EdD cohort connects in person to share findings

Offered by the Department of Educational Administration in the College of Education, the EdD is intended to equip graduates for improved leadership and applied research in organizations with educational mandates. The program is facilitated over three years with a blend of online and in-person courses to allow working professionals to maintain work commitments. The summer residency leads to cohesiveness once the cohort returns following online interactions together. 

This year, both the incoming and outgoing EdD cohorts had their summer residencies in August.

“It's new for the department to have two cohorts at different places in their programs. The first cohort started in 2021 and didn't have the benefit of seeing where the program was fully going. With this group being in their final year, the newest cohort is benefiting from seeing the roadmap of the program,” explained Department Head Dr. Paul Newton (PhD).

The EdD program was initially developed to meet a demand for educational-focused doctorates in Saskatchewan. The program has accepted students from across western Canada and is looking to grow.

“One thing about the cohort model is that the bonding is almost immediate,” said Newton. “On one of the first days together, I noticed that a student from Manitoba and British Columbia were out for a walk even though they didn't know each other beforehand. The relationships they are building are really important.”

Featured below are three EdD students discussing their research focuses as they enter the final year of the program.

Jill Clapson, école principal at École St. Gerard School within the Greater Saskatoon Catholic School Division, is researching translanguage reading intervention strategies. Clapson observed a systemic issue regarding the accessibility and retention of multilingual learners in French immersion at her school. As immigration increases in Saskatchewan and Canada, she believes language acquisition should be equitably accessible to all.

“The diversity of the classroom, especially including language, is increasing. Literacy is a basic human need and human right. Without literacy, you can't access the world,” said Clapson.

“I feel like the current English-language learner programs oppress multilingual learners. Not including first-language literacy keeps individuals and groups of people illiterate in English.”

In a society where English is viewed as a priority and a way to access the world, multilingual learners are perceived in a deficit way. Often there is a focus on language development prior to developing literacy. Clapson believes educators need to collaborate and include both language and literacy development simultaneously to connect with multilingual learners and understand why they are making certain mistakes.

“There are ‘sources of knowledge’ that multilingual learners have, and their skills should be leveraged, such as understanding the syntax of sentence structure. Language can be represented in signs and symbols. I don't think we use enough visual aids to help students make connections. We see that grade one teachers have the most literacy skills, expertise and experience. As you go up in grades, that expertise drops off quite rapidly. In my opinion, every teacher should learn how to teach literacy,” explained Clapson.

Through the EdD, Clapson’s research focuses on how to take the language learning pieces to improve literacy interventions. She wants to find efficient techniques to teach language and literacy simultaneously to reduce further deficits in literacy.

“There needs to be more of an understanding between the connectedness of language and literacy, rather than the separateness of it. Developing these strategies would give multilingual learners equitable access to literacy support for future development. School divisions need to relook at the services they provide, and how the English as an Additional Language program is built. Students can't be pulled out of class all the time if we want to use an inclusive classroom model,” described Clapson.

“In general, I think universities need to start teaching reading. There are practical tools and knowledge about language and literacy that all teachers need to know,” she added.

Thus far, Clapson has gained a better understanding of leadership and how to analyze and conduct research. But her main reasons to pursue an EdD were for her family and to expand her connections.

“I want to be a good role model for my two kids. I try to set high standards for myself to show them what is possible. The cohort has been the greatest part. We only see each other once a year, but we have become best friends through the journey.”

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Valerie Harper was a teacher, educator and administrator for the Saskatoon Public School Division where she worked for twenty-two years. She was also the director of education with the Saskatoon Tribal Council for thirteen years until her retirement in 2020.

Harper was a school dropout at the age of 15. Her school experiences in the mid-fifties and sixties came from a space of colonization, discrimination, racism and indifference. Harper recalled some of her childhood experiences.

“As a young child in grade one, I was given the strap. When my mom confronted the teacher, the teacher denied using the strap on me until my mom showed the marks on my hand. The teacher had mistakenly thought she strapped another little girl.”

Harper spoke about how corporal punishment was exercised when she went to school and how she was viewed as just another ‘brown-skinned Indian girl.’ She continued to struggle in school, failing grade four and later being advised that she would not earn an education level higher than grade 10.

“When I was in grade eight, I was counselled about going into grade nine the following year. I was advised that I would not get past grade ten and was given job options that I could work in with that level of education. They put a ceiling on my learning,” recalled Harper.

“The racism and name-calling chipped away at my spirit. I didn't like the colour of my skin. I didn’t like being an Indian,” said Harper. “To be told that I didn't matter because I was Indian destroyed my confidence.”

