About

Why an EDD

The Doctor of Education (EDD) is designed to ensure critically conscious equity driven leaders are ready to lead in all executive settings in the field of education by bridging the divide between educational leadership practice and the rigorous acquisition and application of theory. It prepares scholarly-practitioners who assume executive leadership positions and contribute to the work of dismantling inequities to meet the current needs of the educational system in which they serve. These leaders will apply the knowledge and skills gained in the program to educational settings in South Central Los Angeles and the South Bay region of Los Angeles County and beyond to transform and improve the quality of education being offered to students. Positions in P-16 educational settings and related agencies such as county offices of education, K-12 district offices, charter school boards, and educational non-profits are spaces that need graduates from EDD Programs.

These leaders will work to transform education and related fields creating systems where all students find a space of belonging and are able to accomplish their goals. Students in EDD programs engage in research and practical activities that builds collaborative leadership skills to address the problems of practice in education as well as create collaborative cultures that provide actions to solve the problems of practice in education. This type of leadership disrupts the expansion of historic inequalities that impact student achievement and success.

Why CSUDH

Strategically located in Carson in response to the 1965 Watts Rebellion, CSUDH was designed to bring educational opportunities to underserved communities in South Los Angeles. CSUDH sustains its commitment to social, environmental, and educational justice by providing a high-quality education that leads to personal and professional success, economic and social mobility, and mutually beneficial and reciprocal relationships with the surrounding communities and our neighboring K-12 and community college educational partners.

CSUDH's mission, core values, and strategic plan form a firm foundation upon which to offer the proposed Ed.D. degree. The mission states:

California State University, Dominguez Hills provides transformational educational experiences grounded in culturally sustaining practices, innovative research, creative activity, and community engagement for undergraduate and graduate students.

CSUDH CORE VALUES:

• Academic Excellence and Intellectual Curiosity.
• Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion.
• Sustainability.
• Communication and Collaboration.
• Shared Governance.

FIVE STRATEGIC THEMES:

1. Thriving Students
2. Thriving Educators
3. Equitable Access
4. Culture of Care
5. Pillar of the Community

WHY EDUCATIONAL LEADERSHIP FOR JUSTICE AT CSUDH

The CSUDH campus is excited to welcome applicants to its independent Educational Leadership for Justice Program, a Doctor of Education degree (EDD), offered exclusively on the CSUDH campus. CSUDH is excited to join the other CSU campus in a concentrated effort to train educational leaders who work to transform education.

The mission of the Doctor of Education, Educational Leadership for Justice Program is to equip educational leaders to champion justice and equity in all educational settings. We facilitate the development of the leaders’ mindsets, moves and skills needed to:

1. examine their individual transformative potential and transformative actions.
2. interrogate, dismantle, and re-imagine historically oppressive systems.
3. create spaces that center on community wealth, cultural capital, and voice.
4. ground their practice in the CSUDH Liberatory Leadership Framework
5. design creative solutions to existing and new challenges in the field of education.

The program philosophy is focused on utilizing a culture of care to address inequities that are pervasive in the educational system and hinder the academic success of students who are culturally and linguistically diverse, have disabilities, or are economically disadvantaged. The program is seated in the College of Education (COE) in the Division of Graduate Education and aligns fully with the college’s mission and vision statements. The college is committed to ensuring that all COE students (general education teachers, ed specialists, counselors, administrators) are “grounded in the principles of justice, equity, and critical consciousness,” and this will continue in the doctorate program as we prepare executive leaders.