Education Research Center Awarded $250,000 TEA Grant
3/8/10
The State of Texas Education Research Center at Texas A&M University (ERC) was recently awarded a $250,000 grant from the Texas Education Agency (TEA) to conduct a research study of professional development programs for school leaders in under-performing schools.
Jackie Stillisano, associate director of the ERC; Hersh Waxman, director of the ERC; Yolanda Padròn, professor in the Department of Educational Psychology; and Chance Lewis, associate professor in the Department of Teaching, Learning and Culture, will be the principal investigators on the project. Additional ERC researchers involved include Melanie Woods and Chyllis Scott.
"School Leadership Academies are being created under the leadership of Region XIII and through the combined efforts of the Texas Center for District and School Improvement, the School Improvement Resource Center and the Texas Turnaround Center," Stillisano says. "The focus of these academies is district and campus leadership skills and behaviors, and the supports essential for the improvement of the lowest performing schools in the state."
The School Leadership Academies were mandated under Rider 42(g) of Article III of the General Appropriations Act of the 81st Texas Legislature, which called for the development of school leadership academies for district and campus leadership. The research study will ascertain the degree to which professional development provided by the academies is translated into district and campus leadership practice, determine the most effective methods for supporting professional development and leadership during the academic year, and provide constructive feedback to improve the quality and effectiveness of the professional development.
