It was Suzanne Rodriguez's years of working in education that got her back in the classroom.
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"I wanted to investigate and research the support that's out there for principals," said Dissertation of the Year Winner Dr. Suzanne Rodriguez. "I personally felt there was a need for the support and development of principals."
While in the doctoral program at Fresno State, Suzanne was a full-time principal herself overseeing her students, managing assignments and working on her dissertation.
"I saw a hunger and desire to learn and I saw an individual that really had a heart for kids and a heart for the Valley," said Dr. Jennifer Moradian Watson with the Kremen School of Education.
Through her research, Suzanne found that principals have a high impact on student achievement, but they need to supported and developed, so she came up with a solution.
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"I was able to develop a model that focuses on principal leadership," added Rodriguez. "Not just at the beginning, but throughout."
Working with a team from Fresno State, Suzanne completed her dissertation and was the first CSU student to win a dissertation in practice of the year from the Carnegie Project on the Education Doctorate.
Suzanne is currently a school supervisor and social work expert at Robson Forensic. Her next goal is to put her research to use, implementing and evaluating results at local schools.