2.1 The doctoral dissertation of educational administration: a

“is there any knowledge in the world which is so certain that no reasonable man can doubt it?”

Bertrand Russell (1872-1970)

Stage one: moral introduction

In 2004, the National Council of Professors of Educational Administration (NCPEA) issued a call for redefining the knowledge base of the profession (Creighton, MacNeil, Busch,&Waxman, 2005). NCPEA scholars responded to this call by discussing the knowledge base’s role in guiding professional development (Berry, 2005); creating internships (Hite&Matthews, 2005), effecting change (McDonald&Kilgore, 2006); conducting action research (Alford&Ballenger, 2006); inspiring school reform (Tripses, Philhower, Halverson, Noe,&Morford, 2005); and developing school climate and school improvement (Lindahl, 2006). The common theme among these discussions is the use of knowledge to create socially just school leaders. In spite of the significant impact of this discourse, no conversations have focused on the moral implications of the doctoral dissertation of educational administration.

In 1651, the dissertation was described as being a written treatment for a particular subject (Sternberg, 1981). Since that time, researchers (Holbrook, 2002; Isaac, Quinlan,&Walker, 1992; Locke, Spirduso,&Silverman, 1999; Sternberg, 1981) have expanded the definition to indicate that the dissertation should: (a) demonstrate mastery of subject; (b) present original and independent work; (c) highlight various research techniques; (d) show potential for publication, and (c) contribute unique and new information to a chosen field of study. After reviewing these and similar themes, I believe that the doctoral dissertation of educational administration is one of the most crucial knowledge based experiences of our field. The main reason is that most recipients of this dissertation are public school leaders. Sergiovanni (1992) indicated that public school leaders are required to use their knowledge, skills, and dispositions to affect change in schools and their surrounding communities. Drawing upon these implications for social justice, I write this paper to discuss the moral implications of the dissertation experience for our field.

I have outlined this chapter in three phases. I use the first phase to propose the moral foundation of the doctoral dissertation of educational administration. I use the second phase to explain the possible reasons for the lack of discussion about the moral implications of the doctoral dissertation of educational administration. I use the third phase to provide the profession with a plan for connecting the doctoral dissertation of educational administration to the theme of morality. These phases are anchored by my previous research on the doctoral dissertation of educational administration, professors’ and students’ perceptions of this scholarly work, and related literature about the relationship between knowledge and morals. In addition, these phases are also designed to about the dissertation’s moral relevance to our field.