An addendum for the family doctors

A few more words about the final steps my Mom took in completing her doctoral degree.

My Mom's dissertation, on how schools can apply Total Quality Management and strategic planning techniques to improve student learning, is peppered with incisive observations about the state of education, and the challenges and opportunities for improving it. She quotes Andy Hargreaves' succinct description of how important this work is, that "education is the greatest gatekeeper of opportunity and a powerful distributor of life chances."

It was great fun for me to read this document, codifying the knowledge and experience earned through decades of work as an educator. In discussing how educational reform efforts are necessarily situated within a large social context, she writes:

A school is affected from the outside by the stability, support, and socioeconomic status of the community. A community in turmoil is less likely to lend support and prioritize education as a value.

In describing how a school's culture and process for decision-making can impact the ultimate success of school improvement efforts, she highlights how critical it is that all the people involved have a shared understanding of the process and its importance, and what happens without it.

What can easily be construed as resistance to change may in fact be uncertainty of the task or training needed to build capacity. Seldom is the desire to change problematic in a school when the need is evident, the process is clear and relevant and the belief is there that it will benefit students.

A dissertation culminates in a defense, the term of art for a committee review of the material including an oral interview by the committee. From the stories I've heard, it seems these free-form, no-holds-barred investigations of the material covered by the dissertation often go in unexpected directions, as committee members might be interested in hearing the candidate expound on a passing remark on page 57.

It sounds like my Mom's defense was a rich and intense discussion, giving her an opportunity to demonstrate her broad, confident knowledge of her material. The unexpected part came when after the committee's deliberations were complete, she was asked to follow the committee throughout the halls of the department, as her advisor rang an antique school bell — hear-ye, hear-ye style — introducing her to all of the staff and faculty as the department's newest Ph.D.. For all the pomp and circumstance of a commencement (which she got to experience the next day), so I love the image being invited into the ranks through the ringing of an old school bell, and striding the halls with those who have conferred the distinction. Once again, Ma, way to go!

I have also just learned that my aunt Kim successfully defended her dissertation yesterday. Congrats, Dr. Kim!

Much occasion for family pride, indeed.