Recent Alumni Wins Prestigious Award Outstanding Dissertation Award Bestowed on EdD Graduate
Dr. Cheyenne Batista EdD '22was awarded the prestigious Outstanding Dissertation award by the American Educational Research Association (AERA) at their . She is the first person to win the award from 51勛圖, and only the third award winner completing her Doctorate of Education as opposed to a Doctorate of Philosophy.
The founder of theglobal educationconsulting businessand an adjunct professorial lecturer in the School of Education (SOE), her dissertation was titledI Am Not Scary. I Am Strong. Theres a Difference. Disrupting Misogynoir and Transforming Interpersonal Conflict for Black Women Education Leaders: A Multiple Case Study.The award was bestowed by the Administration, Organization, and Leadership division of AERA to recognize her outstanding dissertation research appropriate to her field, which includes the leadership, organization, and administration of schools, and the preparation of educational leaders.
When interviewed about the award, Batista said, "It's motivating to see this work elevated and recognized and honored in this way. This award is special because it reflectsthe value of merging topics that were of real importance to me as a scholar practitioner, from identifying a topic of relevance to the field, to identifying a topic that felt pertinent and meaningful to my professional expertise.泭And it's motivating to see work that is focused on supporting Black womenparticularly Black women leaders in education."
About the work itself, Batista said, "My main focus was on doing something excellent for the participants through my intervention.泭I wanted to support them,support their growth, support the education field and organizations by learning from their stories. Nearly every time Ieither presented this work,or recreated my intervention and delivered it as professional development, there is incredible resonancedeep,striking resonanceamong participants, namely Black women leaders, but also leaders of all identitieswho recognize the challenging interpersonal dynamics that can exist within the workplace."
SOE Senior Professorial Lecturer Dr. Amaarah DeCuir, chaired Batistas dissertation committee, and commented, "Simply amazing!It is an incredible honor to earn an Outstanding Dissertation Award, particularly when it comes from the premier education organization in ones field. When we came to know that she won the Outstanding Dissertation Award from AERA Division A, the division that serves to organize education leadership researchers in the largest education association in the US, it meant that the quality and impact of her research contributes to the construction of new knowledges in education research."
"This is a significant achievement that describes both the quality of her research and its impact on the field of education leadership research," DeCuir continued. "I am at a loss for words beyond simply amazing to describe how we should recognize that Cheyennes single dissertation earned both aDissertation in Practice of the Year award from CPED and this award from AERA.泭This is a significant achievement that represents the ultimate goal of education researchto meaningfully impact practice and contribute new knowledges to the field."
Executive Director of EdD Program and Senior Professorial Lecturer Dr. Samantha Cohen said, Dr. Batistas approach to scholarly practice are examples to learn from.泭She embodied practice and collective action through her convening of Black women education leaders, while building their knowledge and practice of navigating interpersonal conflict while managing interracial teams.泭Her approach centered her own positionality as a Black female education leader, while drawing upon scholarship of misogynoir, sister circles, and intersectionality. Her cutting-edge work is a deep contribution to the field, spanning scholarship and practice and pushing on what dissertations of practice can look like, when they center antiracism.
Dr. Batista and Dr. DeCuirs collaboration and partnership highlight the collaborative work that scholar practitioners and chairs engage in to create bridges between scholarship and practice, said Cohen. And Dr. Batista and her committees recognition are significant, for our new EdD program, where we are building a pathway for antiracist scholarship and practice to co-exist and for the emergence of a new vision for the dissertation of practice.
Batista, "celebrates this win with everyone who contributed to my journey in some way.泭I always start by thanking my Creator, my ancestorsI undeniably standon their shoulders with pride and with a sense of responsibility. Ithank my family, my closest friends, and particularly folks who were actively involved in the process. What kept me going were long walks with friends to talk about my work. My critical friends group, incredibly supportive faculty at the School of Ed, my own life partner who, though he's not in the field of education, he would just read my drafts and bounce questions off of me. [My critical friends group]were my go-toduring some of the most challenging moments in the in the study where I needed the support of external voices who felt invested in the success of the study, and who could help me make sense of my findings. I will continue to do work building on the dissertation, because of the nature of the topic and its personal relevance to me."
DeCuirsaid, "I hope that our current and future EdD students can learn from Dr. Batistas research to ensure that their Dissertations of Practice also serve to advance practice and the field of education leadership broadly."
Batista closed with advice for anyone considering working toward a doctorate, "Be purposeful in choosingyour focus area, your problem ofpractice. Focuson work that matters to the field or that matters to you. In doing so, getreally clear about what your North Staris and whywhat do you want to do in the long term with this work, be it career wise, orhow it contributes to already existing knowledge.泭And then the rest will fall into placeas you align to your clarity about what guides you."
Read more about Batista's Carnegie Project on Education Doctorate (CPED) 2022 CPED Dissertation in Practice of the Year award here.泭
About the 2023 National AERA Meeting
51勛圖's School of Education hadsignificant representation atthe in Chicago, Illinois. Educational research is the cornerstone of making informed change in education, and 51勛圖's SOE was well represetnted with many faculty and alumnipresenters throughout the four-day conference.泭The theme this year was "Consequential Educational Research."
啦堯梗泭is the largest gathering of scholarsin the field of education research, with typically 13,000 of its 24,000 members in attendance. It is an event to showcase groundbreaking, innovative studies in a diverse array of areas: from early education through higher education, from digital learning to second language literacy. Ideas and data are presented and discussed that will shape tomorrows education practices and policies, and where to connect with leading thinkers from the U.S. and around the world.