SOE Graduate Programs | Instant Impact

April 28, 2021
by Baylor Instant Impact
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Dr. Ryann Shelton Honored with SSMA Dissertation Award [04/28/2021]

Dr. Ryann Shelton, PhD ’20, was recognized by the School Science and Mathematics Association (SSMA) with the SSMA Dissertation Award at the virtual convention this past fall.

Shelton was nominated for the award by her mentor and dissertation chair, Dr. Trena Wilkerson, Professor of Mathematics Education in the Department of Curriculum & Instruction.

The purpose of Shelton’s study was to examine the practices of mathematics teacher educators (MTEs) — in this case, university and college instructors who prepare future mathematics teachers, specifically those who will teach in grades 9-12 — and how they design curriculum and plan for teaching content within a secondary mathematics methods course. She examined course content through the lens of the Mathematics Teaching Practices described by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) 2014 publication, Principles to Actions: Ensuring Mathematical Success for All. The dissertation was titled “An Examination of Designing and Planning for the Teaching of Secondary Mathematics Methods Courses through the Lens of Mathematics Teaching Practices: A Multiple Case Study.” Continue Reading →

April 7, 2021
by Baylor Instant Impact
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Baylor PhD Student Earns Honors from CEC and OAR [04/06/2021]

Baylor School of Education PhD student Marie Kirkpatrick

Baylor School of Education doctoral student Marie Kirkpatrick has received recognition from the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) and the Organization for Autism Research (OAR) for her research related to autism.

CEC chose Kirkpatrick as an Outstanding Scholar to join the Division for Research Doctoral Student Scholars Cohort 13. Students are selected through an internationally competitive review process based on proposals and nominations. Kirkpatrick was nominated by Dr. Jessica Akers, her mentor and an assistant professor in the Department of Educational Psychology, specializing in Applied Behavior Analysis.

The CEC program provides professional development and networking for advanced doctoral students who are conducting research in special education. Kirkpatrick said the program has provided guidance in publishing articles, collaborating within Baylor and across universities, obtaining grant funding, and mentoring and advising students.

The Organization for Autism Research (OAR) awarded Kirkpatrick a grant of $1,730 for her doctoral dissertation research. A record number of proposals was reviewed by the OAR Scientific Council, a panel of experts, and awarded based on alignment with OAR’s research priorities, methodological soundness, and relevance for those affected by autism. Continue Reading →

February 2, 2021
by Baylor Instant Impact
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Baylor School of Education’s Center Updates Name [02/02/2021]

The Winter Leadership Seminar, held Jan. 30, 2020, was the last in-person education event for the newly renamed Baylor Center for School Leadership. Switching to virtual events in March, the Center provided webinars for more than 800 school leaders in 2020. Virtual institutes in 2021 are already serving more than 100 leaders per month.

Baylor School of Education’s Center for Christian Education has changed its name to the Baylor Center for School Leadership (BCSL) to better reflect its mission to serve school leaders.

Dr. Matt Thomas, speaking at the 2019 Academy for Teaching and Learning

Dr. Matt Thomas, Executive Director of the Center for School Leadership, said the name change does not reflect any change in the Center’s mission. “Be assured our mission and aim will not change, nor will the centrality of the Christian faith be diminished in any way,” he said. “In fact, this name change will enhance our ability to serve Christian schools and Christian leaders.”

The Center serves Christian independent schools and their leaders and also offers programming for Christians serving in any type of school in the U.S. and abroad. Its programs include conferences, symposia, and field-based consultative services aimed at all levels of school leadership. Recent offerings have provided professional and leadership development opportunities for teachers (organized by grade and subject level), heads of independent schools, financial leaders and board members for independent schools, and those in public education settings. Continue Reading →

January 25, 2021
by Baylor Instant Impact
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Baylor SOE Doctoral Student Wins National Award [01/25/2021]

Baylor doctoral student Lori Leibowitz took on a new job just two years ago, and in that time she has totally redesigned the gifted education program in her Connecticut school district. Recently she received national recognition for her efforts, which have resulted in inclusion of more students in gifted education programs, beyond those who do well on traditional academic measures.

