Why did you choose to invest in the Ed.L.D. Program?
Linda Hammett Ory, Ed.M.’93 Cosponsor with Andrew Ory, Endeavor Foundation fellowship
As an alumna of the Ed School’s Technology in Education Program, I have had a long-standing interest in educating children through nontraditional methods. There are so many ways to spark children’s interest in learning, both inside and outside the classroom, and I’ve come to believe a one-sizefits-all approach doesn’t work. That’s why we need education entrepreneurs, leaders who can forge new and meaningful pathways to learning for all children. When my husband, Andy, and I first learned about the new Doctor of Education Leadership Program, we were inspired to support it through our foundation because of three primary features: 1. The Ed.L.D. Program wants education leaders who can think big and outside the box. Most of the degree candidates already have impressive education experience. By training in interdisciplinary approaches from the Ed School, the Business School, Harvard Kennedy School, and other Harvard schools, Ed.L.D. graduates will be better equipped to develop and implement innovative education solutions.
APRIL 2011
SUMMER 2011
Harvard Graduate School of Design collaboration.
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• SUMMER 2012
AUGUST 2011
DECEMBER 2011
Cohort 2 arrives on campus. Cohort 1 students work at high-level education summer jobs.
Students from cohort 1 collaborate with GSD students to create proposals for ideal school buildings and learning environments for the 21st century.
2. The Ed.L.D. Program is committed to giving its graduates real-word experience during their degree program, so theory and practice can come to agreement. Too often there is a divide between the ivory tower and the trenches. Ed.L.D. students will test ambitious ideas on the job in their third-year residencies, while still connected to the think tank of their student/professor cohort. They are aiming for real-world success, and this part of their studies will significantly boost their chances. 3. The Ed.L.D. degree candidates are fully funded. Like many of your readers, I was divided in my focus during my Ed School studies between getting the best education I could and figuring out how to pay for it. With the stress of tuition removed (as it is for most students in Harvard’s Graduate School of Arts and Sciences), Ed.L.D. students are free to concentrate on finding solutions to one of the most difficult challenges of our era — providing quality education for all. The Ed.L.D. Program is still in its infancy, but I can’t wait to see what comes from it. I have learned from Emma Heeschen, a cohort 2 student whom the Endeavor Foundation is sponsoring, that they are already offering innovative ideas to solve education conundrums. For example, this year’s first-year students are helping the Education Achievement Authority of Michigan implement a studentcentered instructional model as a means of improving achievement in some of Detroit’s lowest-performing schools. This is just the beginning. Imagine what kind of impact Ed.L.D. students will have within 10 short years! Andy and I are delighted to have the Endeavor Foundation help launch these soon-to-be doctors of education leadership, and we are committed to the school’s mission to let them focus on their degree program without the burden of tuition.
Range of job sites include state and federal departments of education, school systems, and nonprofits. They open new schools, craft policy and curriculum, and shadow superintendents.
32% men, 68% women, average age 32, average work experience 10 years.
Cohort 2 students create reform plans for New Orleans. Proposals address school effectiveness, teacher quality, fiscal accountability, and community involvement.