News and Announcements

School of Education faculty Dr. Bill Sterrett, Dr. Rishi Sriram, and Dr. Sandi Cooper partnered with Baylor engineering and physics faculty to provide a 10-week summer experience for undergraduate students focused on collaborating with the Baylor Point-of-Needs Innovation (PONI) Center, Baylor’s Mayborn Museum, and regional partners.

Baylor University School of Education and Raise Your Hand Texas will host a transformative advocacy event, Own the Narrative, supporting public education and the role of teachers and other educational leaders. This event on Thursday, Sept. 26, is designed to equip educators and those who support public education, including parents and community leaders, with the tools and knowledge they need to become powerful Texas public education advocates.

Chris Asikis, a staff clinician at the Baylor Counseling Center, explained how to unlock the power of mindfulness in a presentation at Baylor School of Education’s School Safety and Wellness Summit, a professional learning seminar for seniors who are beginning a full year of student teaching. The program also included presentations from school district safety officers and inspiration from author Adam Sáenz.

This fall, more than 100 Texas school districts moved to a four-day school week with another 19 districts moving to a hybrid schedule, but does this move benefit students? This is a question Baylor University education expert Bill Sterrett, Ph.D., is asking as he looks at how the four-day week could potentially affect student learning, attendance, teacher retention, and cost savings. As of now, Sterrett says the data is inconclusive.

As summer comes to an end – earlier than ever, it seems – parents and children are getting ready for the new school year. For younger children, making the transition from a relaxed summer schedule to the routine of school can be jarring. Veteran teacher and Baylor University School of Education faculty member Gae Connally, M.S.Ed., offers five practical ideas to help make the start of the new school year less stressful, especially for younger students.

After 37 years in service and leadership in the Baylor School of Education and beyond, Dr. Doug Rogers retired in May 2024. An expert in educational technology, Rogers served as interim dean, associate dean, technology director, and faculty member in the SOE. At his retirement reception, Curriculum & Instruction interim chair Dr. Trena Wilkerson commended Roger’s leadership and vision for the SOE.

Nearly 80 rising middle school students will attend Baylor University’s nationally recognized iEngage Summer Civics Institute July 22-26, with campers on the Baylor campus daily from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. iEngage is a nationally recognized program that includes iCivics online games for teaching civics concepts to middle school students.

Baylor University’s Mathematics for Early Learners Academy, sponsored by the Baylor School of Education, is being held at the Mayborn Museum on the Baylor campus through July 25 for students ages 4 to 6. The four-week summer program, directed by Sandi Cooper, Ph.D., professor of mathematics education, aims to establish a solid foundation in “number sense” for the young students.

For the first time this summer, the Baylor University Talent Identification Program (TIP) in the School of Education hosted residential camps for high-ability gifted students in grades 8 through 12 in June on the Baylor campus. Baylor TIP, a program of the Baylor Center for Gifted Education and Talent Development, identifies exceptional talent in pre-collegiate students and provides world-class learning opportunities.

The spring issue of Baylor Impact, the newsletter of the School of Education, is now online. The cover story celebrates the 10th Anniversary of the Baylor Center for Developmental Disabilities. Updates from the SOE's Center for School Leadership and Baylor TIP are also in this issue, along with faculty, student, and program accolades. Don't miss the big news about paid internships for student teachers.

Baylor  School of Education is hosting the second year of STEM+ Camp Launch, a week-long day camp focused on rocket science, for rising fifth graders from three Transformation Waco schools. The program is funded by a grant from Waco’s Cooper Foundation and held at Baylor’s Mayborn Museum. STEM+ Camp Launch includes two week-long camp sessions running Monday through Friday the weeks of June 3 and June 10. 

Newly minted Baylor School of Education graduate Jordan Nguyen was honored with the Student Employment Award by Baylor University for his time as a student employee in the School of Education. Nguyen worked as a Learning Resources Center (LRC) Assistant for the School of Education. Nguyen is returning as a graduate student in curriculum and instruction.

Two “memorable” teachers were honored at the annual Baylor University School of Education Senior Recognition Banquet. Following tradition, Baylor School of Education seniors had the opportunity to nominate a teacher who had been influential in their lives, and the recipients were chosen by a Baylor faculty committee. This year's honorees, Shannon and Geoff Brooks, who both teach at Second Baptist School in Houston, were nominated by senior middle grades mathematics education major Moriah Feng.

Baylor School of Education (SOE) recognized seven seniors as outstanding students at the 39th annual Senior Recognition Banquet in late April. Seniors were honored for their excellence in academics and fieldwork in education programs and their readiness to impact the world. Baylor SOE senior award recipients (biographies below) for 2024 are Genesis Santos, Hannah Hensarling, Lexi Whitney, Jessica Best, Ashlyn Bergethon, Cailyn Riordan, and Vanessa Mendez.

Baylor School of Education staff member Dr. Lacy K. Crocker Papadakis received the 2024 Baylor Distinguished Staff Leadership Award. Papadakis serves as Director of the Research and Writing Development Center (RDWC) in the EdD in Learning and Organizational Change program.

School of Education teacher-education graduates are heading into the work force better equipped because of a new School of Education (SOE) seminar for future teachers, and it received statewide recognition for its innovation.

School of Education professors Dr. Jon Eckert, Dr. Erik Carter, and Dr. Kelly Johnston led discussions with graduating seniors this spring, adding to the senior job prep seminar to share how seniors can live out their faith in the classroom. A key theme was the imperative to reach and support each student individually.

Baylor education expert Dr. Suzanne Nesmith offers tips on how to enjoy the eclipse with children — On April 8, 2024, something miraculous will happen across the United States, a total solar eclipse with Waco right in a prime viewing location for the path of totality. SOE associate professor, Suzanne Nesmith, Ph.D., who specializes in elementary science education, shares some great ways to prepare your family, especially children, beforehand to get the most out of the experience.