A student in Baylor School of Education’s EdD Online in Learning and Organizational Change (EDD-LOC) and District Coordinator for the Gifted and Talented Program in Norwalk (Connecticut) Public Schools, Leibowitz received the 2020 Gifted Coordinator of the Year Award from the National Association for Gifted Children (NAGC). Leibowitz holds an MA in education from Sacred heart University in Fairfield, Connecticut, and a BA in history from George Washington University in Washington, D.C. To her current job she brought more than 20 years of classroom and administrative experience in Connecticut elementary and middle-grades schools, including a seven-year stint teaching advanced learning programs. Continue Reading →

December 2, 2020
by Baylor Instant Impact
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School Psychology Doc Student Named Tops in Texas [12/02/2020]

Brandon Parker, doctoral student in School Psychology (Photo by Baylor Photography)

Brandon Parker, a third-year PhD student in School Psychology, was awarded the 2020 Texas Association of School Psychology (TASP) Outstanding Graduate Doctoral Student Award.

Parker was nominated by his current practicum supervisor, Lindsay Shockley, BA ’06 (psychology), EdS ’09 (School Psychology), a school psychologist for Lorena ISD, south of Waco. At Lorena ISD, Parker provides individual counseling services to students placed in special education.

“I help students work on increasing positive thoughts, feelings, and behaviors,” Parker said. “I help them with social skills and study skills, and I help them with emotional regulation and anger management.” Continue Reading →

November 23, 2020
by Baylor Instant Impact
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Fall 2020 Issue of Impact Newsletter is Online [11/23/2020]

The fall 2020 issue of Baylor Impact newsletter is now online. This issue is online only, and alumni should have received an email with the newsletter today. If you did not receive an email with the newsletter, please let us know by emailing BaylorImpact@baylor.edu. To make sure you don’t miss any future communications, you can also update your information online at this link: Update Your Information

The Fall Impact issue features the work of faculty, students, and alumni who are making a difference through education. Read about exciting new academic programs, how our faculty are serving educators, and how student teachers are succeeding in the midst of a global pandemic.

Great news includes:

• CCE Answers the Call — How the Center for Christian Education made the most of cancelled in-person workshops to reach thousands more in virtual settings.

• Teacher Education in Challenging Times — SOE faculty and students are adjusting and succeeding on the Baylor campus and in local schools.

• School Psychology Degree in Dallas — The SOE has extended its reach to the Metroplex, offering the EdS degree at the campus of Baylor’s Nursing School.

There’s more inspiration in the story of globe-trotting teacher and PhD student Kenley Bailey Ritter, BSEd ’06, and the heart-warming profile of Baylor supporters Jim and Kaye Patterson. news about the new MA in School Leadership and more.

July 2, 2020
by Baylor Instant Impact
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Spring/Summer Issue of “Baylor Impact” is Online . . . Only [07/02/2020]

Meet the new SOE dean, learn about faculty research, and find out about new programs in Baylor School of Education in the Spring/Summer 2020 issue of Baylor Impact newsletter. This issue of Impact is online only. If you are a graduate of Baylor SOE and did not receive an email with the newsletter, please let us know by emailing BaylorImpact@baylor.edu. You can also update your information online at this link: Update Your Information

In this issue, you get two deans for the price of one! Read all about the SOE’s new Dean, Dr. Shanna Hagan-Burke, who arrived July 1, and see the farewell message from Dr. Terrill Saxon, who has been SOE Interim Dean for three years.

This issue features research profiles on faculty members in each SOE department:
• Curriculum & Instruction: Dr. Sandi Cooper’s early mathematics program leads to student success.
• Educational Leadership: Dr. Bradley Carpenter and Dr. Jon Eckert bring new research focus to K-12 leadership studies.
• Educational Psychology: Dr. Nick Benson’s research on assessments makes “testing” a good thing.

