Standout Spartan: Dr. Yaa Agyekum

Earlier this week, Lower Schoolers, faculty, and staff lined the halls of the Lower School for a very special event. They were there before class to congratulate Yaa Agyekum, director of the Center for the Advancement of Learning (CAL), who had just earned her Ed.D. in Educational Planning, Policy, and Leadership from William & Mary! Dr. Agyekum, beaming, walked through the Lower School amid applause and cheers as she was handed fresh flowers from smiling Spartans. 

“I chose to pursue an Ed.D. because I wanted to learn more about ways in which school policy is created and how to effect change within a school,” said Dr. Agyekum.

The title of her dissertation, “An Evaluation of the Factors Influencing the Implementation of an In-School Tutoring Program in a Small Independent School,” is meaningful for several reasons.

“One of the first bits of wisdom I was given at the start of the program was to write about something I cared about,” she shared. “At that moment I decided to complete an evaluation of the tutoring services provided through CAL.  Equipping families with tools to support academic success and overall well-being is something that I care deeply about, so I knew that I needed to spend my time in the Ed.D. program researching not only the benefits of tutoring but also the most effective components of tutoring programs. Additionally, I sought to examine the effectiveness of CAL. The results of this evaluation will directly inform the work I do at Steward.” 

Asked what the most challenging aspect of her three-year path toward her Ed.D. was, Dr. Agyekum said, “Not quitting!” When she defended her dissertation on September 13, she felt calm and confident. In the room were her daughters Faith ’29, Hannah ’33, and Tabbi ’30, her parents, and a handful of friends; a group of Steward colleagues watched via Zoom.  

When she was notified that she had earned her Ed.D., “the first thing I did was exhale!” said Dr. Agyekum. “I thanked my dissertation chair and hugged my  daughters.” Having the support of her Steward colleagues during the past years was enormously helpful, too. 

“I am so grateful to be part of a community truly defined by care,” she said.