Community College Leadership, Ed.D.

We use a program evaluation framework for the dissertation. Program evaluation is being broadly defined as a systematic evaluation of programs, policies, or practices to inform decision-making. Doctoral candidates will either implement a program or practice and evaluate it or evaluate a current program or practice. Research methods will align with the program evaluation questions being investigated but most students will utilize a multiple-methods or mixed-methods design.

To encourage public scholarship and ensure that a wider audience benefits from the research conducted by doctoral candidates, the dissertation will include brief, accessible reports such as executive summaries, infographics, blogs, and policy briefs.

Brief Description of Each Chapter:

Chapter 1: Literature Review: Problem of Practice

This chapter is a systematic literature review of the identified problem of practice. The format is a stand-alone article that is ready for publication in a peer-reviewed journal. After introducing the problem through a social justice and equity lens and communicating a sense of urgency related to understanding the problem so that it can be addressed, this chapter details the formal search methods used to identify the body of literature from journals, public scholarship sites, and through practitioner conversations. This body of literature is then reviewed and critiqued through a themed approach, providing an in-depth analysis of the problem.

Chapter 2: Literature Review: Intervention or Program

This chapter is a systematic literature review of an identified intervention or program aimed at addressing the problem of practice described in the first chapter. The format is a stand-alone article that is ready for publication in a peer-reviewed journal. After introducing and describing the type of intervention, this chapter details the formal search methods used to identify the body of literature from journals, public scholarship sites, and through practitioner conversations. This body of literature is then reviewed and critiqued through a themed approach, providing an in-depth analysis of what is currently known about the effectiveness of the identified intervention or program.

Chapter 3: Program Description and Program Evaluation Design Method

This chapter describes the intervention program, policy, or practice that will be evaluated, the type of program evaluation that will be conducted, and the program evaluation design that will be used. A logic model that visually maps out the inputs, activities, outputs, short and long-term outcomes, and impacts of the program and a budget are included. This chapter also includes a theory of change that explains why this program is expected to have the desired results and a theory of action that articulates how the theory of change will be put into action. After acknowledging positionality and the researcher’s impact on the program evaluation process, the program evaluation questions and program evaluation research design method will be described. Details about the setting, participants, data collection tools, procedures, and the data analysis approach will be provided.

Chapter 4: Program Evaluation Results and Discussion

This chapter provides an overview of the findings. Data related to each program evaluation question is shared, analyzed, and interpreted. Whenever possible, data is disaggregated to tell a more complete story about the success of the intervention program. Results will be interpreted in the context of the logic model and theory of change to determine to what extent

a program worked, for whom, and why. At the conclusion of the chapter, key findings will be summarized via success, equity, and economic lenses. The limitations and value of these findings will be discussed.

Chapter 5: Recommendations and Resources

This chapter is intended to be a practitioner-ready guide that outlines key recommendations that stem from the program evaluation findings and provides resources that will enable practitioners to easily implement the recommendations will be included.

Appendix

A set of brief accessible documents such as executive summaries, infographics or blogs on the following will be provided in the appendix: problem of practice, intervention or program, key findings from the program evaluation, and recommendations for community college practitioners.