1

ANNOTATED EXEMPLAR OF STATEMENT OF PURPOSE.

The statement below is an exemplar of a strong statement of goals – it contains many

(though not all) of the elements of a strong statement (see sidebar and concluding
comments in boxes for details). The purpose of this exemplar is to assist you in considering
elements of a strong “statement of purpose” for your doctoral application. This is only one
example and not meant to imply that all statements should be similarly structured – rather,
the most salient features of elements that should be included have been highlighted by side
bar comments and at the end of the document.
Statement of Purpose
Initial paragraph
If admitted, I intend to pursue the Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction on a about full- or part-
part-time basis (at least initially) and thus would not be eligible for a Graduate time intentions.
Assistantship.

My ultimate goal is to complete my doctorate so that I can teach The first sentence
future teachers, conduct research within the classroom, and make a clearly summarizes the
contribution to the improvement of mathematics education. Over the past purpose for pursuing a
fifteen years, my journey towards this goal has been circuitous at best. It doctorate – an
has carried me through many schools and multiple states, presenting important piece of the
opportunities to work within every grade from kindergarten to college. My overall statement. Note
compass has guided me to discover methods to improve my craft as a that later in the
teacher and the role that research plays toward that end. Writings such as document this is
The Teaching Gap, by Stigler and Hiebert (1999), helped fuel this interest. explained with more
Ideas such as the lesson study model and others provided the chance for specificity; a strong
me to focus my pedagogical lens. Collaboration with pre-service and statement does not
practicing teachers helped me see the need to bring research back to the leave purposes and
classroom and to lead teachers toward a better understanding of math. By goals in vague terms
completing a doctorate, I plan to improve my own proficiency in only. Note too that the
mathematics and math education so that I can help bridge the gap between statement includes
research and practice. interests in teaching,
research and service to
As an educator, one hopes to continually make decisions that the profession - all
positively impact student learning. Researchers hope that this decision- important roles for a
making process includes the ideas and lessons learned from educational Ph.D. in an academic
research. Practitioners realize that there are myriad decisions to make job. Other career
every day, ranging from curricular choices, to classroom management, to aspirations may have
assessment strategies, to choices of presentation and pacing that address different emphases.
different learners. The demand to simultaneously manage all of these
decisions in a thoughtful, reflective manner requires more time than is
Evidence-based
available. First -year teachers are often so overwhelmed that mere
(citations of work he
survival is considered a victory. More experienced teachers hone their
is familiar with)
skills in the hopes of focusing their energy on decisions that have the
argument for one of
greatest impact on student outcomes. So how does educational research
his central interests
impact the majority of current teacher practices? Unfortunately, many
in research
practitioners indicate there is little to no impact at all.
(disconnect between
research and
teachers in
classrooms).
 2

For many teachers, research does not seem to factor into their
decision-making process. Dr. Judith Sowder (2000) writes, “Many
teachers and policy makers believe that most research has little relevance
to the decisions they must make” (p. 106). Research is often seen as
impractical or written in a form that is not accessible to many teachers.
Sowder cites an article by Kennedy (1997) in Educational Researcher,
stating that teachers often feel research does not answer the questions they
have; nor does it adequately consider their constraints. All of these hurdles
limit the connection between research and practice.

During my tenure as a math department chair and as a district

Connects research
math resource teacher, I found this aversion to research a prevailing
interests and career
mindset. Less experienced teachers were often so overwhelmed with the
trajectory to past history.
daily pace that they simply wanted tips on classroom management and
It is helpful to make this
survival techniques. More experienced teachers usually resisted using
connection for readers,
research for one of three main reasons. First, they had endured too many
but your statement should
poorly run professional development activities in which research seemed
not be exclusively about
impractical. Second, they felt their “curricular tool bag” was full, and they
past teaching experiences,
no longer needed to grow pedagogically for their students to achieve.
but rather contextualize
Lastly, even if they felt they might benefit, they often felt overwhelmed
relevant experiences in
by the amount of material to wade through and underwhelmed by the
terms of their relationship
resources they had to assist them in the cause.
to a Ph.D. program and
If math educators value research and hope to make a positive doctoral studies. The
impact on student learning from the results they achieve, then they must overall message of the
find a way to help practicing and future teachers see research as relevant statement should be
to the choices they make. My experience in graduate school reinforced my forward-looking rather
desire to help bridge this gap between teachers and research. Through my than backward.
work with pre-service teachers, I was able to create the norm of using
research to guide instruction. I saw the benefit of exposing future teachers
not only to research findings, but also to ideas that might help shape their
own conceptual understanding of mathematics. My interactions during this
time, both with pre-service teachers and their mentors, reinforced my
belief that greater understanding of mathematical proficiency is required
from teachers before adequate gains in students’ mathematical skills can
be achieved. Specific examples
demonstrate knowledge
We hope that our students will gain a proficient understanding of in the specialty field
mathematics. Yet to afford this opportunity, we expect our teachers to (mathematics) but again
comprehend what mathematical proficiency means. In Adding It Up is contextualized in
(2001), Kilpatrick, Swafford, and Findell describe this proficiency as terms of its relationship
containing five different components: conceptual understanding, to a Ph.D. program. This
procedural fluency, strategic competence, adaptive reasoning, and demonstrates an ability
productive disposition. Exploring these ideas with teachers, I realized that to understand how to
many considered proficiency simply to mean procedural competency. frame problems in a
particular field of study
within a Ph.D. program
of study.
 3