Baylor School of Education hosted hundreds of invited guests for SOEclipse Education, an educational event for Baylor students, staff, and faculty to prepare them to teach others, especially children, about the upcoming solar eclipse. Waco is in the direct path for optimal effect of the eclipse this spring. The event offered educational tips and lesson demonstrations for those who will teach and prepare children prior to the phenomenon on Monday, April 8.

The Baylor Center for Developmental Disabilities (BCDD) is celebrating its tenth anniversary throughout 2024. The BCDD invests in research, training, outreach, and clinical services that promote the flourishing of people with disabilities, their families, and communities.

Read to learn about the BCDD, its history, future Center research, and upcoming events throughout 2024.

A team of Baylor educators traveled to Lahore, Pakistan, to empower Pakistani women through leadership workshops and sport engagement, funded by a U.S. State Department grant. The four-day workshop in Lahore brought together educators from 10 secondary schools and four universities in the region.

Dr. Bill Sterrett and Dr. Mar Magnusen in the Department of Educational Leadership are co-principal investigators.

WACO, Texas (Jan. 16, 2024) – Trena Wilkerson, Ph.D., professor and interim chair of the Department of Curriculum & Instruction in the Baylor University School of Education, has received the 2024 Louise Hay Award from the Association for Women in Mathematics in recognition of her leadership in mathematics education, transformational teaching and mentorship, and her global initiatives and programs.

A $1.25-million grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. will establish an interdisciplinary project focuses on helping congregations embrace young people with disabilities, mental health challenges, and chronic illnesses, led by Baylor faculty in Truett Seminary, School of Education, and Diana Garland School of Social Work.

Baylor Center for Developmental Disabilities within the University School of Education is joining With Ministries on a new program called Worship as One: Learning with Children with Disabilities about Worship and Prayer. Lilly Endowment Inc. is supporting the program with a $300,000 grant to With Ministries.

Gaga for Gaga Ball, a fundraising project launched by Dr. Mar Magnusen, associate professor of Sport Management, and the students taking his Athletic Fundraising and Development course at Baylor, aims to provide two gaga ball pits to Crestview Elementary School in Waco ISD.

Debbie Chou, B.S.Ed. ’23, is the fifth Baylor student teacher in recent years to be named the state’s Clinical Teacher of the Year.

Dr. Annmarie Crum, a December 2022 graduate of the EdD Learning and Organizational Change online program at Baylor University, was awarded Baylor’s Outstanding Dissertation Award for her work exploring inequities in STEM education.

Dr. Alicia Briancon, EdD ’23, instructor at College of Southern Nevada (CSN), a community college in Clark County, Nevada, received the Outstanding Research Paper Award for the Southeastern Universities Graduate Research Symposium (SUGRS).

It’s official — Dr. Mar Magnusen and his students in the MSEd Sport Management program set a Guinness World Record for the “Longest Line of Sleeping Bags” (1,203) set at Baylor's McLane Stadium on July 4. The project was designed to help homeless veterans in Texas.

Nearly 60 rising middle school students are attending Baylor University’s nationally recognized iEngage Summer Civics Institute. Led by SOE associate professor Dr. Karon LeCompte, also the program's co-founder, the camp teaches students how to advocate for community change.

Featured:
Dr. Trena Wilkerson, professor of mathematics education

Dr. Wilkerson is quoted in this national story, in which she notes the importance of viewing mathematics from its connectedness to help students, as well as teachers, understand more deeply.

Excerpt:
“It’s about access and equity in mathematics. You can’t wait for geometry and statistics until students get to high school, or only a select few can take it,” Wilkerson, the Baylor University professor, said. “You have to integrate the geometry, the statistics, etcetera, from pre-K through elementary and middle school, so that students are getting a deep understanding of what they need in order to be able to make choices about the mathematics that they take in high school and that they pursue post-high school.”

Waco Tribune-Herald

Featured:
Dr. Sandi Cooper, professor of mathematics education
MELA (Math for Early Learners Academy)
Baylor athletes

KWTX-TV

Featured:
Dr. Sandi Cooper, professor of mathematics education
MELA (Math for Early Learners Academy)
SOE student Dominique Rendon

Excerpt:
”When you think about math for early grades a lot of times people just think of counting,” MELA director Dr. Sandi Cooper said. “It really is more than that, and that’s the kind of thing that we do.”

Math really is fun and games at MELA as students learn number sense through dice and domino games. The program is based out of the Mayborn Museum and in between lessons the students get to explore the exhibits.

The four-week-long summer program is for incoming kindergarten and 1st grade students from La Vega, Waco and Midway ISD.

Baylor Proud

Featured:
Dr. Erik Carter, the Luther Sweet Endowed Chair in Disabilities and executive director of the Baylor Center for Developmental Disabilities

Excerpt:
“We are eager to collaborate with churches across the country to learn together what it looks like to do this work well and faithfully,” says Carter, the Luther Sweet Endowed Chair in Disabilities and executive director of the Baylor Center for Developmental Disabilities. “The Scriptures are clear that we are to be lavish with our invitations and our love. Indeed, our faith communities are incomplete without people with disabilities and their families.”

Featured:
Dr. Mar Magnusen, Sport Management
Sam Esparza, 2023 Sport Management MSEd grad

Before the Guiness World Record attempt, the sport management students and Dr. Magnusen raised enough money to buy the sleeping bags, which will be given to homeless veterans in the fall through Waco One Stop and Baylor VETS.

With 1.203 sleeping bags lined up, the group beat the previous record of 550 by more than double!

