Volume 3 - Issue 1 - DBU Journal for K-12 Educational Research - Page 6

4 Sharon Lee, Ph.D. AWORD FROM THE EDITOR Dallas Baptist University is proud to present the third volume of the Journal of K-12 Educational Research. The articles in this issue are presented by a selection of recent graduates of the Doctorate in Educational Leadership K-12, a practitioner’s degree which highlights skills needed to lead districts in North Texas and beyond. Each article is a summary of the data gathered for their individual research projects, and each provides answers to questions of local interest. In some cases, the authors provided state-wide data of interest to the broader educational community. Other authors gathered data from a smaller data set or a single district. Whether state-wide or local data, we believe the answers may be applicable to many educational settings. In the DBU program, student researchers are encouraged to look for immediate and site-based solutions that could easily be transferrable to issues that are wide and far-reaching. In this issue, you will find articles that have a national impact such as the study by Dr. Paul Cook who interviewed superintendents about their perceptions of the current state of school competition through a discussion of the market and democracy metaphors. Some of the research was conducted in multiple districts on topics of local interest. Dr. Julia Hyman surveyed teachers about the T-TESS system of teacher evaluation, and Dr. Alisha Brown explored Positive Behavior Interventions and Support (PBIS). An important topic for most districts in North Texas is the education of language learners. Dr. Lori Rapp executed a state-wide review of various dual language programs in the early elementary grades and provides some data about effectiveness of those programs. Dr. Tim Baxter explored special programs for secondary language learners. Leadership development is a topic that is of great interest to both campus- and district-level leaders. Dr. Jennifer Wilson explored perceptions of district leadership style from teachers in private schools. Dr. Shawna Miller documented the outcomes of a district-wide leadership cohort program. Dr. Le’Ann Downs shared the impact of leadership development plans on district climate and culture. Recruiting and keeping teachers is an issue in many North Texas districts. Dr. James Hill interviewed HR directors to explore some strategies used by districts to retain teachers. Dr. Chris Miller surveyed science teachers in North Texas about their decisions to stay in the field of teaching. Both studies provide valuable information about teacher recruitment. Once teachers are hired in districts, there is still concern about how to keep them. Dr. Jamie Callahan explored a new teacher mentoring program in her district, while Dr. Julie DeLeon documents some specific strategies for retaining the youngest and newest members of the teaching profession. These studies provide detailed information about teacher retention. DBU’s Ed.D. K-12 program is based on the Biblical servant leader model of putting the needs of others first. Students explore problems that have immediate concern in their districts and are encouraged to bring answers to those districts. The articles included in this issue and the final treatises upon which they were based have the potential to empower educational leaders and classroom educators, while making a difference for students in the classrooms throughout the North Texas region and beyond. Sharon Lee, Ph.D. Director of Research in K-12 Education Dallas Baptist University Editor: Journal of K-12 Educational Research Journal of K-12 Educational Research 2019, VOL. 3, ISSUE 1 www.dbu.edu/doctoral/edd