Don’t miss an inspiring Q&A with Baylor SOE alumna Lisa Fuentes ’96, whose Focus Behavioral clinic is helping hundreds of children with autism and their families. And there’s more inspiration from Baylor supporters Ryan and Karen Liles, who know that investing in a teacher’s education helps the education of many others. Plus, all sorts of exciting news about awards and new programs is tucked into the SOE news briefs.

Thank you for keeping in touch with Baylor SOE!

June 18, 2020
by Baylor Instant Impact
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K-12 EdD Program Celebrates First Graduates [06/18/2020]

Cohort One of the EdD in K-12 Educational Leadership started in 2017.

As the nation and the field of K-12 education face unprecedented challenges, Baylor School of Education was proud to celebrate the first graduates in the SOE’s EdD in K-12 Educational Leadership in May 2020.

“Cohort One, including the program’s first seven graduates, is an extraordinary team of students who carried a positive vision of completing their Doctor of Education degree in K-12 Educational Leadership,” said Dr. John Wilson, Clinical Professor and Program Director. “Children and education will be better with the high character and leadership skills possessed by these May 2020 graduates, many of whom have already moved forward in their careers with advancements and greater responsibilities in their current or new school districts. We are very proud of these seven graduates and their accomplishments.”

The Baylor Doctor of Education (EdD) in K-12 Educational Leadership is a cohort-based practitioner-oriented program for leaders of schools, educational systems, and agencies. Designed for the dedicated working education professional with weekend scheduling, the program prepares highly qualified practitioners to lead K-12 education institutions, while refining skills for executive positions. A new cohort begins each year in June, and Cohort Four began this year. The EdD program also includes preparation for the Texas superintendent certification exam, and all graduates who chose to take the exam passed it.

Hear from the SOE’s May 2020 EdD Graduates: Continue Reading →

June 4, 2020
by Baylor Instant Impact
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SOE PhD Candidate Receives Baylor Research Award [06/04/2020]

Jeff Strietzel, PhD candidate in Higher Education Leadership Studies

Jeff Strietzel, a PhD Candidate in the School of Education’s program in Higher Education Leadership Studies within the Department of Educational Leadership, received the Baylor University Outstanding Graduate Research Award for the social sciences. Strietzel’s dissertation research focuses on higher education leaders whose careers have been derailed at some point and how they recovered. That same week, Strietzel also placed second in the Baylor Graduate School’s “Three-Minute Thesis (3MT)” competition, presenting his dissertation research in 180 seconds.

“Some of life’s most valuable lessons are learned through failure,” Strietzel said. And that inspired him to study the experiences of high-level administrators in higher education to find out what it felt like to lose a job and what they learned. Strietzel interviewed 37 leaders, all of whom had “rebounded” and found employment again in higher education. The rebound was one of his criteria, because he was interested in how they found success again. He only interviewed people who had been presidents, provosts, or administrators who reported to them. All the respondents will be anonymous in his published dissertation, which was important for most — but not all — of the people he interviewed. Continue Reading →

May 27, 2020
by Baylor Instant Impact
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Baylor SOE Launches School Psychology Program in Dallas [05/27/2020]

Baylor SOE’s School Psychology program will offer the EdS degree from a Dallas campus through a hybrid program.

Baylor University School of Education is launching a new Dallas-based program in School Psychology, offering the Education Specialist (EdS) degree. Baylor’s school psychology program in Waco is nationally accredited by the National Association of School Psychologists (NASP), and Baylor is now accepting applications for the School Psychology-Dallas EdS program for the fall semester of 2020.

“There has been a national shortage of school psychologists for several years, and there is an expectation for over 20,000 new jobs over the next 10 years,” said Dr. Julie Ivey, associate professor and program coordinator for Dallas. Baylor’s Dallas program is actively responding to this need by expanding opportunities and making this career accessible to more students interested in making a difference and helping children achieve success.”

School Psychology is a specialty of professional psychology that focuses on the science and practice of psychology with children and families, learners of all ages, and the schooling process. School psychologists apply expertise in mental health, learning, and behavior to help children and youth succeed academically, behaviorally, socially, and emotionally. Continue Reading →

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