The School of Education's MELA program has measurably helped young students ages 4-6 achieve or exceed grade-level expectations in early math skills and number fluency.

Baylor University’s Mathematics for Early Learners Academy (MELA), sponsored by the Baylor School of Education (SOE), will be held at the Mayborn Museum on the Baylor campus July 5-28 for students ages 4 to 6.

The summer program, designed for students who have just finished PreK or Kindergarten and directed by Sandi Cooper, Ph.D., professor of mathematics education, aims to establish a solid foundation in “number sense,” especially for students who could benefit most from this summer experience in mathematics.

KWTX-TV

Featured:
Dr. Suzanne Nesmith
STEM+ Camp Launch
Transformation Waco Students

Dr. Karon LeCompte, associate professor of curriculum and instruction in the Baylor School of Education, received the 2023 Baylor Centennial Professors Award, along with another award from the Baylor Libraries — the Baylor Fundamentals of Data Research Fellowship, also for research this summer. LeCompte will use both awards to further her research in social studies education, particularly civics education through Baylor’s iEngage program.

Read all about the inaugural session of STEM+ Launch Camp, hosted by the School of Education at the Mayborn Museum for students of Transformation Waco schools. The feature story in the Waco Tribune-Herald features video and photography also.

Waco Tribune-Herald
Photos and Video by Rod Aydelotte

Featured:
Baylor SOE STEM+ Camp Launch
Mayborn Museum
Transformation Waco
Dr. Sandi Cooper
Dr. Suzanne Nesmith
Lead Teacher Di Copeman
Julia Morrison, BSEd ’23
Anne Blackaby, BSEd ’23

The newest issue of Baylor Impact newsletter (Spring 2023) is now online. If you are an SOE graduate and did not receive a newsletter in the mail, please let us know by emailing BaylorImpact@baylor.edu. This Impact issue features exciting news about SOE programs, faculty, students, and alumni who are making a difference.

Blasting off this summer is Baylor University’s STEM+ Camp Launch, designed for incoming fifth grade students from three Transformation Waco schools. Sponsored by the Baylor School of Education, with collaboration from the School of Engineering and Computer Science and funding from Waco’s Cooper Foundation, the program consists of three one-week sessions, taking place June 5-23 at the Mayborn Museum.

Baylor School of Education (SOE) recognized seven seniors as outstanding students at the 38th Annual Senior Recognition Banquet in late April. Seniors were recognized for their excellence in academic and fieldwork in education programs and their readiness to impact the world. Baylor SOE senior award recipients (biographies below) for 2023 are:

Emily Kessler — EDICUT Preservice Educator of the Year Award
Sara Easley — Delores Coker Phi Delta Kappa Outstanding Student in Education
Julia Morrison — Lorena B. Stretch Award for Outstanding Student in Elementary Education
Savannah Webster — Outstanding Student in Middle Grades Education
Faith Stuchly — M.L. Goetting Award for Outstanding Student in Secondary Education
Betsua Morales — Outstanding Student in EC-12 Education Programs
Megan Forshee — Outstanding Student with a Minor in Education

Two teachers were honored at the annual Baylor University School of Education Senior Recognition Banquet in late April. Following tradition, Baylor School of Education seniors had the opportunity to nominate teachers who had been influential in their lives. Students submitted a nomination essay about their teacher, and the awarded educators were chosen by a Baylor faculty committee. During the awards banquet, the students honor their memorable educator by reading their essay.

For 2023, Katie Bohannon Phillips of Plano and Jenna Helduser Walling of Austin were honored with the Baylor School of Education’s “Most Memorable Teacher” award.

Maryann Hebda, a second-year PhD candidate doctoral student in the Department of Educational Psychology, and Nori Ryland, a fourth-year PhD candidate in the Department of Educational Psychology, were both recipients of the Outstanding Graduate Student Instructor Award for their teaching during the Spring 2022 semester.

This award is given by the Baylor Graduate School fo graduate students who work as Teachers of Record and who are recognized for their outstanding teaching by students, and faculty. Recipients are honored at a luncheon, given a plaque, and awarded an additional travel award to use to attend conferences that will further their teaching careers.

As Autism Acceptance Month celebrates and encourages the acceptance of people on the autism spectrum and recognizes that they are valued members of society, a new Baylor initiative in launching to build inclusive practices within communities of faith. Dr. Erik W. Carter, the Luther Sweet Endowed Chair in Disabilities in the Baylor School of Education and executive director of the Baylor Center for Developmental Disabilities (BCDD), is helping launch a new initiative to support churches in creating more welcoming and accessible experiences for people with autism.

Dr. Carter shares specific actions churches can take to expand inclusion and belonging.

Featured:
Dr. Mar Magnusen, Dept. of Educational Leadership, Sport Management
Sport Management MSEd student Sam Esparza
Baylor VETS director Kevin Davis
HOT Behavioral Network Veterans One Stop's Meagan Noranbrock

The presentation was dramatic. Everyone waited anxiously in a jam-packed but hushed elementary school gymnasium in Beaumont, Texas, as the governor spoke: “A teacher who has shown excellence, who has helped you learn more, and done a great job, and this teacher’s name is Jenna Dean.” The crowd erupted with applause, and the surprised teacher walked to the front of the assembly.

Baylor professor Bill Sterrett stood behind a large check made out to Ms. Dean for $25,000. While he serves as the educational leadership department chair in Baylor’s School of Education, Sterrett is also part of a unique group of K12 educators, as a previous recipient of the Milken Educator Award, known as the “Oscars of Teaching.”

Baylor School of Education’s master’s program in Sport Management has launched a project to help homeless veterans in Texas and set a Guinness World Record at the same time. And they need help from the Baylor family and beyond.

