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Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) in Transformative Teaching and Social Justice

The Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) in Transformative Teaching and Social Justice at Chestnut Hill College (CHC) prepares scholar-practitioners to lead systemic educational changes through innovation, transformative learning, restorative practices, and equity-centered leadership. The intended audience includes experienced educators and leaders who seek to address complex educational challenges through action research, data-informed decision-making, innovative leadership, and collaborative problem-solving. 

The curriculum is grounded in CHC’s mission-centered principle of social justice.   Advanced study in educational policy, consideration of contemporary social challenges, use of applied research and evidence-based practices are all used to prepare graduates to effectively identify and dismantle systemic barriers while simultaneously advancing policies and innovative practices to promote educational and social equity. Students will explore emerging pedagogies, instructional and curricular innovation, and transformative leadership while developing expertise to lead institutional growth. 

A defining feature of the program is its emphasis on restorative practices as a framework for cultivating healthy organizational cultures, strengthening relationships, promoting accountability, and advancing community well-being. Doctoral candidates will practice using restorative approaches not only as classroom strategies, but also as a leadership tool that fosters trust, inclusion, conflict resolution, and sustainable organizational change.  As ethical and transformative practitioners, graduates of this program will be prepared to shape innovative educational policy, assess the effectiveness of those policies, and promote restorative practices among key stakeholders, such as schools, non-profit organizations, government agencies, and community members. 

Graduates of the Ed.D. in Innovation, Transformation, and Restorative Practices will: 

  1. Lead transformative and restorative change in educational institutions grounded in holistic education, restorative educational practices, innovation, responsibility, and spiritual life. 
  1. Demonstrate advanced communication, reasoning, and information literacy skills in analyzing complex educational and social inequities. 
  1. Employ data-informed and ethically responsible inquiry to design, implement, and assess sustainable action research problems of practice in education. 
  1. Model relational and restorative leadership that advances inclusion, equity, and human dignity. 
  1. Integrate moral, spiritual, and ethical reflection into professional action and public service. 
  1. Foster communities of practice that embody the college’s mission of unity, reconciliation, and active, inclusive love. 

Program Highlights: 

Honoring CHC’s model of serving the dear neighbor, the focus of this doctoral program is preparing scholar-practitioners to lead systemic educational change through innovation, transformative learning, restorative practices, and equity-centered leadership. In recognition of a need for consistency in life, family, and work balance for scholar-practitioners, this program is designed as an online cohort-based model during the Fall, Spring, and Summer semesters. Scholar-practitioners will be required to attend an in-person orientation prior to the first Fall semester, an online residency in Summer 1, and an in-person summer residency during Summer 2 to build and maintain just, strong relationships among learners and faculty. Scholar-practitioners will engage in coursework while working on a dissertation in practice, completing the program and their dissertation in three years. 

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