(Murfreesboro, TN) Murfreesboro City Schools and the MTSU Assessment, Learning, and Student Success (ALSS) Ed.D. Program announces a new collaboration to leverage expertise and resources through a research-practice partnership agreement. After months of planning, this formal collaboration will become a reality for MCS and MTSU doctoral students this fall enabling research and planning for MCS initiatives. 

"The MTSU ALSS Ed.D. develops doctoral-level expertise through systematic, sustained cycles of inquiry in real-world educational environments. This collaborative partnership exemplifies and amplifies this applied learning with reciprocal benefits. We are very excited about this journey together," says Dr. Kevin S. Krahenbuhl, Program Director of the ALSS Ed.D. Program. 

Doctoral candidates now have the opportunity to center their learning specific to a local, real-world environment and have access to relevant and timely topics and schools to complete this research. 

“This agreement allows the doctoral candidates to work on actual issues we are considering and allows us to apply the findings to today’s teaching environment in our district,” says Dr. Trey Duke, Director of Schools. “Research data will be shared with MCS leaders to help with strategic planning within our schools.” 

Examples of the research may include topics around the effectiveness of one-on-one tutoring as it relates to student gains, or the effects of an aggressive truancy plan on absenteeism rates. 

Additionally, MCS employees who enroll in the ALSS Ed.D. program will experience course topics and assignments that are relevant to their classrooms and daily work. 

According to the Murfreesboro City Schools, they are the 22nd largest school district in Tennessee with 13 schools serving over 9,500 students.