Chapter 14: The Global Field Experience in an Edd Program: Academic Importance, Personal Engagement, and Professional Applications

One of the stated aims of the California State University (CSU) doctoral programs has been to recruit and prepare leaders for the state’s educational institutions who recognize the many contexts and the diversity of backgrounds, social and historical experiences, home languages, and community cultures that students bring with them to school. The leadership for schools that will successfully meet the diverse needs of children and families in the 21st century requires new knowledge, tools, and experiences, which are embedded in the daily practices of principals and school administrators(Danzig, Black, & Martin, 2016; Martin, Danzig, Wright, Flannery, & Orr, 2017). At the same time, state stature also charges schools to invest in understanding the multiple contexts that shape how different children experience schooling. According to the California Postsecondary Education Commission (2010), “Unless the state makes appropriate investments in student access, college-going, and degree attainment, the next generation of young adults will be less educated than previous generations and this lower level of educational attainment will have a draconian effect on the health and welfare of California” (p. 2).