Eddy Spicer / 1
DAVID H. EDDY SPICER
1515 East Market Street
Charlottesville, Virginia 22902 USA
+1 434 249 6418 (mobile)
+1 434 243 6417 (office)
David Eddy Spicer’s teaching and scholarly interests lie in the processes through which schools as organizations and persons learning and working within schools mutually shape one another. His current research explores the interconnections of professional and organizational development in urban school-to-school partnerships. He has over twenty years of experience in qualitative and mixed-methods research and has developed an extensive body of case studies in public sector administration. He is passionate about teaching and has won several grants to develop innovative learning environments for educational practitioners at all levels. He is an Associate Professor at the Curry School of Education in the Administration and Supervision Area. He has designed and taught courses in educational leadership, innovation in education, and applied research and evaluation. He finds deep satisfaction in supervising doctoral students and takes particular pride in his support of mid-career, urban educational leaders as practitioner-scholars, moving from passive recipients of others’ research to active agents in developing and disseminating systematic knowledge of their own.
Education
Ed.D.Harvard Graduate School of Education, Cambridge, MA2006
Concentration in Learning and Teaching. Dissertation Committee: Dr. David Perkins, Ph.D. (advisor); Dr. Christopher Dede, Ed.D.; Dr. Helen Elizabeth Haste, Ph.D. Awarded Teaching Fellowship in Cognition and the Art of Instruction. Invited guest lecturer and workshop facilitator in HGSE master’s and doctoral courses in qualitative research methods, professional development, instructional technology, and program evaluation with Profs. John Collins, Eleanor Drago-Severson, Martha Stone Wiske, David N. Perkins, and Carol Weiss. Awarded Spencer Advanced Doctoral Apprenticeship Grant (2000-2001). Mentor to incoming doctoral students (2 years). Research assistant for Profs. Perkins, Dede, and Wiske (3 years).
Ed.M.Boston University, Boston, MA1984
International Educational Development Program. One of three students selected to take part in the inaugural cohort of a program that focused on adult and non-formal education in international contexts. Awarded Teaching Fellowship in international educational development (Prof. Karen Boatman). Selected for Research Assistant positions that afforded opportunity for intensive work with program’s core faculty (Profs. Karen Boatman, Alan Gaynor, Albert Medvitz, and Jaime Wurzel) to develop sequence of courses on education and development in international contexts. Mentored newly arrived international students from Africa, Middle East, and Asia.
A.B.Harvard College, Cambridge, MA1980
English Literature (cum laude)
Dissertation, Qualifying Paper & Thesis
Eddy Spicer, D. H. (2006). Collective Inquiry in the Context of School-wide Reform: Exploring Science Curriculum and Instruction through Team-based Professional Development. Unpublished Doctoral dissertation, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA.
Eddy Spicer, D. H. (2003). Learning by contradiction: Two developmental perspectives on learning in the midst of work. Unpublished Qualifying Paper, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA.
Eddy, D. H. (1984). Expanding the practice of literacy among the urban poor: A draft proposal for a collaboration between the Association pour la Renaissance du Pulaar and World Education International. Unpublished Master's thesis, Boston University, Boston, MA.
University Appointments and Research Experience
Curry School of Education, University of Virginia, United States
(August 2014—present)
Associate Professor
Faculty member in the Administration and Supervision Program Area, Department of Educational Leadership, Foundations, and Policy. Elected Curry School Representative to the University of Virginia Faculty Senate (2015-2020). Supervise 5 PhD and 2 EdD students. Teach core research courses in the EdD ExSEL program and courses on organizational and professional development in the initial principal licensure (M.Ed.) program. Research areas include the dynamics of authority in change management, collaborative inquiry in professional settings, organizational change and the role of new technologies in these areas. Research explores the connections among organizational structure, professional accountability, innovative educational practice and collective knowledge-building of staff in public schools.
