Introduction to

Arizona State University and its CID Work in Curriculum & Instruction

In 2002 Dale Baker, Robert Rutherford, Josephine Young, Carole Edelsky, Alfinio Flores and Carlos Ovando wrote a proposal to become a participating university in the Carnegie Initiative on the Doctorate. We were selected in Janaury of 2003 and our work began with the help of graduate students Katie Barclay, Faryl Kander, and Sibel Uysal. The initial participating doctoral programs were in Science Education, Mathematics Education, and Language and Literacy. In the second year we were joined by Special Education, Curriculum Studies, and Early Childhood Education.

Who are we?

Leadership Team

Dale Baker, Science Education Professor

Carole Edelsky, Language & Literacy Professor

Josephine Young, Language & Literacy Associate Professor

James Middleton, Mathematics Education Associate Professor (Division Chair)

Sanford Cohn, Special Education Associate Professor

Robert B. Rutherford, Special Education Professor

Sarup Mathur, Special Education Clinical Professor

Karen Anijar, Curriculum Studies Associate Professor

Christian Faltis, Curriculum Studies Professor

Joseph Tobin, Early Childhood Professor

Bernard Young, Art Education Professor

College of Education Home Page
This link will direct you to the main web page for the College of Education at Arizona State University. Here you can learn about programs at the undergraduate as well as graduate level.

Curriculum and Instruction PhD
This site provides an overview of the Interdisciplinary PhD Program in Curriculum and Instruction.

Areas of Concentration
This site provides a list of the eleven different areas of concentration with the Interdisciplinary PhD Program in Curriculum and Instruction. From this site, you will find links to the concentrations.

More About Our Program

As stated on our program website, "The Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction is interdisciplinary in nature focusing on empirical and systematic study of the scope and organization or curricular content and of the full range of instructional techniques in early childhood through post secondary settings.

The program seeks to produce research scholars who are well-equipped for empirical and systematic examinations of educational theories, strategies, principles, and practices related to the content and organization of curriculum and to the process and outcome of instruction. The program also seeks to produce scholars who have the knowledge base to engage in such studies within broad historical, social, political, economic, linguistic, intellectual, and physical contexts in the country and abroad.

The Ph.D. program in Curriculum and Instruction enables highly select students of demonstrated ability, industry, and motivation to serve as apprentices to mentors who are established scholars in their fields of study. Under the supervision of a faculty mentor, the students engage in a period of extensive study and investigation that culminates in the demonstrations of expertise, creativity and originality by means of independent research."

With the Interdisciplinary Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction, there are eleven areas of concentration. The are as follows:

Commonalities PowerPoint
In the summer of 2003, we were asked to deliver a presentation at the Carnegie Convening. The purpose of the presentation was to compare and contrast elements of our doctoral program with our partner institutions.

Key Ideas PowerPoint
In the summer of 2003, we were also asked to present our key ideas. These key ideas were the issues and elements of our doctoral program that we hoped to discuss and deliberate.

Exemplary Element

What do we want to accomplish in the CID?

Our CID leadership team is currently in the process of reviewing several important issues to students and faculty within the Interdisciplinary PhD Program in Curriculum and Instruction. We have engaged in thought provoking discussions and deliberations at the overall program level as well as at the individual concentration level. Through this ongoing process we intend to criticially examine the habits of mind that accompany being stewards of the discipline, the core courses that are required of all doctoral students, and how to acheive equity in the mentoring experience. Our overall goal is to create an more intellectually cohesive and progressive doctoral program. We encourage interested students and faculty to join us in this endeavor.

Timeline

Briefly describe your timeline for implementing and assessing at least two innovations by December 2005. You can include major achievements that have been accomplished, and the milestones you foresee.

What are we doing at the overall program level?