Although Harper’s elementary journey in education was difficult, a bright spot was the teacher she had in grade seven. This experience and feeling of inclusion would be a foundational philosophy for her teaching, parenting and research.

“I absolutely loved grade seven because I had a teacher that was supportive. He constantly praised and encouraged me. I was never interested in science, but because of how he taught and worked with us, I felt like I belonged in his classroom,” beamed Harper.

When Harper’s four children started attending school, she realized she needed to be a role model to teach the importance of education.

“I wanted to make sure that my family unit was always strong and maintained. My husband and I worked hard on that.”

These factors resulted in her decision to go back to school to complete the General Educational Development (GED) tests. Improved employment opportunities would follow as did greater accomplishments in education.

“Today, I can say that my spirit is very happy. As an Indigenous woman, I'm a warrior and an advocate for education for our Indigenous children.”

Using an autoethnographic research approach, Harper has drawn on her life experience to connect on current inequities Indigenous students are facing. Her research focuses on why Indigenous dropout and low graduation rates have not improved in the 21^st century and how education systems contribute to the disparity gap in First Nations education. She wants Indigenous voice in leadership positions in schools, school divisions and at the ministry level.

Harper stated, “We need leaders in place that can support our Indigenous children and youth. We need leaders and educators in schools that engage parent voice. We need learning environments that are inclusive, that respect diversity, and that are committed to equity and quality education for all students, especially Indigenous students, that the current system has been failing for years.”

The Saskatchewan Provincial Auditor Report for 2023 stated that less than 50 per cent of Indigenous students graduate from grade 12 within three years of starting grade ten. The report also noted an approximate 40 per cent graduation rate disparity gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous students. Harper questions why the graduation rate crises phenomenon continues into the 21^st century.

The government has introduced several education strategies, including the Education Sector Plan, to address the poor graduation rates and the learning gap of Indigenous students. Yet, Harper says she still hears teachers saying, ‘my students can't do that’.

“Teachers need to stop placing a ceiling on students and their gift of learning. Schools and school divisions need to start looking inward to see how they are failing Indigenous students instead of blaming the students and their family’s socioeconomics for the poor learning and graduation outcomes. As educators, we have a responsibility to equitably serve the social, emotional, physical and spiritual needs of all children. It is not our responsibility to limit students’ potential to achieve their hopes and dreams.”

Harper is closing her gap in education from being a school dropout at 15 to completing a Doctor of Education at 75. Heading into her final year of the EdD program, Harper has found deeper meaning in her learning journey.

“Next year is convocation and the end of the road for all the work that we've done in the EdD program. It is the epitome of my learning journey. From being a dropout to completing the EdD is, I think, a pretty decent feat. I want my young grandchildren, my great grandchildren, my great-great grandchild and those to follow to know how valuable education is, and to never let anyone limit your learning, or who you are as an Indigenous person. Always know who you are and where you came from. And be proud of that. Don't deny it. Because it is a gift, and we need to fulfill that gift,” said Harper.

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Emmy Stavøstrand Neuls is the manager of distance education at the Johnson Shoyama Graduate School of Public Policy. Her research focuses on evaluating the Indigenous and Northern student experiences within global learning activities in efforts to better integrate Indigenous values into higher education internationalization strategies.

Neuls’ scope of internationalization examines the program level and the individual student experience in the Governance and Entrepreneurship in Northern and Indigenous Areas (GENI) program. She hopes her research will provide lessons so the institution can support Indigenous students in internationalization.

“In general, there is a lower participation of Indigenous students within Indigenization activities in higher education activities. We need to better understand the Indigenous students experience to create opportunities for better engagement and inclusion of Indigenous knowledge systems. I am hoping to uplift those Indigenous student experiences,” said Neuls.

Neuls knows the benefits of internationalization first-hand. Originally from Norway, she had the opportunity to experience internationalization as a student when she attended the University of Saskatchewan for her undergraduate degree. As a program manager and student advisor with the GENI program, Neuls works directly with Indigenous and Northern students to ensure global learning opportunities. 

“The GENI students often talk about transformative change and learning after the international community-based field schools. As their student advisor, I see this exciting growth in confidence and ability combined with pride in culture and identify.” 

Neuls has enjoyed the EdD process because she can directly apply the lessons from the classroom to her practice.

“I can add meaning and have a greater appreciation to the work I was already doing. I can also move forward with much more consideration for potential improvements and solutions. It provides a wonderful opportunity to put research into action, and to add value to your work and team,” she described.

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The next intake for the EdD program begins May 2025. Applications open September 2024 and the deadline to apply is January 2025.