UCL Institute of Education, London, United Kingdom
(January 2013—July 2014)
Senior Lecturer in Educational Leadership
Faculty member in the London Centre for Leadership in Learning (LCLL) with teaching responsibilities on 3 MA Leadership programs and research methods in the Doctoral School. Supervised 3 PhD and 1 EdD students. Program co-leader for the MA Leadership (TeachFirst) and the Applied Educational Leadership and Management (Distance Learning) MA. Departmental representative on the Research, Consultancy and Knowledge Transfer Committee of the Faculty of Policy and Society. Coordinator of the departmental Research Group.
UCL Institute of Education, London, United Kingdom
(October 2013—July 2014)
Postgraduate Research Tutor, LCLL
Appointed through a competitive, internal process to oversee all aspects of graduate research education within the department, including matching applicants for the degrees of Master of Research (MRes), EdD and PhD with potential supervisors; developing supervisors; and sustaining a robust community of researchers and research students within the department. Liaise with the Doctoral School and with colleagues in similar roles across the Institute to identify best practice and assure the integrity of the doctoral student experience.
University of Virginia (2014 to present) and UCL Institute of Education (March 2013—August 2014)
Principal Investigator: Systematic review of school accountability policies in low- and middle-income countries.
Principal Investigator of an international systematic review funded by the UK Department for International Development on the conditions under which inspection, monitoring and assessment improve system efficiency, service delivery and learning outcomes for the poorest and most marginalized children in low- and middle-income countries.
Institute of Education, University of London, London, United Kingdom
(January 2013—2015)
Principal Investigator: Effectively Managing Headteacher Performance
Principal Investigator of a national study funded by the UK Department for Education on school governance and the effective management of headteacher performance in state schools, including charter schools and CMOs. Lead a team of 7 experienced researchers in producing a comprehensive literature review, expert interviews, two national surveys and 20 case studies of schools and school groups around the country.
Institute of Education, University of London, London, United Kingdom
(September 2012—Present)
Principal Investigator: Organizational Socialization through Data Use
Study funded by the British Educational Leadership and Management Society (BELMAS) on development of professional identity and uses of pupil data in formal interorganizational relationships between urban schools in areas of high depravation.
University of Bath, Bath, United Kingdom (August 2008—December 2012)
Lecturer in Education
Faculty member in Educational Policy, Globalization and Organization in the Department of Education with teaching responsibilities in the areas of school improvement and educational leadership and management. Taught educational leadership and research methods courses in the EdD and Master’s programs. Supervised EdD and PhD research students. As Director of Studies for the EdD Program, oversaw the University’s largest professional doctorate with 160 students, most of whom were school leaders from countries around the world. Member of the Steering Committee for the Research Centre for Sociocultural and Activity Theory Research (CSAT).
University of Bath, Bath, United Kingdom (April 2011—December 2012)
Principal Investigator: The Role of the Chair of the School Governing Body in England
Co-developed and conducted a national survey of Chairs of School Governing Bodies and Headteachers in state-run schools in England with Professors Chris James and Steve Brammer. Coordinated the work of a team of 4 experienced researchers. Funded by a research grant from the CfBT Education Trust.
University of Bath, Bath, United Kingdom (July 2011—June 2012)
Principal Investigator: The Interplay of Authority and Professional Learning
Conducted an in-depth study of the emergence of new forms of professional identity in a school-to-school support partnership that involved five state-run primary schools in challenging circumstances and a non-profit sponsor. Funded by a Structural Reform research grant from the British Educational Leadership, Administration and Management Society (BELMAS).
University of Bath, Bath, United Kingdom (November 2008—June 2009)
Program Evaluator: Wiltshire Leadership Succession Strategy.
Developed and conducted survey of 250 headteachers in Wiltshire County, United Kingdom, around attitudes towards leadership development and planning for succession. Co-authored report based on survey findings that is serving as the basis for elaborating local authority’s leadership succession strategy. Funded by research grant from the Wiltshire County Council.
Harvard Graduate School of Education, Cambridge, MA (2003—July 2008).