Operation Warmth for Warriors has set a goal of providing 1,000 sleeping bags for homeless Texas veterans. Organizers have a bulk source for quality bags for $20 each. To reach their goal, they need to raise $20,000, and contributions can be made at this Baylor page:

Baylor Operation Warmth for Warriors

Dr. Mar Magnusen, associate professor of sport management in the Department of Educational Leadership, said the sleeping bag project will not only help veterans unable to find housing, but the distribution through veterans’ service providers will create a connection point for future services to veterans.

The Baylor Libraries will host a conversation, co-sponsored by the School of Education and featuring SOE alumna Mary Woodard, with Texas State Library and Archives Commission Director and Librarian Gloria Meraz and Texas Library Association President Mary Woodard, a School of Education graduate, on their journeys in education and librarianship, the current state of libraries in Texas, and the future of Texas libraries.
Gloria Meraz, director and librarian of the Texas State Library and Archives Commission, and Mary Marlow Woodard, president of the Texas Library Association (TLA), will be interviewed by Lori Fogleman, Assistant Vice President for Media and Public Relations at Baylor University on Friday, March 31, at 2:30 p.m. CDT at the Armstrong Browning Library & Museum. Conversation and a reception will follow.
Woodard graduated from Baylor in 1985 with degrees in Elementary Education and English and earned her library science degree from Texas Woman’s University in 1987. She served in the Mesquite Independent School District for 35 years as a school librarian, technology facilitator, and director of library services. In 2022, Woodard was elected president of TLA, the largest state library association in the United States.

Amy Smith, a Baylor School of Education 1999 graduate and biology teacher at Midway High School, was honored for her work mentoring Baylor students. She was named as the 2023 Outstanding Mentor Teacher by the South Central Area Network for Professional Development Schools. This regional honor recognizes exceptional educators who share a dedication to the field of teaching and the partnership between institutions of higher education and pre-K-12 schools.

Smith has hosted 13 Baylor students as full-year interns (senior student teachers), one-semester interns, and teaching associates (Baylor juniors) over the course of her 16 years as a mentor teacher at MHS.

School of Education doctoral student Traniece Brown-Warrens and adjunct professor Dr. Bobby Ott went viral in March!

Baylor University today announced a $1.5 million gift from anonymous alumni establishing an endowed faculty chair position to support innovative research and teaching focused on the flourishing of children and youth with disabilities. With an appointment in the Baylor School of Education and leading the Baylor Center for Developmental Disabilities, the faculty chair will accelerate interdisciplinary scholarship across the University and beyond.

The School of Education has named Erik W. Carter, Ph.D., as the inaugural chairholder. Carter previously held The Cornelius Vanderbilt Chair in Special Education at Vanderbilt University and co-directed the Vanderbilt Kennedy Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities. In this role, he will serve as executive director for the Baylor Center for Developmental Disabilities (BCDD) and help launch a new interdisciplinary institute on faith and disability.

Dr. Rishi Sriram, associate professor in Baylor School of Education’s Department of Educational Leadership and director of the MSEd in Higher Education and Student Affairs, was selected as a Senior Scholar of ACPA (American College Personnel Association), a leading association in the field of higher education student affairs that advocates for the integration of research and scholarship in the practice of student affairs.

ACPA describes its Senior Scholars as “senior members of the profession who have made exemplary and sustained contributions to ACPA’s mission of transforming higher education by creating and sharing influential scholarship, shaping critically reflective practice, and advocating for equitable and inclusive learning environments.” A maximum of 12 scholars may hold the position.

Often when people hear the word literacy, they think about learning to read, but literacy involves much more than reading from the printed page. Literacy encompasses the everyday ways people use language to make meaning and communicate, said Kelly C. Johnston, B.S. '04, Ed.D., assistant professor in the Baylor University School of Education, whose research focuses on how children and youth engage with literacy across diverse contexts and the implications for literacy development and well-being. "It includes reading, writing, speaking and listening. Those are the fundamental things that we do with language to make meaning and communicate," Johnston said.

KXXV-TV

Featured:
Dr. Bill Sterrett, Professor and Chair, Department of Educational Leadership

Waco Tribune-Herald

Featured:
Dr. Bill Sterrett, Professor and Chair, Department of Educational Leadership

Jennifer Gonzales, EdD ’22, received the Dissertation Award from the national School Science and Mathematics Association (SSMA) in recognition of her dissertation research — a five-phase mixed-methods study titled “Leveraging the Role of an Instructional Coach to Close Middle School Mathematics Teachers’ Knowing-Doing Gap: A Mixed Methods Experimental Study.”

The newest issue of Baylor Impact newsletter (Winter 2023) is now online. This Impact issue features exciting news about SOE programs, faculty, students, and alumni who are making a difference.

Dallas Morning News

Featured:
Dr. Eric Robinson, Associate Professor of School Psychology, Department of Educational Psychology

Excerpt of Op-Ed by Dr. Robinson:
"School psychologists are recognized nationally as mental health experts for school-age children. Their education, according to the National Association of School Psychologists, focuses on 10 domains of practice, two of which are mental and behavioral health services, and services to promote safe and supportive schools.

Unfortunately, most, but not all, Texas school districts severely limit the role of the school psychologist, employing them almost exclusively as testers for special education. School psychologists are well-trained to evaluate students for special education placement, but this is just one of their many roles."

Jessica Akers, Ph.D., assistant professor of educational psychology in Baylor University’s School of Education, has received a $893,409 grant from the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board to develop an innovative treatment model for children with autism and their siblings.

Akers has created an intervention program that intentionally focuses on improving the interactions between siblings. Sibling SUCCESS: Supporting Unique Collaborative Care to Encourage Shared Success invites the siblings of children with autism or “special siblings” to collaborate and participate as a vital member of the intervention team. Although behavioral interventions are highly effective for children with autism, these behavior programs – while including parents – do not address the importance the sibling relationship.

