Join us for the CPED Meeting at AERA 2026

Shaping the Future of CPED: Refreshing the Framework and Celebrating 20 Years

Dr. Catherine McGeehan Featured in an interview with Online EdD Programs  

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. 

A Call to Institutions Committed to Strengthening the EdD

Call for Proposals: Host Institution and/or Editor(s)-in-Chief

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.

Celebrating Dr. Jenny Riggle: 2025 Dissertation in Practice (DiP) Award Recipient

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.

About the Award-Winning Dissertation

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.

Program of the Year

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!

Recognizing Excellence in EdD Program Design

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.

Honoring the 2025 David G. Imig Distinguished Service Award Recipients

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. 

August 2025 Issue of Impacting 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.

Dr. Lee S. Shulman, President Emeritus of the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, was a pioneer in education whose transformative ideas reshaped the landscape of doctoral education. As the visionary behind the Carnegie Project on the Education Doctorate (CPED), Shulman’s leadership, insight, and boundless generosity of spirit have left an indelible mark on generations of scholars and practitioners.

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! 

Celebrating the 2024 David G. Imig Distinguished Service  Award Winners: Dr. Matthew Militello and Dr. Margaret “Terry” Orr

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.

Revolutionizing Educational Leadership: The Transformation of the Ed.D. Program at California State University-San Bernardino

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.

CPED had an outstanding pool of applicants for the 2023 Program of the Year (POY) award! After lengthy deliberations and a rigorous screening process that involved an 8-member committee, representing just under 10% of CPED’s membership, the CPED Program of the Year (POY) Committee is pleased to announce the University of Pittsburgh as the 2023 Program of the Year. 

The University of Pittsburgh’s (Pitt) EdD is a program encompassing multiple aspects of transformation that deliberately weaves leadership, equity, health, and justice into the coursework and transforms experienced professionals into scholarly practitioners who are equipped to address inequities with improvement science methodologies. Experienced practitioners have the option of selecting one of eight majors to dive deeply into the causes of current inequities and gain a comprehensive view of education and health in society. Students learn from peers and faculty experts and gain the tools needed to manage change in complex systems and work to create a more just future.