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Over the past 10 years, the growth of California's student population and the ever-changing complexity of its educational system have resulted in an increased need for more educators with Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) degrees. Yet throughout this same time period, the number of Ed.D.s produced each year in California has remained nearly constant. At a time when more accessible and affordable doctoral programs in education should be available to fill this demand, the California State University - the state's largest public university system - is precluded from taking a significant role in solving this dilemma. The CSU believes that an expansion of its degree-granting capabilities would help meet the need for well-qualified educational leaders in California.

The Ed.D. is different from most other doctoral degrees because it is uniquely related to a core state function: the public education of the state's children. The National Policy Board for Educational Administration recently underscored the importance of this degree by recommending that the Ed.D. be a prerequisite for national certification and state licensure for all full-time school administrators. Nevertheless, California has few low-cost doctoral programs in education. It relies on private universities for over two-thirds of its education doctorates.

A recent report by the California Postsecondary Education Commission (CPEC) provides just a glimpse of this supply problem. In California, the report notes, there is one education doctorate awarded for every 14,685 K-12 students, compared with one for every 9,438 students nationally. The report identifies a need for more individuals from under represented groups to earn an Ed.D. as well as a need to make doctoral programs more accessible to educators in rural areas and to those who are working full-time.

Yet while the CPEC report begins an important dialogue on the issue, it vastly understates the continuing and future need for education doctorate holders, and it fails to explain how the current suppliers can meet the increase in demand. Furthermore, the report provides a limited analysis of the need for education doctorate holders in K-12 schools, but does not address the equally large future need for Ed.D.s in California's community colleges and universities.

Clearly, California cannot afford to continue producing the same number of doctorates, in the same places, at the same high cost, with the same lack of diversity. This is where the CSU can bring access, affordability, and high-quality teaching expertise to the table.

• Access: Nearly 56 percent of Californians live within 10 miles of a CSU campus, compared to only 21 percent who are as close to a University of California campus. The CSU specializes in flexible programs that allow students to pursue degrees during evening hours, weekends, or from a distance. Additionally, the CSU has a proven track record in attracting, retaining, and graduating students from under represented groups. With 53 percent of CSU students from targeted ethnic groups, the CSU is a "majority-minority" institution.

• Affordability: Tuition and fees for graduate study at CSU campuses are less than one-half the cost of graduate study at UC campuses, and as little as 11 percent of the cost at an independent university.

• Expertise: The CSU, which prepares nearly 60 percent of California's teachers and half of its K-12 administrators, has a responsibility for working closely with the public schools. Its campuses have developed a vast network of collaborations and partnerships with K-12 administrators and teachers. An applied doctoral program would represent a natural extension of these efforts, especially considering that the CSU already has the faculty, experience, and practitioner-focused models in place.

Although the UC and CSU operate four joint doctoral programs in education, the current and potential level of production is far too low to solve the ongoing demand problem. Developing more programs at the speed and scale necessary to meet demand would be all but impossible, especially given the difficulties of collaboration across institutions with very different missions.

In short, the Ed.D. represents a critical component of California's commitment to high-quality public education. As demand for the Ed.D. continues to outpace supply, an expansion of the CSU's degree-granting capability would make significant progress toward meeting this need. By taking this logical step, California would be making an important investment in the educational leaders, the schools, and the students of tomorrow.