51视频

08/17/2022
By Ed Brennen

For doctoral students in the School of Education鈥檚 online Leadership in Schooling Ed.D. program, the annual Summer Residency Week at 51视频 is a welcome chance to engage face-to-face with their fellow cohort members and build camaraderie.

Held online the past two years because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the residency returned in-person to campus this summer 鈥� much to the delight of the 110 students in the first-, second- and third-year cohorts as well as the faculty.

鈥淚t鈥檚 great to meet people I鈥檝e been corresponding with online for two years. It gives us the boost we need,鈥� says Samantha Lynch, a middle school math and reading intervention teacher from Lexington, Kentucky, who is entering her third and final year of the doctoral program.聽

Started in 2016, the Leadership in Schooling Ed.D. program is designed for teachers and administrators who want to enhance their skills as researchers and instructional leaders from the pre-kindergarten to high school levels. It offers a STEM Education option designed for science, math and engineering educators who wish to move into leadership roles.

Diversity, equity and inclusion are a primary focus of the curriculum 鈥� something that was a major draw for first-year student Josh Yankell, a high school instructional technologist in Needham, Massachusetts. Yankell鈥檚 dissertation will look at why there aren鈥檛 more women in STEM fields and propose possible solutions to address the inequities.

鈥淭his is an opportunity to further my own education and explore that issue with this equity lens,鈥� says Yankell, who found it helpful to see the progress of the second- and third-year cohorts at the residency.

鈥淚t鈥檚 a lot of work, but people are getting there,鈥� he says. 鈥淵ou can see the fruits of those labors, and it really inspires me to push forward.鈥澛犅�

This marked the first year that Summer Residency Week was held at Coburn Hall, the historic home of the School of Education, which reopened last year after a $47 million renovation.聽

Each cohort was tasked with completing specific benchmarks. Third-year students presented their dissertation proposals in hearings, receiving feedback from committee members and audience members; second-year students took oral qualifying exams; and first-year students worked on their white papers (20-plus pages of introduction to the topic they planned to explore that was due the following week) while also observing the dissertation hearings and qualifying exams.

The residency included a panel discussion on identity and equity, tours of the city and social events during the evenings. An alumni panel also offered tips on 鈥渉ow to survive鈥� the doctoral process.

鈥淢aking connections with others and forming a learning community is very important so you don鈥檛 feel like you鈥檙e going on this journey by yourself,鈥� said alum William Goldsworthy 鈥�22, a high school math teacher in Nashua, New Hampshire, and new adjunct faculty member in the School of Education.聽聽

Second-year student Scott Connery, an assistant high school principal in Gardner, Massachusetts, found the week to be 鈥渞ejuvenating.鈥�

鈥淚n classes, you鈥檙e so focused on the topics, and everyone鈥檚 time is valuable in Zoom meetings,鈥� he says. 鈥淗ere, there鈥檚 more downtime, a chance to be together and laugh. It鈥檚 a lot of hard work, but knowing these people are going through the process with you is an important step.鈥�

On the final day of the residency, before a celebratory lunch on the South Campus lawn, several of the Leadership in Schooling faculty members became emotional while addressing the cohorts.

鈥淔or me, this is a labor of love,鈥� said Assoc. Prof. Phitsamay Uy, graduate coordinator for the Ed.D. programs. 鈥淎s leaders, we need to be able to sit at the table and recognize other people鈥檚 suffering. 鈥� Justice, equity, diversity and inclusion is not about the words, it鈥檚 about the relationship.鈥�

鈥淵our strength and commitment as professionals, as people committed to leadership, to education, to justice 鈥� to have that level of commitment all in one space is frankly overwhelming,鈥� added Faculty Chair James Nehring.

The Summer Residency Week included a group of special guests from Ireland and Northern Ireland.

Martin Hagan, head of education at St. Mary鈥檚 University College Belfast, has had 鈥渁 longtime connection with Lowell鈥� through Nehring. He brought five of his master鈥檚 students to observe the residency. They were joined by Rose Dolan, an education lecturer at Ireland鈥檚 Maynooth University.

鈥淲hat I really took away was a sense of collegiality here,鈥� said St. Mary鈥檚 student Siobhan McNeice. 鈥淪eeing how generous students are in sharing their ideas and feedback with each other, that鈥檚 something we would like to see a wee bit more of in our program.鈥