New Research Looks at Influence Trustees Have on Their Universities
Education Policy and Leadership’s Assistant Professor Sondra Barringer assesses how trustees may influence different aspects of higher education institutions. Read more.
Examining Challenges and Successes for Black Women in Higher Ed.
Assistant Professor Dominque Baker co-published Black Women College Students: A Guide to Student Success in Higher Education, as part of Routledge’s series, Key Issues on Diverse College Students. Read more
Hernandez Recognized with Exceptional Board Service Award by Journal of Cases in Educational Leadership.
Simmons Associate Dean Frank Hernandez was honored by the Journal of Cases in Educational Leadership (JCEL) with its Recognition of Exceptional Editorial Board Service 2014-2017 Award. Read More.
$2.5 million NSF grant to SMU will give teachers a math assessment tool to help students
New assessment tool for teachers to measure math reasoning skills can drive effort to intervene early in ongoing struggles of US elementary and high school students. Read more.
Taking a Look at Exits by College Presidents.
Michael Harris, associate professor in Education Policy and Leadership, responds to the latest exit by a college president, Baylor’s Ken Starr, in an op-ed piece for the Texas Tribune. He and co-author Molly Ellis see trends in presidents’ departures. Their research shows one in 10 who leave office are forced out. Read more.
Accelerated School Leadership’s Elizabeth Pittman Receives Fulbright
Elizabeth Pittman, a student in Simmons’ Accelerated School Leadership program, is one of 49 American citizens to receive a Fulbright Distinguished Award in Teaching grant for 2015-16. She will conduct research in New Zealand.
The Fulbright program asks participants to “take courses, lead master classes and seminars, visit local schools, collaborate with each other online and in person, and complete an inquiry project of their own design.” Pittman teaches at H. Grady Spruce High School in Dallas. Read more about the program here.
HPISD Superintendent Joins Education Policy and Leadership Faculty
The Simmons School welcomes Highland Park Independent School District Superintendent Dawson Orr, Ph.D., to the Department of Education Policy and Leadership, where he will serve as clinical professor and chair beginning this fall. He retires from HPISD in August.
Orr brings 25 years of experience as a superintendent that includes oversight of Pampa and Wichita Falls school districts in Texas, and the American School of Laguna Verde in Veracruz, Mexico.
“Dawson Orr’s practical experience and outstanding professional credentials will be helpful to our department as we move forward with research and best practices to prepare future school leaders,” says Dean David J. Chard. “During a comprehensive search for a candidate with expertise in school district leadership and administration, we were pleased to learn of Dr. Orr’s interest, leading to our discussions and his appointment to this important position.”
Orr, who has served on the department’s advisory board, succeeds Lee Alvoid, Ph.D., current chair.
Milan Sevak Why do I need to learn this? Revisiting the purpose of schools TEDxSMU Inside SMU 2015
What is the purpose of pre-K to 12 schooling? This talk explores why questions of purpose matter – and how our current approach is insufficient – and proposes a path forward for more purposeful schools. Milan Sevak is currently a faculty member at SMU and directs the Ed.D. program in educational leadership. The full video can be accessed here.
Dr. Kiersten Ferguson's Study on Bias Incident Response Teams Covered in the Chronicle of Higher Education
The Chronicle of Higher Education writer Peter Schmidt cited a research study of Dr. Kiersten Ferguson and her co-authors at The University of Texas at Austin and Concordia University in an article examining how universities respond o bias incidents on campus. Their research findings were recently presented at the annual American Educational Research Association conference. View the story here.
Texas Standard Quotes Michael Harris on Millennials Preparation for the Workplace
Professor Harris provided expertise for a story on The Texas Standard, a daily news show produced by Texas public radio stations. He suggested that the challenge for the Mellennial generation is an education system that increasingly emphasizes workplace readiness over a robust and well-rounded education. Listen to a replay of the story here.
Sports Column Cites SMU Study on the Athletics Pressures for University Leaders
The Charlotte Observer and Raleigh News & Observer Sports Columnist Barry Jacobs cited the work of Michael Harris and graduate student Molly Ellis on involuntary turnover of college presidents. In describing their study, Harris said, “The struggles with athletics may be the most prominent, but I don’t know that it’s the most threatening to a president, by and large.” Harris and Ellis found loss of board confidence and financial improprieties as bigger problems than athletics. View the story here.
Harris Discusses Sports Spending and Higher Education on Wisconsin Public Radio
Professor Michael Harris was a guest on the Kathleen Dunn Show on Wisconsin Public Radio providing expertise on the influence of intercollegiate athletics and sports pending on higher education today. Listen to a replay of the show here.
Dallas Morning News Interviews Higher Ed student, Luisa del Rosal
Simmons Higher Ed graduate student, Luisa del Rosal (center), is featured in a Dallas Morning News series about young professionals from Mexico starting new ventures. Del Rosal is a program director at SMU’s Tower Center. Read article here and view video interview here .