Articles
Vol. 3 No. 1 (2024): Education Law and Policy Briefs Journal - 2024
Dr. Beverly J. Irby is Regents Professor of the Texas A&M University System in the Department of Education Administration and Human Resource Development and Senior Associate Dean for Academics in the College of Education and Human Development at Texas A&M University, College Station. She is the Director of the Education Leadership Research Center (ELRC), the Co-Director of Center for Research in Dual Language and Literacy Acquisition (CRDLLA), and the Co-Principal Investigator for a $16,500,000 I3 U.S. Department of Education SEED grant.
Karen McIntush is a Ph. D candidate in Curriculum and Instruction in the Department of Teaching, Learning and Culture at Texas A&M University. She serves as a research specialist and project coordinator for Leadership Development at the Education Leadership Research Center at Texas A&M.
Dr. Elsa Villarreal is an assistant professor in the Department of Educational Leadership at Texas A&M-Commerce. Her research interests include principal preparation programs, Latina principals, and leading campuses with English Learners (ELs).
Dr. Matthew J. Etchells is the Director of Education Outreach, Marketing and Communications for the Education Leadership Research Center (ELRC) & Center for Research and Development in Dual Language and Literacy Acquisition (CRDLLA), Lead Coordinator for project Accelerated Preparation of Leaders for Underserved Schools (APLUS), and the Director of Marketing and Recruitment for the Mentoring and Coaching Academy (MCA). He holds a Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction from the Department of Teaching, Learning, & Culture (TLAC) at Texas A&M University.
Dr. Kenneth "Ken" Leithwood is Emeritus Professor, University of Toronto. He is an educational researcher and professor at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education in Toronto, Canada. His research has focused on school leadership, processes of school reform and assessment of educational policy.
Dr. Coby Meyers is the Chief of Research of the Darden/Curry Partnership for Leaders in Education (PLE) and Associate Professor of Education in the Curry School of Education at the University of Virginia. Meyers has played integral roles in various school turnaround initiatives and has served as a middle and high school English Language Arts teacher.
Dr. Reginald Green is Professor of Educational Leadership and Interim Associate Dean of the College of Education at the University of Memphis. Dr. Green has served at the teacher, principal, deputy superintendent, and superintendent levels of K-12 education and has been in higher education for over 25 years.
Dr. Patricia Reeves is an Associate Professor of Educational Leadership, Research and Technology in the Department of Educational Leadership, Research and Technology, College of Education and Human Development at Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo, Michigan.
Rafael Lara-Alecio, Ph.D., is a Regents Professor of the Texas A&M University System, the Director Center for Research & Development in Dual Language & Literacy Acquisition (CRDLLA), and Division Chair, Bilingual/ESL Programs, Department of Educational Psychology (EPSY) in the College of Education and Human Development, at Texas A&M University. Dr. Lara-Alecio’s research is found in high-impact journals. His academic work focuses on assessment, evaluation, academic language acquisition (math and science), Parental Involvement, and international education. He is an experienced early childhood, elementary and secondary school bilingual teachers with multiple books impacting the academic life of English Learners. He co-authored a pedagogical Classroom Observation theory and model for bilingual and ESL classrooms. His research and training grants are in excess of $100,000,000 from federal/state agencies.
Dr. Fuhui Tong is a Professor of Bilingual/ESL Education and Head in the Department of Educational Psychology (EPSY) at Texas A&M University. She is also the Co-Director of the Center for Research & Development in Dual Language & Literacy Acquisition (CRDLLA). Her primary expertise is research design and quantitative methodology in bilingual/ESL education, second language acquisition, language assessment, and program evaluation. She has authored and/or co-authored 74 peer-reviewed journal publications, 15+ book chapters, 20+ technical reports, and over 100 refereed and invited presentations with research findings related to English learners’ language acquisition and academic achievement. Dr. Tong has served as a Co-PI on multiple multi-million-dollar grants funded by federal agencies including the U.S Department of Education and National Science Foundation.
Dr. Adrian Johnson is currently serving as the Superintendent of Schools for Hearne ISD. Dr. Johnson has over 40 years in education at the campus and district level, including roles as teacher, principal, area superintendent, and superintendent.
Dr. Thyrun Hurst is currently Superintendent of Schools for Calvert ISD. He has been a committed educator for over 25 years, serving in suburban, urban, and rural school districts.
Dr. Stu Musick is currently serving as Superintendent of Navasota ISD. He has served over 30 years in education as teacher, coach, middle school principal, high school principal, and Superintendent. Dr. Musick was selected as one of four high school principals in the state of Texas to serve on the “Small Schools Committee” for the Texas Association of Secondary School Principals (TASSP).
Dr. Geovanny Ponce served most recently as the Assistant Superintendent of High Schools in Houston ISD. Ponce, an immigrant from Honduras, instills collaborative leadership to ensure students from all social, economic, and ethnic backgrounds have equal access to high-quality learning opportunities.
J.C. Harville worked for 32 years in education (25 in Texas). He was a teacher, Multilingual Director, Assistant Principal and Principal during those years. Since 2015, he has worked as a leadership coach to over 20 schools, helping principals and school leadership teams to enhance learning for all students.
Dr. Delic Loyde is the Hearne Education Foundation Executive Director. She is also serving as a certified Texas Education Agency Lone Star Governance Coach and executive leadership coach with Diversa Advisors, a TEA vetted provider for the System of Great Schools that provides training and continued support to school boards and their Superintendents by building their capacity for improving student outcomes through effective governance.
Lidia Maza worked for 27 years in education. Twenty-two of those years in Texas. She worked as an English As A Second Language and Bilingual teacher, Assistant Principal and Principal. Since 2010, she has worked as a leadership coach providing guidance in best practices to school administrators and leadership teams in 15 schools in the Houston area. The main goal of this position was to share her own experiences and guide these teams in providing the best education for all children from elementary to high school levels.
Bobby Gentry is a Ph. D student in Educational Administration, emphasis in PK-12 Educational Leadership. He serves as a graduate research assistant at the Education Leadership Research Center at Texas A&M.
Yvonne Costello is an undergraduate at Texas A&M University in Child Professional Services. She has worked at the University for 23 years and is currently working as a Program Coordinator with the Education Leadership Research Center on the Accelerated Preparation of Leaders for Underserved Schools (Project APLUS Grant).
School accountability measures have resulted in initiatives for school turnaround reform. In an effort to address issues surrounding school turnaround and enhancement, a think tank was conducted by a research center at a Tier 1 research university along with experts and practitioners in the field. A qualitative content analysis was conducted on the transcripts to identify key themes that emerged from the discussion. Four themes emerged regarding characteristics of effective school enhancement: leadership, capacity building, root cause analysis, and unity of purpose. Implications for practice included nurturing unity of purpose across the school community, building capacity of faculty and staff, establishing strong instructional leadership, intentionality in the school improvement process, and implementing a continuous school improvement process.