Leader Scholar Communities: Supporting EdD Students’ Dissertation in Practice Efforts

Abstract

In this essay, we discuss Leader Scholar Communities (LSCs), which have proven to be helpful in supporting students’ dissertation in practice (DiP) efforts in several CPED-guided programs. We have organized this essay around four important topics including (a) describing a theoretical framework that serves as the foundation for LSCs, (b) providing a rationale for using LSCs, (c) illustrating how LSCs have been implemented to support students’ DiP efforts in our EdD programs, and (d) exploring the benefits and limitations of LSCs. We have also presented research information about graduates’ perceptions of LSCs. We concluded by presenting some questions others might wish to contemplate as they consider the use of LSCs to support their students’ DiP efforts.

Keywords

• reducing doctoral attrition
• leader scholar communities
• dissertation in practice
• communities of practice