Militello receives distinguished service award in educational leadership
East Carolina University’s Dr. Matthew Militello is passionate about helping educational leaders grow and enact change in their communities. His dedication and work to strengthen educational leadership programs was recognized through receiving the Carnegie Project on the Education (CPED) Doctorate’s David G. Imig Distinguished Service Award during the CPED convening in Honolulu, Hawaii, on October 17.
Dr. Matthew Militello received the David G. Imig Distinguished Service Award during the Carnegie Project on the Education Doctorate’s 2024 conference at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. (Contributed photo)
“It is remarkable when your peers recognize your achievements,” said Militello, the College of Education’s Wells Fargo Distinguished Professor of Educational Leadership. “It is extraordinary when the nomination process includes testimonials from former students who have graduated from our Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership (Ed.D.) program and continue to engage in their research as practitioners in schools and districts in northeast North Carolina, throughout the United States and worldwide. This means everything to me.”
While many doctor of education programs are geared toward scholarly practitioners, Militello believes in a practitioner-researcher model that enables students to use real-time data when making decisions with evidence- and equity-based tools. He notes that while this may seem self-evident, it’s easy for leaders to get stuck in situations where they must find the quickest solution.
“For some, the goal of the Ed.D. is the credential,” he said. “For us and our students, the intent is to learn and then live how to be a practitioner-researcher who serves their community.”
Militello has plenty of evidence and examples of doctoral students who have benefited from the program. He and two of his colleagues are releasing their book — Leading and Learning Together: Cultivating School Change from Within — through Teachers College Press in November. The book has evidence showcasing what a practitioner-researcher looks like in practice from 77 ECU Ed.D. dissertations.
“We submit that our graduates make a ‘leadership pivot’ from leadership as a solo, heroic act to a collaborative action,” he said. “We embed stories of our graduates who work with their teachers, students, families and community members as resources and assets to fully understand issues, collect and analyze data and then co-develop and implement resolutions. This helps build relational trust and, more importantly, improves the educational experience of the ultimate aim of schools: student social and academic improvement.”
Militello has helped create doctoral programs that provide access to educators across North Carolina and the world. He founded ECU’s International Doctor of Educational Leadership and and a set of Educational Leadership Development microcredentials that are customizable for educational leadership development for communities. One of his grants, Project I4: Innovate, Inquire, Iterate and Impact, was a $9.7 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education SEED office that provided one year of in-person and virtual professional learning experiences for educational leaders.
“It is important to note that the grant enabled us to support school and district leaders who may have yet to be able to enter and complete an Ed.D. program,” Militello said. “The grant provided financial support, and the design created support measures to ensure success. The grant also afforded us to develop activities for leaders. These have been manifested into a set of ECU microcredentials that educational practitioners can now access.”
He encouraged educators and leaders to strengthen their work in collaboration with others.
“Always remember that the people closest to the issues are best situated to discover answers to local concerns,” he said. “If you want a more successful program for students, engage with prospective students and graduates. If you wish to research projects that help teachers and families, engage with teachers and families. Power and trust are built when people work together.”
The University of Houston’s Dr. Jacqueline Hawkins presented the Imig Award to Militello and said, “Dr. Militello’s leadership is recognized locally, nationally, and internationally by professional organizations and his colleagues. His life’s work is characterized by innovative solutions that make a tangible and equitable impact on the students and communities he serves.”