Research Director (2006—2008), Research Manager (2003—2006), WIDE World Project. Established research and evaluation strategy, including overseeing program monitoring, quality assurance, program outcome, and dissemination of results for WIDE World Online Professional Development. WIDE World (http://wideworld.gse.harvard.edu/) is a teacher professional development initiative at the Harvard Graduate School of Education that offers online and on-site programs to K-12 schools and districts in the U.S. and around the world. Served as lead researcher/evaluator, supervisor of research team of one full-time researcher/statistician and 4 part-time research assistants, and coordinator of external researchers, including doctoral and master’s students as well as external evaluators affiliated with client programs. Designed and led action research initiatives for educational leaders in China, Australia, Singapore, and U.S. Member of WIDE World Leadership Team and contributed to development of organizational strategy.
Harvard Graduate School of Education, Cambridge, MA (2003—2008).
Program Evaluator. Designed and carried out evaluations of school district instructional leadership development programs in New York and Massachusetts, including a two-year evaluation for Project Zero (Principal Investigator: Lois Hetland) of Project COOL (Collaborative Online/Offline Learning), Cambridge Public School District, a Massachusetts Department of Education grant-funded program of professional development helping teachers to design exemplary curriculum units in collaborative teams through face-to-face mentoring and online learning.
Harvard Graduate School of Education, Cambridge, MA (2000—2002).
Research Assistant. Under direction of Principal Investigator Prof. Chris Dede (http://www.gse.harvard.edu/~dedech/joyce/researchers.html), invited to conduct participant observation, interviews, analysis of multimodal communication (videoconference, synchronous chat, asynchronous discussion), leading to the development of a case study of team interaction for the Milwaukee Public Schools Research Project, funded by the Joyce Foundation.
Harvard Graduate School of Education, Cambridge, MA (1999—2000).
Research Assistant. Conducted data collection and analysis for a study of an experimental course on computer-enabled collaborative design at the Harvard Graduate School of Design. Lead writer for project funded by Microsoft Research, "Stretching time and space: using new technologies to improve design education,” under the direction of Principal Investigator Prof. Martha Stone Wiske.
John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA
(1995—2003)
Assistant Director, Case Program. Established and managed the operations of Case Lab, the Kennedy School’s first multimedia curriculum design lab. Responsible for overseeing and designing, developing, and using multimedia, web-based, and video curricular materials to support graduate and executive programs in public sector leadership. Supervised research and technical assistants, including master’s and doctoral students. Managed independent contractors, including videographers, web and software designers, content experts. Managed budget and obtained grant funds for special projects. Traveled domestically and internationally to conduct on-site research and documentation. Taught and supported senior and junior faculty from a wide range of academic disciplines on how to provide effective case teaching with multimedia and other technologies, including Profs. Xavier de Souza-Briggs, John Donahue, Jane Fountain, Peter Frumkin, David King, Jerry Mechling, Mark Moore, Jeffrey Sachs, and Kenneth Winston. Expertise in applying new media to data collection, analysis, and presentation, including production management, management of creative team, web site design and development, digital video production.
Courses Designed & Taught
University of Virginia, Curry School of Education
Fundamentals of Research for Leaders in Education. Spring, 2016. Designed and teach the second in the core research sequence for students in the Executive Studies in Educational Leadership (ExSEL) Ed.D. program.
The Practice of School Evaluation. Fall, 2015. Designed and taught the introductory research course for students in ExSEL Ed.D. program.
Schools as Professional Learning Communities. Spring 2015, 2016; Summer 2016. M.Ed.
Leadership for Low-performing Schools. Fall 2014, 2015. M.Ed.
UCL Institute of Education, London
Values, vision and moral purpose in educational leadership. Spring, 2014. Primary responsibility for this online course in the Institute of Education’s distance learning Master’s program, Applied Educational Leadership and Management (AELM).
The Learning Sciences. Spring, 2014. Responsibility for sessions on sociocultural theory for this core course in the Institute of Education’s undergraduate program, BA (Honours) Education Studies.
MA Dissertation Module. 2013-2014. Primary responsibility for design and teaching of a required course on research methods and developing a dissertation proposal for students in the MA Leadership (TeachFirst) program.
Leading and Managing Change and Improvement (LMCI). 2013-2014. LMCI is the core module for all MA Leadership programs at the Institute of Education. Co-design and co-teach this course for two of the three MA programs.
Educational Leadership. 2013-2014. Design and teach two sessions on exploring schools as organizations for this doctoral-level (EdD and PhD) course.