Humanities Texas honored Ashley Gibson, EdD ’21, as one of 15 recipients of the 2022 Humanities Texas Outstanding Teaching Award. Gibson received a $5,000 cash award, with an additional $1,000 for her school to purchase instructional materials. Gibson is a graduate of Baylor’s online EdD in Learning and Organizational Change. With a classroom career spanning 15 years, Gibson teaches English at Galena Park High School in Galena Park ISD.

Dr. Sandi Cooper, professor in the Baylor School of Education’s Department of Curriculum & Instruction, was selected as the 2022 recipient of the E. Glenadine Gibb Achievement Award. The award honors a member of the Texas Council for Teachers of Mathematics for contributions to the improvement of mathematics education at the state and national level. Cooper received the award at the Conference for the Advancement of Math Teaching (CAMT) in San Antonio in the summer.

She was nominated by two Baylor colleagues — Dr. Trena Wilkerson, professor of mathematics education, and Dr. Ryann Shelton, PhD ’20, lecturer in Baylor’s online EdD in Learning & Organizational Change. The nomination lauded Cooper’s impact in the field, noting, “She is an outstanding colleague and offers significant leadership for the entire mathematics education community. She is an exemplary scholar, teacher, and leader.”

Adrianna Prado, a third-year doctoral student in Baylor School of Education’s online EdD in Learning and Organizational Change, has combined her love of education and of animals to provide meaningful service to communities as part of a therapy dog team. She said her certified therapy sheepadoodle, Stella, has been the “paws of Christ” in settings ranging from library reading events to tragedy recovery.

A special education specialist in San Antonio’s Northside ISD, Prado took Stella to Uvalde in the aftermath of the school shooting at Robb Elementary in late May, serving with Therapy Animals of San Antonio to offer comfort and support.

The Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) in Learning and Organizational Change online program housed within Baylor University’s Department of Curriculum and Instruction in the School of Education has been named a Carnegie Project on the Education Doctorate (CPED) Program of the Year 2022 winner. The CPED Program of the Year award is given annually to one or more institutions whose program demonstrates that it is distinctive, innovative and useful to other CPED members. This honor will be awarded in October at the annual CPED Convening in Pittsburgh.

The Baylor School of Education’s PhD program in School Psychology has earned accreditation on contingency from the American Psychological Association (APA), with the contingency based on the program’s relative newness. Baylor anticipates its first program finishers in 2023 and will be eligible for full accreditation in 2025.

The professional preparation provided by the Baylor School Psychology Ph.D., through the Department of Educational Psychology, is founded on the ethical codes and professional standards of the APA and the National Association of School Psychologists (NASP), as well as the Texas State Board of Examiners of Psychologists rules of practice.

Every future teacher dreams of the day they will have their own classroom, but what’s it really like during that first year of teaching? Did @BaylorUniversity SOE prepare our graduates well?
Six grads tell all in new posts on our Instant Impact news blog:
Morgan Hicks, BSEd ’21, Elementary Education
Kirby Jarzombek Gentry, BSEd ’20, MSEd ’21
Rylee Jorges, BSEd ’21, Secondary English
Danielle Sanders, BSEd ’21, All-Level Special Education
Cole Sussman, BSEd ’21, Elementary Education
Angela Tallent, BSEd ’21, Secondary Mathematics

Baylor’s nationally recognized iEngage Summer Civics Institute is returning to the Baylor University campus for the first time since 2019, hosting nearly 100 rising middle school students Aug. 1-5.

The free civics camp recently was named the 2022 recipient of the Sandra Day O’Connor Award for the Advancement of Civics Education — an annual award, presented by the National Center for State Courts (NCSC), that recognized iEngage for its work to promote, inspire, improve and lead innovation in the field of civics education related to the justice system. iEngage director Dr. Karon LeCompte accepted the award in Chicago in late July.

The idea of “investment” is generally to turn something into more, according to Baylor University’s chief investment officer, David Morehead, who is certainly an expert on investing after decades of senior-level experience at large financial institutions. Morehead and his wife, Sara, also consider “investment potential” when they choose targets for their charitable giving. That strategy — along with an appreciation for the value of education and educators — led the Moreheads to make an investment in Baylor School of Education’s MA in School Leadership program through scholarship donations.

After a 2020 hiatus due to COVID and a 2021 program embedded in a local summer school, Baylor University’s Mathematics for Early Learners Academy (MELA), sponsored by the Baylor School of Education (SOE), has returned to the Baylor campus July 5-28 to host students ages 4 to 6 at the Mayborn Museum.

The summer program, designed for students who have just finished PreK or kindergarten and directed by Sandi Cooper, Ph.D., professor of mathematics education, aims to establish a solid foundation in “number sense,” especially for students who have been identified as having difficulty in mathematics.

Dr. Jon Eckert, professor of Educational Leadership and the Lynda and Robert Copple Endowed Chair for Christians in School Leadership, received the Baylor Outstanding Faculty Award for Teaching for Tenured Faculty. Eckert completed his doctorate at Vanderbilt University’s Peabody College, and then worked in both the Bush and Obama administrations on teaching quality issues. Before coming to Baylor in 2019, Eckert taught and coached intermediate and middle school students outside of Chicago and Nashville for 12 years and spent 10 years on the faculty of Wheaton College teaching education majors.

Eckert teaches Baylor students at all levels — undergraduate, master’s, and doctoral. He teaches undergraduates in Baylor’s Leadership Minor, master’s students in the MA in School Leadership program, and doctoral students pursuing degrees in K12 Educational Leadership — all programs in the Department of Educational Leadership.

