April 29, 2005

The Continuing Need for the Ed.D. Degree

To the Editor:

Arthur Levine comments that school leaders don't need doctorates and the Ed.D. should be eliminated ("Report Calls for Abolition of Ed.D. Degree and Overhaul of Education Schools," The Chronicle, March 25). I would like to comment on both points.

Regarding a need for educators with doctorates, most professionals don't even need B.A.'s. We use bachelor's, graduate, and professional degrees mostly as a social-stratification measure in America. The high-school