May 5, 2025
Dr. Sandi Cooper, School of Education (SOE) associate dean for undergraduate education and professor of mathematics education in the Department of Curriculum & Instruction, received the Baylor Outstanding Faculty Award for Significant Contributions to the Academic Community. Cooper has been at Baylor for 18 years and has spearheaded numerous initiatives ranging from a doctoral program whose oldest graduate is in her 80s to a summer math program for pre-kindergarten students.
“Dr. Cooper exemplifies the university’s motto of Pro Ecclesia, Pro Texana, Pro Mundo as she demonstrates Christ’s light and love in her work as a teacher, scholar, leader, colleague, and outstanding ambassador of our beloved institution,” said Dr. Shanna Hagan-Burke, dean of the School of Education.
Cooper has formed effective partnerships with other Baylor faculty and departments, other universities, community organizations, and local schools and districts, to name only a few. These collaborative efforts have resulted in important initiatives that benefit both Baylor and the partners — whether local school children or math educators across the country.
In early 2018, Cooper was asked to lead the establishment of an innovative doctoral program to be offered online and have it ready to launch by that fall. She quicky convened a faculty team to work collaboratively and creatively on the EdD in Learning & Organizational Change. In a few short years, the EdD-LOC became the university’s largest doctoral program and in 2022, it was named National Program of the Year by the Carnegie Project on the Education Doctorate (CPED). Hagan-Burke said Cooper’s “selfless service and exemplary leadership” were the key to the program’s success.
Graduate School Dean Dr. Larry Lyon said, “In my memory (which is very long), I recall no new degree we proposed that combined more academic rigor, marketing challenges, pedagogical innovation, technological requirements, faculty cooperation, student support, and magnitude of scale. Under Sandi’s leadership, not only did this complex set of logistical and scholastic requirements come together for a successful launch, the program’s retention and rigor exceeded my highest expectations. This program is an unqualified success.”
In 2016, Cooper founded the Math for Early Learners (MELA), a four-week summer math intervention program to promote numerical fluency in children ages 4-6. The program meets at the Mayborn Museum, where young students can experience the learning atmosphere of a museum as well as the classroom. Her coordination with the Maylor Museum, outside funders, and local school districts has brought success in helping students achieve or exceed grade-level expectations in early math skills and fluency. The MELA team — composed of master teachers and Baylor pre-service teachers — also conducts research in early mathematics curriculum, assessment tools, and teacher professional growth.
Dr. Sharon Shields, superintendent of La Vega ISD, one of the MELA participants, said MELA was so successful for students that the district principals wanted to expand the MELA strategies to all primary school students. “Through the leadership of Dr. Cooper, MELA professional development was provided to all our primary teachers and staff, leading to more students experiencing research-based instruction,” Shields said.
In addition to these significant initiatives, Cooper heads the SOE’s math education program, collaborating closely with the Baylor Mathematics Department to ensure course alignment between the programs. Cooper founded and directs the SOE’s minor in Informal Education, a collaboration with the Department of Museum Studies to prepare graduates for education roles in settings like zoos and museums. She also founded BEARSTEM, a new university-wide collaborative to grow engagement and research in STEM education. She worked with the SOE’s professional development school (PDS) partners in Waco to establish two STEM-focused PDS campuses as part of Baylor’s teacher education program. She and colleagues led a two-year series of professional development that received a national award.
Cooper served as president of the School Science and Mathematics Association (SSMA), the Texas Council of Teachers of Mathematics, and the Central Texas Council of Teachers of Mathematics, in addition to leadership on numerous national boards, committees, and task forces for math educators. She has also received numerous national and state awards.
Dr. Alan Zollman, a colleague from Indiana University Southeast who served with Cooper on the SSMA board, said Cooper led the group from disarray to a solid fiscal foundation. “A board of directors is composed of senior research professors, meaning a log of very large egos,” Zollman noted. “Sandi’s easy-going Texas temperament kept our decision-making process supportive and efficient. It is in leadership and service at the state, national, and international level that Dr. Sandi Cooper truly is outstanding.”
“She has an astounding ability for visioning and leading with a servant heart,” said Dr. Trena Wilkerson, Chair, Curriculum & Instruction at Baylor and a math education colleague.
Cooper is one of three School of Education faculty members to receive an outstanding faculty designation from the University for 2025. Dr. Sarah Mire, LP, NCSP, LSSP, associate professor of educational psychology and faculty affiliate with the Baylor Center for Developmental Disabilities, received an award for scholarship among tenured faculty. Dr. Tony Talbert, professor in the Department of Curriculum & Instruction, was recognized with an Outstanding Teaching Award for tenured faculty.
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For more than 100 years, the School of Education has advanced Baylor’s mission across the globe while preparing students for a range of careers focused on education, leadership, and human development. With more than 65 full-time faculty members, the school’s growing research portfolio complements its long-standing commitment to excellence in teaching and student mentoring. Baylor’s undergraduate program in teacher education has earned national distinction for innovative partnerships with local schools that provide future teachers deep clinical preparation. Likewise, the School of Education’s graduate programs have attained national recognition for their exemplary preparation of research scholars, educational leaders, innovators, and clinicians. Visit the School of Education website to learn more.
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