Dr. Tonya Davis, professor in the Department of Educational Psychology, received the Baylor Outstanding Faculty Award for Scholarship for Tenured Faculty. Davis specializes in special education and Applied Behavior Analysis and is coordinator of the Special Education Program and the PhD in Educational Psychology. She also serves as graduate program director for the Department of Educational Psychology.

Davis received her PhD in special education with a specialization in autism and developmental disabilities from the University of Texas at Austin and her BS in special education and MSEd in educational psychology from Baylor University. Dr. Davis is a Board-Certified Behavior Analyst – Doctoral Level (BCBA-D). Prior to joining the Baylor faculty in 2008, she was a special education teacher and in-home applied behavior analysis therapist.

Dr. Jessica Akers, assistant professor in the Department of Educational Psychology, specializing in Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA), received the Baylor Outstanding Faculty Award for Teaching/Tenure-Track Faculty. Akers’ main teaching role prepares students who are pursuing careers as clinicians for individuals with developmental disabilities or as university professors to train such individuals and conduct research in the field.

While carrying a full teaching load, Akers also mentors each of her graduate students and conducts significant research on children with autism and related developmental disabilities. More than half of her scholarly publications have included Baylor students as co-authors; she has included 12 different students as co-authors on peer-reviewed publications and six students as co-authors on professional book chapters. Colleagues praise Akers’ ability in the classroom to engage students through masterfully planning the engagement strategies she will use.

Two teachers were honored at the annual Baylor University School of Education Senior Recognition Banquet on April 21. Following tradition, Baylor School of Education seniors had the opportunity to nominate teachers who had been influential in their lives. Students submitted a nomination essay about their teacher, and the awarded educators were chosen by a Baylor faculty committee.

This year, Joan Brindley of Temple, Texas, and Daron Eason of Dallas were honored with the Baylor School of Education’s “Most Memorable Teacher” award.

Baylor School of Education [SOE] recognized seven seniors as outstanding students at the 37th Annual Senior Recognition Banquet April 21. Seniors were recognized for their excellence in academic and fieldwork in education programs and their readiness to impact the world. Baylor SOE senior award recipients (biographies below) for 2022 are:

• Elizabeth Richey — EDICUT Preservice Educator of the Year Award
• Hannah Harris — Delores Coker Phi Delta Kappa Outstanding Student in Education
• Emily Blackwell — Lorena B. Stretch Award for Outstanding Student in Elementary Education
• Leslie Wolff — Outstanding Student in Middle Grades Education
• Katherine Kaiser — M.L. Goetting Award for Outstanding Student in Secondary Education
• Colleen Coudriet — Outstanding Student in EC-12 Education Programs
• Jaque Vasquez — Outstanding Student with Minor in Education

The iEngage Summer Civics Institute at Baylor University has been named the 2022 recipient of the Sandra Day O’Connor Award for the Advancement of Civics Education.

This annual award, presented by the National Center for State Courts, honors an organization, court, program or individual who has promoted, inspired, improved or led an innovation or accomplishment in the field of civics education related to the justice system.

Founded in 2013, the Baylor iEngage Summer Civics Institute is a free, five-day civics camp designed to help middle school students learn how to make a difference in their schools, neighborhoods and communities. Funded by the Hatton W. Sumners Foundation and Baylor University, the program is led by Baylor School of Education faculty members Brooke Blevins, Ph.D., The Conwell G. Strickland Endowed Chair, associate professor and chair of the Department of Curriculum and Instruction, and Karon LeCompte, Ph.D., associate professor of curriculum and instruction with an emphasis in social studies education.

Baylor University honored the School of Education’s Dr. Nick Werse with an Outstanding Staff Award this spring in a presentation at Truett Seminary. Werse is director of the Department of Curriculum & Instruction’s Ed.D. Writing Center, which serves hundreds of students in the SOE’s online Ed.D. in Learning and Organizational Change (EdD-LOC). The center offers comprehensive support, including writing development support, writing webinars, writing resources for faculty, course development recommendations, dissertation formatting support, and individualized student writing consultations via Zoom, employing a staff of seven including Werse.

Dr. Marshall Magnusen, associate professor of sport management in the Department of Educational Leadership, received the Research Fellow Award from the Applied Sport Management Association (ASMA). ASMA is a scholarly organization that aims to builds research partnerships scholars studying sport — both faculty and students — and practitioners working in the sport industry. The award recognizes “scholars who have demonstrated a commitment to ASMA and its vision, as well as distinction in sport management research and scholarly contributions to the conference and the official journal, the Journal of Applied Sport Management.
Magnusen just completed a two-year term as president of ASMA and serves as editor of the Journal of Applied Sport Management.

The Baylor School of Education (SOE) and Campus Living & Learning (CLL) have announced an expansion of their partnership in providing residential academic initiatives to Baylor students. The SOE’s Impact Living-Learning Center (LLC) and the LEAD LLC will join forces to form the IMPACT & LEAD LLC, which will be located in Allen and Dawson residence halls. Student residents will participate in renaming the LLC during the 2022-23 academic year.

The SOE’s Impact LLC started in 2015 in South Russell Residence Hall, near the school’s home in Marrs McLean Science Building, and has always served both education majors and other students. The LEAD LLC, launched in 2004, is also multi-disciplinary and requires all residents to take one leadership course, offered by the School of Education’s Department of Educational Leadership through its leadership minor program. This new partnership will strengthen the academic bond between the LLC students and the SOE.

The spring Baylor Magazine explains how Baylor online programs produce leaders who live out the Baylor mission, with a strong focus on the SOE's EdD in Learning and Organizational Change and a profile of three EdD-LOC students.

