This essay examines the tension between rigor and relevance in a newly designed EdD program in School System Leadership in a Research 1 institution. After a three-year redesign of this program that prepares students to become superintendents, our faculty continue to wrestle with questions around how to make methodology coursework meaningful, impactful, timely, and useful. This article examines the perspective of one of the EdD faculty leading the redesign of the program and concludes with lingering questions and tensions around best practices.