̽̽’s Department of Education welcomed the addition of two distinguished scholar-researchers to its master’s and doctoral programs in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies this fall. They arrive as both programs are transforming to facilitate easier access for prospective and current students starting in the 2024. The doctoral program will shift to a hybrid model with more online coursework, and the master’s program will transition to a fully online modality.
“We are so fortunate to bring Dr. Daniella Sutherland and Dr. Matthew McCluskey to our programs,” said Program Coordinator Rebecca Callahan, PhD. “Their teaching and research backgrounds add a wealth of expertise to benefit students in our programs. I’m also excited about our new statewide outreach effort to transform both programs to better meet the needs of Vermont’s PK-12 school districts. As part of that work, we will begin the doctoral program with a summer start in 2024.”
Daniella Sutherland
“I am so excited to be part of our evolving doctoral program,” said Sutherland. “We’re striving to make our courses accessible and relevant to educators across the state. Specifically, we are working on developing dissertations in practice where students work within their communities to address and improve persistent educational problems. This kind of research is directly relevant to the day-to-day work of educational leaders, and it will allow us to create a network of support for educational leaders across the state.”
With an explicit focus on educational equity, Sutherland’s research examines the intersection of educational leadership and policy in rural communities. Her scholarship includes research on rural school boards, superintendents, and principals in Vermont. She uses qualitative research methods and critical frameworks to surface the complexities of leadership in rural communities. Her work has been funded by the Spencer Foundation, South Carolina Commission on Higher Education, Clemson University, and Charleston County School District.
“Working at ̽̽ has been my dream since I started my graduate studies,” Sutherland said. “I am a rural education scholar, and my work focuses on how educational leaders and community members can create strong, equitable schools that serve their communities. I started this research in Vermont, where local control of education is deeply valued by many small towns around the state. I have seen truly exceptional rural schools here, led by collaborative partnerships between principals and superintendents and local school boards.”
Sutherland is the advisory board chair for The Rural Educator, and previously served as guest editor for special issues of Journal of American Indian Education (JAIE) and the Journal of Research in Rural Education. Her work has been published in leading scholarly journals including EAQ, Journal of School Leadership, Peabody Journal of Education, Rural Sociology, Educational Policy, and Education Policy Analysis Archives. She received two awards from the National Rural Education Association for her research, and an Outstanding Dissertation Award in Education Policy and Politics for her study of locally controlled school boards.
Prior to working in higher education, Sutherland taught elementary and middle school for 12 years in public and private schools across the country. She received the 2022 Doctoral Advising Award from Clemson University's College of Education.
Matthew McCluskey
“I am gripped by ̽̽’s commitment to preparing outstanding educators engaged in policy relevant scholarship at the local, national, and global level, and its commitment to the Deweyan conception of education as a practice of democracy,” said McCluskey. “We have a brilliant collection of scholars, practitioners, and students I could imagine no greater privilege than with whom to work, research, teach, and learn.”
McCluskey's teaching and scholarship center on educational leadership and the cultural and organizational dynamics that shape educational practices and policies. His research explores the relationships of power in education, institutional structures and policy that shape the work of educators and the experiences of students, and the proliferation and impact of neo-liberal reform within public education.
His current research projects look inwardly and outwardly at Charter Management Organizations (CMOs). His recently published work on teacher turnover in CMOs can be found in the Journal of School Choice and the Journal of Education. He has also examined student and teacher protest of high-profile CMOs in a chapter in the forthcoming book Race, Africana Communication, and Criminal Justice Reform: A Reflective and Intersectional Analysis of Adaptive Vitality. Looking outwardly, McCluskey has conducted Critical Policy Analysis of the diffusion of neoliberal schooling practices.
Prior to his work in higher education, McCluskey worked as a high school English teacher, department chair, and school leader in Newark, New Jersey.
“I strive to make our schools places where students belong and thrive,” he said, “and I endeavor to support the work of teachers and leaders in enacting their talents to do right by our students and our world.”
About the Programs
The Master of Education (M.Ed.) in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies cultivates innovative leaders who can build and strengthen communities in a variety of educational and social service settings. A variety of funding and scholarship opportunities are available for qualified candidates. An accelerated master’s pathway is available for current ̽̽ undergraduate students. Prospective students can meet learn more at an upcoming hosted by faculty and staff.
Offering an Ed.D. and a Ph.D. track, the Doctor of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies Program develops impactful leaders and changemakers who build and sustain communities of learning between practitioners and researchers. Funding and scholarship opportunities are available for qualified applicants. Faculty and staff host for interested candidates.