Nate Scholten, a third-year Ph.D. candidate in Curriculum and Teaching in the School of Education’s Department of Curriculum & Instruction, received the Outstanding Graduate Student Instructor Award in recognition of his excellence as a teacher and student.

Scholten was recognized for teaching Secondary Social Studies Practicum in the fall 2021 semester. The course is for junior-level students, called Teaching Associates (TAs), who are studying to become history teachers. He emphasizes the importance of connecting with students in the classroom and making civics an important aspect of education.

The Association of Teacher Educators (ATE) is a national organization focused on the improvement of the teacher education process, dedicating attention to preparing teacher candidates and promoting quality teacher education. It’s the only organization of its kind — and it’s now led by a Baylor faculty member and alumna.

Dr. Rachelle Meyer Rogers (Ed.D. 2005), a clinical associate professor in Baylor’s School of Education, assumes the role of ATE president this month after serving as vice president last year. She was elected to the role in the Fall of 2020, chosen by her peers to lead an organization that she calls the “protector” of the teaching profession.

These newlyweds could say they met online. Or they could say they met in college. Both would be true, but not quite the whole picture!

Chris and Dayna Lund both graduated from Baylor in December of 2021 as part of Cohort Two in the School of Education’s EdD in Learning and Organizational Change (EDD-LOC), an online program. They met in January of 2019 during their first online class, taught by Dr. Jessica Meehan.

“The professors encouraged us to reach out to other students and to ‘find your people’ to help you through the program,” Chris said. “They said you’ll need that kind of camaraderie, because it’s going to get challenging.” But professors never expected this kind of camaraderie.

Baylor University researchers will examine virtue formation in higher education moral communities, both secular and faith-based, with a $2.7 million grant from the John Templeton Foundation. The project, “The Role of Meta-identity in Developing Moral Communities Within Higher Education,” is co-led by Perry Glanzer, Ph.D., professor of educational foundations and resident scholar with Baylor’s Institute for Studies of Religion, and Sarah Schnitker, Ph.D., associate professor of psychology, in partnership with colleagues from Baylor, the University of Notre Dame, Wheaton College, the Oxford Pastorate, Loyola Marymount University and the Anselm House Christian study center.

The newest issue of Baylor Impact newsletter (Fall 2021) is now online. If you are an SOE graduate and did not receive a newsletter in the mail, please let us know by emailing BaylorImpact@baylor.edu.

This Impact issue features the work of faculty, students, and alumni who are making a difference, including the cover story with exciting news about the new Baylor TIP (Talent Identification Program), launching THIS YEAR!

Click this story to visit the Impact website for this and past issues.

Baylor Center for School Leaders (BCSL) is hosting an afternoon workshop, combined with a Baylor men’s basketball ticket, for teachers, principals, superintendents, and other school or district leaders. The workshop, titled “Leading a Culture of Joy,’ will be Tuesday, Jan. 25, from 1-5 p.m., and the registration deadline is Monday, Jan. 17. The event is $45 per person, and schools are encouraged to bring teams of educators to attend.

Baylor School of Education graduate Dr. Mary Landon Darden, MSEd ’91, EdD ’06, has won a national award for her book Entrepreneuring the Future of Higher Education: Radical Transformation in Times of Profound Change, published earlier in 2021 by the American Council on Education and Rowman & Littlefield. Darden’s book was named by the American Book Fest as “Best Education/Academic Book of 2021.”

American Book Fest is in its 19th year of delivering the “Best Book Awards,” covering numerous categories of books from mainstream and independent publishers.

Entrepreneuring the Future of Higher Education was also honored by Book Authority, which provides book recommendations from thought leaders and experts, rated as #36 on its list of “58 Best University Books of All Time.”

Secondary teacher-education majors in the Baylor School of Education’s (SOE) undergraduate program enjoyed a new field experience on Professional Development School (PDS) campuses this fall. It was the first semester that students went through the full immersion into a new course component, “instructional rounds,” on school campuses.

Dr. Madelon McCall, clinical associate professor and coordinator of the secondary education program, said the SOE’s program is modeled on clinical rounds for medical students.

“It is similar to medical rounds in that students learn about the content, go observe it in practice, and then come back together and spend time debriefing with their professor,” McCall said. “Our students also write a reflection on their observations to discuss what they learned during the rounds.”

Alexandra Ronnenberg, who graduated from Baylor University in May with a B.S.Ed. in elementary education, has been named Clinical Teacher of the Year for the state of Texas, honored for her outstanding instruction and interaction with children while a senior at Baylor.

She is the fourth Baylor intern to receive the award in the last five years it has been presented. No award was given in 2020 due to COVID-19.

Ronnenberg received the award that honors senior-level teacher-education students from the Texas Directors of Field Experience (TDFE), the organization of faculty members within university teacher-education programs who supervise field experiences. The award was presented during this fall’s statewide meeting of the Consortium of State Organizations for Texas Teacher Education.

U.S. Army veteran, fifth-grade teacher and Baylor University doctoral student Erika Neuman has been named a Pat Tillman Foundation Scholar in recognition of her military service and her mission to educate children.

Tillman Scholars are U.S. service members, veterans and military spouses chosen based on their service, leadership and potential. Of more than 2,000 applicants, only 60 are named each year. Tillman Scholars are awarded academic scholarships, lifelong leadership development opportunities and a diverse, global community of high-performing mentors and peers. Neuman, who is enrolled in the University’s Doctor of Education in Learning and Organizational Change online program, is the second Baylor student to receive the honor.

“The Pat Tillman Foundation offers this incredible network of scholars and other professionals in every field at various universities and government institutions,” Neuman said. “It is an amazing group of veterans and selfless leaders who support one another and strive to see the other scholars succeed. The whole mission of the Tillman Foundation is empowerment, building leaders and service to others and that is exactly what this incredible organization does. I am honored to be among their ranks.”

