Volume 1 - Issue 1 - DBU Journal for K-12 Educational Leadership - Page 6

4 Sharon Lee, Ph.D. AWORD FROM THE EDITOR Journal for K-12 Educational Leadership 2017, VOL. 1, ISSUE 1 http://www.dbu.edu/doctoral/edd Dallas Baptist University is proud to present the inaugural issue of the Journal for K-12 Educational Leadership. In this issue, you will read articles written by a selection of grad - uates of the Doctorate in Educational Leadership K-12. These outstanding school leaders were members of the first two cohorts of students in the DBU Ed.D. K-12 program who graduated in 2015. They conducted research in their home districts on topics that had local interest and local impact. Our degree is based on the premise that school districts have questions that require local answers as well as research problems that need immediate and site-based solutions. While much of the research traditionally available to educators pro- vides a plethora of philosophies and theories about teaching and learning, those theories may not always be easily transferrable to the issues that concern schools in the north Texas region. In our program, the treatise is the final research project of a four-year program. Just like other doctoral dissertations, the treatise is a five-chapter research report that reviews the existing research literature on a topic, presents an important research problem, and poses research questions with accompanying data on the topic. Based on the servant leader model of DBU, students are directed to bring answers to their districts that could empower learners and teachers alike. What follows in this journal are condensed versions of the complete treatises that were prepared with area administrators and school leaders in mind. (The complete versions of these treatises are available at DBU and through traditional dissertation searches.) Each of our doctoral graduates has also provided an email address for communication purposes. These leaders have a lot more to say on the topics of their research than could be included in these abbreviated journal articles. Many of the articles focus on instructional topics such as 1:1 technology integration, project-based learning, instructional coaching, and behavior intervention supports. Several articles discuss aspects of English language learning and bilingual/ dual language issues that are so important in the North Texas region. Other articles have a state-wide impact and address gifted education, school engagement, and music administration. All contributors represented in this issue grew as researchers and as educational leaders through their studies in our doctoral program. At the present time, we are pleased to report that over 80% of our graduates have been promoted or advanced as a result of the doctoral degree. Their sphere of influence as leaders and researchers is far-reaching, and we are proud to present their research for others to review. Their servant leadership development makes them outstanding leaders in many districts in this region, and they can now share their insights with other educational leaders. Every article has the potential to make an impact on a broad range of issues in a variety of classrooms, and it is our hope that the research results will make a difference for the children who are educated in the North Texas region, the state of Texas, and beyond. Dr. Sharon Lee Director of Research in K-12 Education Editor, Journal for K-12 Educational Leadership