Doctoral School Advanced Course – Case Studies Workshop. 2013-2014. Teach a specialist workshop on case study research to first and second year PhD and EdD students.
Doing and Using Educational Research. 2013-2014. Teach two sessions on qualitative research designs and ethics of this MA course.
University of Bath
Leading and Managing Educational Innovation. 2008-2012. Unit Leader. Responsible for teaching and overseeing development of one of two core units for master’s students in the Educational Management and Leadership (EMAL) strand of the Department’s MA program. Revisions included a substantial updating of the curriculum, introduction of case teaching and integration of blended learning activities through the unit website.
Intervention, organization and practice. Spring 2011. Responsible for sessions on programme evaluation for this core undergraduate course in the Department of Education’s BA (Honours) Childhood, Youth and Education program.
Educational Management, Leadership and Administration. July 2009, July 2010, July 2012. Co-taught and supervised student research for this week-long, intensive EdD unit. Contributed to substantial revision of the unit curriculum. Primary responsibility for online learning activities, including introducing Virtual Learning Circles. Oversaw major curricular revision to develop an online version of the unit.
Educational Research: Policy and Practice. July & January, 2009-2012. Lectured on Research Design, Qualitative Methods, Collaborative and Collective Inquiry, as well as supervised student research assignments for this week-long, intensive core unit for EdD research students.
Distance Learning. 2008-2012. Provided individual, technology-mediated tutorials for master’s students in 4 Distance Learning units (Leading and Managing Human Resources, Leading and Managing Educational Innovation, Leading and Managing Schools and Colleges and Educational Enquiry).
Learning about Headship Program. October 2008—June 2009. Co-designed, developed and taught an exploratory seminar unit (master’s equivalent) created for Wiltshire County Council and funded through UK’s Teacher Assistance Program (TAP) for Assistant and Deputy Headteachers in secondary schools in Wiltshire. Introduced the use of group process protocols; developed new protocol for team learning based on the work of the group. Liaised with secondary school headteachers who served as mentors to group members. Documented group process through participant observation.
Leading and Managing Schools and Colleges and Leading and Managing Human Resources in Education. Fall 2008. Co-taught these existing units for master’s students in the EMAL strand of the MA program in the Department of Education, University of Bath.
Fundamentals of Effective Collaboration. Developed and taught mini-course for educational leaders. Project Zero Classroom, Harvard Graduate School of Education (July, 2008). Council of English Speaking Schools in Benelux (CESSIB) (February, 2010 & 2011)
Harvard University and elsewhere
Action Research for Instructional Leaders. 2006-2007; 2007-2008. Developed and led an online seminar in collaborative action research with teacher leaders, school and district officials in the United States, China, Singapore, and Australia. WIDE World, Harvard Graduate School of Education.
Action Research and Leadership for Learning. October 2007. Designed and co-facilitated two-day workshop in action research approaches in support of teacher learning and evaluation of student-centered, inquiry-oriented, constructivist pedagogies for 10 teacher-researchers, teacher trainers, and applied researchers at the Jing An College of Education, Shanghai, China.
Applied Qualitative Research and Evaluation in the Social Sciences. Fall 2007. Designed and taught master’s-level course in theoretical and methodological approaches to applied qualitative research and evaluation in diverse settings of professional practice. Harvard University Extension School.
Applied Research Methods and Data Analysis in the Social Sciences. Fall 2006. Co-developed and co-taught master’s-level course in applications of empirical research in the social sciences. Harvard University Extension School.
Cultivating Cultures of Learning: The Role of Instructional Improvement and Distributed Leadership in Building Effective Learning Communities. July 2007. Created and co-taught professional development workshop for educational leaders at National Staff Development Council (NSDC) Summer Conference.
Initiated and co-developed cross-institutional, year-long doctoral seminar, 2002-2003, in Cultural Historical Activity Theory with Profs. William Barowy (Lesley University), Catalina Laserna (Harvard University), and Judith Diamondstone (Clark University).
Moderator, Spring 2002-2005. Moderated Harvard Graduate School of Education qualitative methods listserv: “qr_turtles.”