Dispute about professional doctoral programs in education has increased, with much hinging on the design of educational doctorate (EdD) programs. In this study, the first cohort of graduates responded to a new, innovative EdD program designed to develop them as leaders, scholars, and practitioners. Twenty graduates completed an exit survey, and a content analysis of their dissertations was performed. Both were done to improve the program. Graduates valued curricular and instructional features, engaged in actions to improve their local settings, endorsed a sense of community that developed, and reported changes in their professional identities. Their dissertation work validated these ideas. (Contains 2 tables.)