Others would create a dichotomy between conceptual understanding

versus calculational fluency. My interactions with teachers taught me the
necessity of reflecting on these and other mathematical ideas through
collaboration and discourse. The reality is that this is not a simple task,
and it demands that teachers explore their own understanding of Summarizing a
mathematics. If we can expose teachers to the process of using research literature-based example
early in their careers, we might create a habit of mind that affords future of topics related to his
classroom success. research interests to
illustrate how his
Paul Tough, in his book Whatever it Takes (2008), describes the interests may be able to
approach taken by Geoffrey Canada, a social activist, who felt driven to contribute to the field at
break the cycle of poverty for children in Harlem. As the president and large. Implicit in this
CEO of the Harlem Children’s Zone, Canada has taken the radical argument is the notion
approach of trying to change everything in these children’s lives, starting that a Ph.D. program
with how parents interact with their children during the first three years of will be able to help him
life. As documented in the book, one of the biggest factors that influences develop the knowledge
the future success of these children is the amount of time their parents and skills to contribute to
spend reading to them. This early exposure to reading pays incredibly improvement in
large dividends toward their future readiness and success in school. I mathematics education.
believe this same early exposure can transfer from toddlers to teachers.
We need to improve the connection between research and practice, and
this connection needs to be instilled early. After grounding the
preceding text in both
I believe in starting at inception as well, and inception for teachers personal experiences and
begins during their pre-service college experience. I hope to find ways to understanding what
help teachers utilize and improve their pedagogical content knowledge. If some others are writing
norms can be created with pre-service teachers that help them link ideas about in the field, the
from research to facilitating their success in the classroom, then it is final paragraph
possible that research can become a regular resource for problem solving. summarizes his purpose
Simply put, I realize the benefit of research in education and I am ready to for pursuing a Ph.D. in
start building the bridge. Curriculum &
Instruction.

OVERALL COMMENTS ON STRENGTHS:

(1) Appropriate use of basics of writing (grammar, connecting sentences, one main idea
per paragraph, etc.)
(2) Builds a coherent argument for doctoral study, including both grounding his interests
in his own experiences as well as a brief summary of some work by others in the field
(see reference list below).
(3) Demonstrates an ability to process and frame ideas (his and others) into a logical and
persuasive presentation – an important skill in doctoral work.
(4) Indicates focus on some particular areas of interest but is not so specific as to make
the applicant appear too narrow or not open to ideas.
(5) Demonstrates a thoughtful and intentional purpose to pursuing Ph.D. work by making
the case for why this is right for him at this point in his career.
(6) A nice example of attention to detail is this applicant's use of American Psychological
Association (APA) style of references, demonstrating both his knowledge (or possibly
initiative and investigative skill) in identifying and using the most common
referencing style in scholarly works in education.
 4

Additional Information -
(1) It is appropriate to include the names of faculty at UofL in the Department of Teaching
and Learning whose interests and expertise are particularly relevant to your interests.
Inclusion of their names indicates that you have investigated and thought about the
UofL program and what it can offer you. You might find it helpful to access the
Curriculum Vitae of our faculty from our webpages to identify the specific research
work they have been doing.
(2) For all students, we expect that their interests in doctoral studies will be transformed by
their coursework, interactions with faculty and graduate students, and the opportunities
they take advantage of in attending special lectures, conferences, and other professional
meetings. Thus, your interests do not need to be fully formed when applying for the
doctoral program. Rather, your statement should demonstrate your interests and initiative
in specific ways (instead of vague but essentially meaningless statements), but
simultaneously NOT suggest that these interests are permanently fixed since your doctoral
work is likely to broaden horizons.
(3) The Statement of Purpose should make it clear that you understand that the doctoral
program is a dynamic process involving the interests of the student, the expertise of
faculty, and the courses taken. Doctoral studies, therefore, are strongly based on the
interests and initiative of the student and this commitment to initiative should be
clear from the Statement of Purpose.

References

Kennedy, M. M. (1997).The connection between research and practice.

Educational Researcher, 27(7), 4-12.
Kilpatrick, J., Swafford, J., & Findell, B. (Eds.). (2001). Adding it up:
Helping children learn mathematics. Washington, DC: National
Academy Press.
National Council of Teachers of Mathematics. (2000). Principles
and standards for school mathematics. Reston, VA: Author.
Sowder, J. (2000, July) Mathematics in the middle grades: Linking research
and practice. Paper presented at the National Conference on
Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment in the Middle Grades:
Linking Research and Practice, Washington, DC. Retrieved from
http://www.ed.gov/offices/OERI/NERPPB/middleschools.pdf
Stigler, J., & Hiebert, J. (1999). The teaching gap: Best ideas from the
world’s teachers for improving education in the classroom. New
York, NY: The Free Press.
Tough, P. (2008). Whatever it takes: Geoffrey Canada's quest to change
Harlem and America. New York, NY: Houghton Mifflin.