CPED Scholar Practitioner Network
Network Launch
In the past 10 years, CPED’s journal Impacting Education: Journal on Transforming Professional Practice (IE) has
established itself as a vital forum for scholars and practitioners committed to strengthening the preparation of leaders who work in PK-20 education and beyond. Publishing research articles, essays, dissertations in practice research articles, and book reviews, IE advances scholarship that speaks directly to the design of professional preparation programs, or EdD degrees. Over its first 10 years, the journal has impacted policies, practices, and teaching within schools of education both within and outside of CPED membership.
Join us for the CPED Meeting at AERA 2026
Shaping the Future of CPED: Refreshing the Framework and Celebrating 20 Years
Dr. Catherine McGeehan, the Director of the Online EdD program at Kutztown University, was recently featured in an interview with Online EdD Programs. The interview discusses the vision behind their EdD program in Transformational Teaching and Learning program at Kutztown.
The Carnegie Project on the Education Doctorate (CPED) invites applications from institutions that are ready to engage deeply in the ongoing improvement of the Education Doctorate (EdD).
CPED is a professional learning organization of more than 160 schools of education committed to strengthening the professional practice doctorate through collective inquiry, collaboration, and sustained program improvement. Membership is not an endorsement of a finished program nor the adoption of a prescribed model. Rather, it reflects an institutional commitment—among deans, faculty, and program leaders—to engage actively in redesign, reflection, and shared learning.
After six years of dedicated leadership, W. Kyle Ingle and Harriette Thurber Rasmussen are stepping down as co-chairs of the CPED Program of the Year Committee. Since 2019, Kyle and Harriette have guided the committee with insight, vision, and an unwavering commitment to recognizing excellence in EdD programs.
CPED is seeking proposals from scholars and their institutions to serve as the next Editor(s)-in-Chief of Impacting Education: Journal on Transforming Professional Practice (IE). Published quarterly by the University Library System at the University of Pittsburgh, IE is CPED’s peer-reviewed, open-access journal dedicated to advancing EdD scholarship and the transformation of professional practice.
Role overview
The Editor(s)-in-Chief, supported by a Host Institution, will lead the vision of the journal, recruit and manage the Editorial Board, oversee the peer-review process, and expand the journal’s visibility.
The Carnegie Project on the Education Doctorate (CPED) is proud to announce Dr. Jenny Riggle of Sacred Heart University as the recipient of the 2025 Dissertation in Practice (DiP) Award. This prestigious honor recognizes Dr. Riggle’s groundbreaking work on advancing student and teacher engagement through continuous improvement in rural districts.
Dr. Riggle’s dissertation, chaired by Dr. Vitoria A. Osbourne-Leute, explored how improvement science can reimagine engagement in one rural school district. Her work did not stop there—what began as a single-district effort has since expanded to 18 rural school districts, demonstrating its adaptability, sustainability, and wide-reaching impact.
The Carnegie Project on the Education Doctorate (CPED) is proud to announce the recipients of the 2025 David G. Imig Distinguished Service Award: Dr. Kofi Lomotey of Western Carolina University and Dr. Noelle Paufler of Clemson University.
The CPED David G. Imig Distinguished Service award is presented in recognition of an individual who has demonstrated important contributions to the Vision, Mission, and Values of CPED and the reclaiming of the EdD as the highest quality professional practice doctorate in education. Both honorees exemplify the spirit of Dr. David G. Imig’s legacy through their leadership within CPED, teaching and advising in their EdD programs, and advancing understanding of the EdD through their scholarship.
The Carnegie Project on the Education Doctorate (CPED) is pleased to announce Radford University’s Doctor of Education (EdD) Program as the recipient of the 2025 CPED Program of the Year Award!
Each year, CPED honors a member institution whose EdD program exemplifies innovation, impact, and alignment with CPED’s guiding principles. The Program of the Year Award is one of CPED’s highest distinctions, recognizing outstanding contributions to the field of professional practice doctorate education.
The August 2025 issue of Impacting Education (Vol. 10 No. 3), guest edited by Vachel Miller and Star Brown, explores the evolving landscape of EdD scholarship. This themed issue—The Present and Future of EdD Alternative Dissertations—highlights how programs are moving beyond the traditional five-chapter model to embrace innovative forms of scholarly work that bridge research and practice.
On Saturday, May 3, two CPED EdD students from SUNY Buffalo nearing the end of their program presented their work to approximately 15 CPED EdD students just beginning their program at St. Bonaventure University (SBU) in Olean, NY.
During his tenure as president of the Carnegie Foundation, Shulman spearheaded two groundbreaking initiatives that paved the way for his call to reclaim education’s doctorates. The first, the Preparation for the Professions Program, delved into how various professions approached teaching and learning in professional preparation. The second, the Carnegie Initiative on the Doctorate (CID), examined doctoral education across six disciplines. At the intersection of these initiatives lay the field of education, grappling with the dual challenge of preparing researchers through the PhD and equipping practitioners through the EdD.
CPED is thrilled to announce Texas A&M University’s Online EdD Program in Curriculum and Instructionhas been selected as the 2024 Program of the Year! This prestigious award recognizes member programs that embody the CPED Framework and serve as exemplars of innovation, distinction, and meaningful impact in the EdD community.
Join us in congratulating our colleagues at Texas A&M University for this incredible achievement!
We are thrilled to announce the recipients of the 2024 Carnegie Project on the Education Doctorate (CPED) Imig Award! This prestigious award recognizes educational faculty at CPED member institutions who have made outstanding contributions to advancing the mission of CPED, particularly in preparing scholarly-practitioners to use research and collaboration to improve educational outcomes. The David G. Imig Distinguished Service Award is presented in recognition of an individual who has demonstrated important contributions to the Vision and Mission of CPED while reclaiming the EdD as the highest quality professional practice doctorate in education.
This year’s honorees, Dr. Matthew Militello, East Carolina University, and Dr. Margaret “Terry” Orr, Fordham University, exemplify this mission through their commitment to leadership within the CPED network, their work in EdD program design, their teaching and advising aligned with the CPED Framework, and their scholarship that enhances the understanding and implementation of the CPED Framework.
In the rapidly evolving landscape of advanced educational preparation, California State University-San Bernardino (CSUSB) has taken decisive steps to reshape its Ed.D. program, recognizing the imperative for academic rigor coupled with real-world impact. Guided by the principles of the Carnegie Project on the Education Doctorate (CPED) Framework, CSUSB has not only revitalized its program but also positioned it as a beacon of innovation and excellence in educational leadership.
Reimagining the EdD Program for the
CPED is pleased to announce the winner of the 2023 Dissertation in Practice Award is Dr. Francesca Smith, graduate of American University's EdD program. Congratulations Dr. Smith! We received over 40 high-quality nominations for the 2023 award. The purpose of this award is to honor scholarly practitioner work that adheres to the CPED definition of Dissertation in Practice (DiP): “scholarly endeavor that impacts a complex problem of practice”.