We are working on improving the doctoral student experience both at the overall program level as well as the concentration level. At the program level, we have developed an initial list of the habits of mind that we feel are important for being stewards of the discipline. Please see the Habits of Mind link below for our initial list. Work still needs to be done on how those habits are or will be integrated into our coursework and key experiences.

We are also in the process of reviewing the role of mentoring both for the student as well as the faculty member. At a recent meeting, we brainstormed the issues inherent in the mentor/mentee relationship here at ASU. The issues mentioned ranged from creating institutional processes to prevent mentor abuse of students to the uneven distribution of cultural capital (e.g., grants, assistantships, etc.). For more on issues in mentoring mentor and mentee expectations, please see the Issues Related to Mentoring and the Mentoring and Being Mentored links below. We also encourage you to share your thoughts on the matter.

Finally, we are reconsidering the core courses and experiences that all doctoral students in the Interdisciplinary PhD Program must take. In order to better understand our students' needs, we developed the attached web-based survey. By mid December of 2004 we hope to have the data analyzed and posted on this site.

Issues in Mentoring
Please open this link for a more comprehensive list of the issues faculty and students identified. We have also listed a way for you to submit your feedback on the topic.

Mentoring and Being Mentored
Please see the Division of Graduate Studies website for a suggested list of roles and responsibilities of the mentor as well as the mentee.

Habits of Mind
Please open this link for a list of the habits of mind generated by the CID Leadership Team at ASU.

Core Courses Survey
Opening this link will take you to our web-based survey on the core courses required as part of the Interdisciplinary PhD.

What are we doing at the concentration level?

Special Education

Please see our two attached snapshots of our exemplary elements. One snapshot is about our alternative to the traditional comprehensive exam process. The other snapshot is about our continous seminar series.

Please also see the attached documents of our newly funded PhD program to prepare special education professors in the area of working with children with emotional and behavioral disorders.

Language & Literacy

Please see the attached snapshot below describing language and literacy's new seminar series and the process behind its implementation. In the coming weeks, look for our snapshot on our deliberations surrounding rethinking comprehensive exams.

Science Education

Please see our attached document for a description of the science education concentration. Learn about the many opportunities to participate in learning, discovery, and engagemenbt opportunities. Also, learn abut the concentration's strong committment to providing funding opportunities for its students.

Art Education

Please see the attached document describing the art education concentration's exemplary internship program. Hear from faculty and students as they reflect on the enriching opportunities in which students have engaged.

Math Education

Please see the attached document to learn about the unique partnership between math education and the math department here at Arizona State University. This unique relationship allows students greater access to faculty, learning opportunities, and resources. Students are able to strengthen not only their teaching and learning techniques but also there knowledge of mathematics content.

English Education

English Education also shares a unique relationship with another department here at Arizona State University. In this relationship students and faculty in the College of Education share resources with students and faculty in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Again here, this relationship allows students greater access to faculty, learning opportunities, and resources. Attached you will find a description of an exemplary element within English Education. This is exemplary element is an innovative and fruitful approach to comprehensive examinations. Program graduates have the potential to exit with three publications giving them an edge in the job market.

EBD Program Flyer
Open this link to see a flyer for the new PhD program in Curriculum and Instruction with an emphasis on working with children with emotional and behavioral disorders.

Continuous Seminar Series
Open this site to learn more about our continuous seminar series.

Alternatives to Traditional Comprehensive Exams
Open this link to read about our four products that are completed in lieu of the traditional comprehensive exams.

Expanded Information on the EBD Program
Open this link to learn more about the dual-university program to prepare professors in emotional and behavioral disorders.

Language & Literacy Seminar Series
Open this link to find a discussion about how the seminar series was created and implemented.

Science Education Program Description
Open this link for a description of the science education program.

Math Education
Open this link to read about the exemplary partnership between math education and the math department at Arizona State University.

Art Education
Open this link to find a description of the internship opportunities within art education.

English Education's Answer to Comprehensive Examinations
Open this link to read more about English Education's innovative approach to comprensive examinations.