Baylor Center for School Leadership Launches Second Year of Research Awards

For the second year in a row, the Baylor Center for School Leadership (BCSL) has announced three awards as a part the BCSL Research Award initiative. “These three research awards span across all three departments here in the School of Education,” explained Dr. Bill Sterrett, Hale Endowed Chair for School Leadership, “and they include timely and relevant topics on which to focus collaborative synergies- from supporting students with disabilities to fostering leadership pedagogy to expanding science outreach—which encompass our focus on leadership and our Christian mission here at Baylor.”

Award proposals were reviewed by the Baylor Center for School Leadership team including Sterrett, BCSL Executive Director Jon Eckert, Program Manager Sahira Kodra, Director of Networks and Improvement Erik Ellefsen, and Director of Operations and Management Krystle Moos. This followed a successful first year launch of the BCSL Research Awards which were completed and summarized in the opening fall School of Education meeting.

These three awards spanned departments as follows:

Dr. Ted Cockle, who serves as Director of Leadership Studies in the Department of Educational Leadership, will team with Doctoral Student Co-Investigator Meredith Frey and Undergraduate Research Assistant Ella Hickman to work with ten Leadership Fellows who are enrolled in LDS 4301 on the “Leadership Fellows Initiative: A research practicum focused on student perceptions of leadership and transformational pedagogy.” This work will include framing and collecting data through leadership perceptions and launching a small cohort of leadership fellows to focus on connecting people, cultivating leadership, conducting research and catalyzing improvement, and contributing to Baylor’s Christian mission in fostering student leadership across campus.

Dr. Kelly Johnston, who serves as Associate Professor in the Curriculum & Instruction Department, examines how children and youth engage with literacy practices across diverse educational spaces. Her project titled “Designing for Belonging: A landscape review and site visits to inform leader-focused supports for students with disabilities” will advance the BCSL’s mission to connect people, cultivate leadership, conduct research and catalyze improvement by connecting three school sites and producing leader-facing tools to equip school leaders in fostering inclusive belonging in schools.

Dr. Tracey Sulak, who serves as Clinical Associate Professor in the Department of Educational Psychology, received a research award for her proposal titled “iBEARS-BCSL: Expanding science outreach through Christ-Centered leadership development.” Sulak noted that the Baylor iBEARS program has successfully linked Baylor undergraduate students with local schools to create meaningful inquiry-based science learning experiences. This work sparks K-12 student curiosity and fosters engagement. This project will seek to understand interest and confidence in the students’ learning experiences, and create a replicable model for faith-informed, cross-disciplinary STEM outreach that other Christian universities could adapt.

Eckert notes, “We are excited to support leadership of excellent colleagues that catalyze Christian leadership in schools around the world. We need good evidence of what works, and we hope these leadership grants will demonstrate what is possible.”

The Center plans to continue soliciting additional awards in the beginning of the fall 2026 semester.