SHU Selected to Host National Education Journal

Wesley Henry and Kathleen Wallace, leaders of Sacred Heart University’s Ed.D. program, will co-edit the Carnegie Project on the Education Doctorate’s journal

Key Highlights

• Sacred Heart University has been selected to host Impacting Education, the peer-reviewed journal of the Carnegie Project on the Education Doctorate, following a competitive national application process
• Reviewers highlighted SHU’s “clear and compelling vision,” particularly its focus on expanding readership and elevating graduate student and practitioner voices
• The journal will be led by Wesley Henry and Kathleen Wallace, who emphasize the Ed.D. as a practice-based degree focused on real-world impact and system-level change
• SHU plans to broaden the journal’s reach through increased international engagement, diverse perspectives and direct involvement of doctoral students in the publication process
• Hosting the journal positions Sacred Heart alongside leading institutions and reinforces its role in shaping the future of professional doctoral education

The Carnegie Project on the Education Doctorate (CPED) has selected Sacred Heart University to host its peer-reviewed journal, Impacting Education. As hosting institution, the University will provide the editorial support and infrastructure to produce the academic publication.

Following a competitive application process, a panel of reviewers chose SHU for its “clear and compelling vision” for expanding the journal’s readership and visibility. Reviewers were particularly drawn to the University’s emphasis on supporting scholarly practitioners beyond graduation and elevating the graduate student voice and experience.

Sacred Heart’s Wesley Henry and Kathleen Wallace will co-edit the journal. Henry is an associate professor, chair of the educational & literacy leadership department and director of the superintendent of schools certification program. Wallace is an assistant teaching professor and director of the Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) in Educational Leadership program. 
 
“This is a powerful opportunity,” said Henry. “What’s most exciting about working within a CPED framework is that you see doctoral students making change in their organizations in real time. Hosting Impacting Education allows us to elevate that work and share it more broadly.”

A consortium of more than 160 colleges and universities, CPED works to strengthen and redefine the Ed.D. degree. Its programs focus on preparing “scholarly practitioners” who apply research to solve real-world problems and improve systems within education and related fields.

SHU’s selection as journal host underscores the University’s growing leadership in advancing practitioner-focused doctoral education. With its attention to applied research, equity and system-level change, Sacred Heart’s Ed.D. program aligns closely with CPED’s mission to prepare leaders who not only understand the challenges facing education but who also actively work to transform them.

Wallace noted the distinction between a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) and a Doctor of Education, saying, “There’s a common phrase that captures the difference. The Ph.D. is about understanding the world. The Ed.D. is about transforming it. Our work is deeply rooted in practice, and our students are applying research directly within their organizations to create meaningful change.”

As host institution, Sacred Heart will help guide the journal’s editorial direction, with plans to expand its reach and impact. That includes broadening readership, increasing international engagement and elevating diverse perspectives within professional doctoral education. A key part of SHU’s vision is amplifying the voices of graduate students and practitioner-scholars, an area Wallace and Henry identified as a gap in the current landscape.

“We’re especially interested in lifting up the voices of students and graduates who are out in the field doing this work,” Wallace said. “There’s a lot to learn from how they’re continuing to lead change after completing their degrees.”

Henry added that the initiative will also create new opportunities for SHU students. “We want to bring our doctoral students into the publication process itself,” he said. “That means helping them understand how research moves from practice to publication and giving them opportunities to engage as reviewers and contributors. It helps demystify a process that can feel inaccessible.”

Hosting Impacting Education places Sacred Heart alongside major research institutions that have previously housed the journal and reflects growing institutional investment in scholarly leadership. “It signals that Sacred Heart is a place that is actively contributing to the production of knowledge and engaging in this work at a high level,” Henry said.

SHU’s selection comes at a pivotal moment for CPED as it approaches its 20th anniversary and looks ahead to the future of professional doctoral education. “Being part of this next chapter is incredibly exciting,” Wallace said. “We have the opportunity to not just continue the journal’s strong foundation, but to help shape where the field is going.”