursue doctoral study what their experience in a doctoral program has been like, as well as how HGSE prepared them.
Zina Noel
Please state the program you’re in and your doctoral research:
I am studying human development and social policy at Northwestern University’s School of Education and Social Policy. I research policy around early development, focusing on early care and education systems, caregiver support networks, and workforce development in the US and internationally.
Did you know you wanted to pursue doctoral study before entering the EdM program at HGSE? How did your master’s program help inform your decision to pursue a doctoral degree?
Not at all! I had planned to return to non-profit work following my master’s, just better positioned. However, HGSE coursework helped me realize that many of the questions I’d accumulated during my teaching and non-profit work actually hadn’t been answered yet. On top of that, my faculty and peers helped me develop the confidence that I could answer them with further study and research.
What kind of support did HGSE provide you on your path to doctoral study?
During a J-term course, Dr. Weissbourd pushed me to consider a doctorate and even gave me course credit to explore the idea. One component was talking to faculty and researchers, who all made time to walk me through their work, their career journey, and their advice about pursuing a Ph.D. I cannot overstate the impact that has had on my academic journey, both at HGSE and since.
I also had terrific peers who inspired me to think in new ways, challenge existing structures, and dream up new ways of educating and supporting young children. Not to mention great friends who kept me nourished and sane through the program and application process!
How did HGSE prepare you for doctoral study?
In so many ways, but I’ll say two of the biggest were re-igniting my love for learning and giving me a space to test out new ideas.
To be honest, I did not expect to enjoy my time at HGSE as much as I did. I had struggled in my undergraduate career, but finding a learning community like HGSE made me want to keep going in academia. One of the best parts of HGSE is the sheer diversity – of people, professional backgrounds, academic interests, course offerings, etc. – and I took full advantage of that. I completed the coursework for IEP and a certificate in Child Protection through courses at HGSE, the Kennedy School, and the Chan School. This gave me access to even more faculty, peers, and relevant literature. I still return to some course syllabi for my doctoral study and several colleagues I met through the program (including Kanika Dhanda, HGSE ’18, who is in my cohort at NU).
What is your advice to students thinking about going to a doctoral program after attending HGSE’s EdM program?
Start exploring your options as early as possible, and do not limit yourself. Take that extra class, ask that post-doc to coffee (or Zoom), join that study group or research project, and attend that conference – it is only one year, but if you play it right, you can really set yourself up well for your next step.
Xianhui (Grace) Dong
Please state the program you’re in and your doctoral research:
In 2020, I graduated with my Doctorate in Educational Leadership (Ed.D) from the University of California, Los Angeles. My doctoral research addresses one of the biggest challenges facing education leaders today: how do we leverage the power of technology to accelerate students’ academic and career outcomes? In the midst of a global pandemic where K-12 schools had to quickly transition from in-person to online learning, my dissertation research on blended learning, a formal program that incorporates both online learning and in-person instruction, could not be more timely and relevant. I examined the school-wide implementation of one blended learning program at four middle schools in the Greater Los Angeles Area. Implementation was examined in the context of adoption and performance, with a focus on challenges and resolutions. The four middle schools were identified by their adoption and performance levels.
My findings show that while low and high adopter schools did not vary by the type of challenge or by the type of resolution, high adopter schools tended to resolve blended learning challenges systematically while low adopter schools tended to resolve blended learning challenges on a case-by-case basis. I also found that high adopter schools tended to have interconnected leadership cultures that facilitated the creation of systems and structures, ensuring that adoption and performance resolutions occurred at the system-wide, school-wide level. Low adopter schools tended to have disjointed leadership cultures with limited facilitation of systems and structures, ensuring that adoption and performance resolutions occurred on a case-by-case basis.
Did you know you wanted to pursue doctoral study before entering the EdM program at HGSE? How did your master’s program help inform your decision to pursue a doctoral degree?
I knew I wanted to pursue my doctorate before entering in the Teacher Education Program (TEP) at HGSE. However, I knew I needed to gain experience as a teacher to truly understand the critical issues facing American K-12 education. Because of my TEP training, I was equipped with the skills and tools to think globally and act locally in the classroom. I soon became the lead teacher, department chair, and later, instructional coach for several public high schools in California and Massachusetts. To create further impact, I worked closely with senior district and school leadership to align strategy, set objectives, oversee deliverables, and implement solutions to large-scale project-based learning (PBL) and blended learning implementations at 90+ California schools, districts, and independent schools in the Bay Area and the Greater Los Angeles Area. I’ve led professional development on California P-12 content standards and frameworks, data-driven instruction, differentiation, and assessment for 200+ teachers, principals, and leadership teams annually.
Four years ago, I began my doctorate studies at the University of California, Los Angeles in the Graduate School of Education and Information Science (GSEIS). A year ago, I graduated with my Doctorate in Education. The TEP program at HGSE allowed me to gain breadth and depth as a K-12 practitioner before I transitioned to become a researcher. I am extremely grateful for the knowledge I’ve gained and the personal connections I made during my time at Appian Way.
What kind of support did HGSE provide you on your path to doctoral study?
My path to doctoral study would not be possible without the support of Dr. Liz Thurston, Director of Student Affairs. We met during my tenure as Academic Affairs Officer of HGSE’s Graduate Student Association (GSA). With her support, I organized and chaired the first annual “HGSE Thinks Big” Research Conference at Askwith Hall. My vision for the conference was two-fold: (1) to highlight the big ideas and most pressing challenges in education, and (2) to create faculty/student dialogue and collaboration around these ideas and challenges. Dr. James E. Ryan, Dean of the Harvard Faculty of Education, provided the opening remarks and Dr. Felipe Barrera-Osorio, Dr. Karen Brennan, Dr. Katherine K. Merseth, Dr. David H. Rose, Dr. Joseph Zolner, and Dr. Mitalene Fletcher each took to the stage to discuss their big idea. These big ideas covered a wide range of topics, including international education, computational learning models, K-12 teaching and learning, adult learning, and American higher-education. I am especially grateful to Liz for being one of my early mentors and recommenders for doctoral study.
What is your advice to students thinking about going to a doctoral program after attending HGSE’s EdM program?
My piece of advice is to make sure to maintain the relationships with your advisors, professors, and administrators post graduating from HGSE. The stronger the relationship, the better they can advocate for you and advise you as you embark on a doctoral program.
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