Some intense “teacher” vibes emanated from the second floor of Marrs McLean Science Building on the Baylor campus to celebrate Halloween. Faculty and staff in the School of Education’s Department of Curriculum & Instruction (C&I) decided to decorate doors along the hallway and host trick-or-treaters at Baylor’s traditional event. And when former K12 classroom teachers gain access to butcher and construction paper, amazing designs are bound to happen!

Dr. Sandi Cooper earned first-place honors for door decor for her design featuring lights and giveaway candy tagged with QR links to math activities (see links in the story).

Baylor Cherry Award nominee Dr. Hollylynne S. Lee, professor of mathematics and statistics education at North Carolina State University, will speak at Baylor at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 5, in Marrs McLean Science Building, Room 101. Lee is one of three finalists for the prestigious award, and if she receives it, she will teach in residence in the School of Education’s Department of Curriculum & Instruction during a semester in 2022.

Lee’s lecture, “Data Moves and Discourse: Design Principles for Strengthening Statistics Education,” will be relevant to teachers and future teachers at all levels as she explores how to foster discourse and engagement with data. Prior to Lee’s work at the university level, she served as a K-12 teacher.

After a 2020 hiatus due to COVID, Baylor University’s Mathematics for Early Learners Academy (MELA), sponsored by the Baylor School of Education (SOE), returned for the summer of 2021. The program, which has helped young students ages 4-6 to achieve or exceed grade level in early math skills and number fluency, also began pilot testing its new curriculum and assessments.

The summer program, designed for students entering PreK or kindergarten and directed by Sandi Cooper, Ph.D., professor of mathematics education, aims to establish a solid foundation in “number sense,” especially for students who have been identified as struggling in mathematics.

When the National Association of Professional Development Schools (NAPDS) decided to update its foundational “essentials” document, the national organization included representation from the Baylor University School of Education (SOE) to help lead those efforts.

Baylor was one of the first universities to fully implement the Professional Development Schools (PDS) model, a clinically based educator preparation program in partnership with local schools to train preservice teachers.

Krys Goree, Ph.D., clinical faculty and director of the SOE’s Office of Professional Practice, served on the NAPDS committee that spearheaded the three-year effort to update What it Means to Be a Professional Development School (PDS): The Nine Essentials. Originally written in 2008, the Nine Essentials provide guidance for school-university partnerships and PDS campuses who work together to prepare teachers.

Baylor School of Education associate professor Dr. Lakia Scott became the first Baylor faculty member to be named as the university’s “Champion of Change” earlier this year.

Baylor University launched the “Champions of Change” awards to recognize and acknowledge the accomplishments of faculty, staff, and alumni (one of each annually) who have demonstrated efforts to “foster greater appreciation and advancement of diversity, inclusiveness, and equity for communities of color at Baylor and in Waco.” A diverse and representative volunteer advisory committee sought nominations and made the final selections for the inaugural honorees.

Dr. Kelsey Ragan, clinical assistant professor in Baylor School of Education’s Department of Educational Psychology, received a 2021 Solid Gold Neighbor Award as director of the School of Education’s Baylor Autism Resource Clinic (ARC) in recognition of the clinic’s impact through community outreach. The award came at the end of the spring semester as Baylor University recognized outstanding engagement with the community with the annual award.

Baylor School of Education associate professor Dr. Rishi Sriram has been selected as editor of the Journal of the First-Year Experience & Students in Transition, a semiannual academic journal publishing research about the first year of college and other student transition experiences, such as transferring colleges. Sriram’s appointment is for a renewable three-year term, which began July 1, 2021.

As a researcher in this field, Sriram said he is fascinated by the outsized role that the college experience can play in a person’s life. “Colleges and universities can have a positive or detrimental effect through their policies, programs, places, and people,” he said. “Research in the field can equip institutions to understand and implement programs that are most conducive to helping college students flourish.”

Baylor’s teacher-education graduates of 2020 experienced a career launch like no other class. Their classroom internships were cut short by the global COVID pandemic, and then they entered their first year of independent teaching still in the midst of a pandemic that lasted the entire school year.

Were our graduates ready? Read reflections from four 2020 grads: Augie Strauch (Secondary Social Studies), Cami Cox (Elementary Education), Emily Holland (Special Education), and Sahira Kodra (Elementary Education).

A team of Baylor School of Education autism researchers is helping evaluate the effectiveness of a Baylor-invented mechanical horse that is designed to treat children with autism. A Baylor interdisciplinary team received a grant of nearly $600,000 from the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board to study the effectiveness of the MiraColt, a mechanical device that simulates the motion of horseback riding.

Dr. Julie Ivey, Associate Professor of Educational Psychology, is a co-investigator and is leading an SOE research team that includes one Ph.D. level School Psychology student, Ryan Coleman, and two Ed.S. level School Psychology students, Ashley Allison and Alex Plank.

The team is currently recruiting children ages 6-12 to participate in the project to measure the effects of riding the MiraColt, an invention patented by Baylor mechanical engineering Associate Professor Dr. Brian Garner.

Heather Williams, a Baylor doctoral student, was named National Outstanding Assistant Principal (one of only 24) by the National Association of Elementary School Principals (NAESP). She had already received the award for 2021 Arkansas Elementary School Assistant Principal of the Year from the Arkansas Association of Educational Administrators. Williams will be recognized in July at the National Principal Conference of NAESP in Chicago.

Williams has been assistant principal for two years at Warren Dupree Elementary in Jacksonville North Pulaski School District, northeast of Little Rock. She is an EdD student in the K12 Educational Leadership program in Baylor School of Education’s Department of Educational Leadership. A member of Cohort Four, Williams began the program in 2020.