The vision of this program is to prepare transformational leaders who will become change agents committed and prepared to improve the quality of learning communities and learning across the life span.
We welcome your interest in our programs! Our students develop their abilities to plan learning programs for both adults and K-12 settings; help communities in capacity-building; orchestrate professional development activities; foster learning for advocacy, action, and social justice; improve organizational capabilities; and conduct research in these settings and beyond. Our students provide leadership through research, scholarly contributions, and participation in a wide variety of positions across the field of education and around the world.
Students learn to team with faculty and field professionals beyond classroom experiences as demonstrated in our most recent student contributions. To see a preview of our current faculty research interests click here.
 Click here to watch and listen to a recent graduate talk about her experiences in the PhD Program Dr. Leticia Romero Grimaldo is project manager for the Texas Institute for the Acquisition of Language for Learning, which assists schools throughout the state with their programs of instruction for English language learners (ELLs) through technical assistance and professional development. She is also an adjunct professor for Texas State University–San Marcos, where she teaches master's-level courses in instructional supervision and professional development within the Education and Community Leadership Program. She has published manuscripts in the Journal of School Leadership and Journal of Educational Research & Policy Studies. Previously, she worked as a statewide coordinator for the Vaughn Gross Center for Reading and Language Arts at The University of Texas at Austin. In this role, she provided technical assistance to Reading First state, district, and campus educators in reading and ELL instruction and developed professional development on various topics, such as strategies for ELLs and facilitating change in schools. Leticia Romero Grimaldo, Ph.D. | Project Manager Texas Institute for the Acquisition of Language for Learning Meadows Center for Preventing Educational Risk |
In the News…
Click here to view upcoming conference opportunities to present and meet with fellow professionals within the field
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School Improvement doctoral students participated in a Writer’s Retreat facilitated by faculty at the Balcones Springs Conference Center in Marble Falls from April 11-14. The retreat began Thursday evening and continued through Sunday morning, involving students who are working on the dissertation process. The goal of the retreat was to provide a collegial environment conducive to intensive dissertation writing, faculty mentoring, and peer support.
Adult Education Quarterly (AEQ) is a quarterly scholarly refereed journal committed to advancing the understanding and practice of adult and continuing education. AEQ aims to stimulate a problem-oriented, critical approach to research and practice, with an increasing emphasis on interdisciplinary and international perspectives. Innovative and provocative scholarship informed by diverse orientations and methodologies is encouraged.
Congratulations to Chaitra McGrew
Chaitra McGrew (School Improvement, Cohort 11) has been named a Public School Research Scholar by the CREATE Consortium (Center for Research, Evaluation, and Advancement of Teacher Education). The Public School Research Scholars program involves seminars and funding intended to support the doctoral research projects of public school professionals working in areas related to educational quality and effectiveness. CREATE is a consortium of universities in the Texas A&M, Texas State, University of Texas, and University of Houston systems and an additional 23 public and private Texas universities. Chaitra is one of 8 doctoral students selected from amongst these universities, based on the quality of her proposed dissertation project.
Dr. Joellen Coryell was presented with the 2012 Early Career Award from the Commission of Professors of Adult Education at the American Association of Adult and Continuing Education Conference. Dr. Coryell is an assistant professor in the APCE Program. Dr. Coryell was recently named as one of the Top 25 Texas Education Professors by Online Schools in Texas.
CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR Fall 2012 PH.D. GRADUATES
Dr. Karon N. Henderson
Doctor of Philosophy
Major in Education – School Improvement
Dissertation Title: The Micropolitics of Educational Policy:
The Intersection of Policy, Practice, and Ontology of White English-Speaking
Elementary Teachers in Multilingual Classrooms
Research Professor: Dr. Miguel Guajardo
Department of Counseling, Leadership, Adult Education and School Psychology
Dr. Stella Lovato
Doctor of Philosophy
Major in Education – Adult, Professional, and Community Education
Dissertation Title: Pathway to Success:
A Case Study of Nontraditional Underprepared Students and Their Journey Through a Class
Integrated with Developmental Reading and Dental Science
Research Professor: Dr. Jovita M. Ross-Gordon
Department of Counseling, Leadership, Adult Education and School Psychology
Dr. David S. Nolan
Doctor of Philosophy
Major in Education – Adult, Professional, and Community Education
Dissertation Title: Decisive Moments and Decisive Change:
Veteran Photojournalist Perspectives on Changes in Learning and Practice
Research Professor: Dr. Ann Brooks
Department of Counseling, Leadership, Adult Education and School Psychology
Dr. Sylvia Segura Pirtle
Doctor of Philosophy
Major in Education – School Improvement
Dissertation Title: Examining the Lived Experiences of
Principals Who Use Literacy as an Intentional School Improvement Effort
Research Professor: Dr. Sarah W. Nelson,
Department of Counseling, Leadership, Adult Education and School Psychology
Dr. Amber Kae Thompson-Adams
Doctor of Philosophy
Major in Education – Adult, Professional, and Community Education
Dissertation Title: The Lived Experiences of Female University Presidentsin Texas:
Stories from a Feminist Standpoint
Research Professor: Dr. Sarah W. Nelson
Department of Counseling, Leadership, Adult Education and School Psychology
Dr. Maria Ann Traerse
Doctor of Philosophy
Major in Education – Adult, Professional, and Community Education
Dissertation Title: Post-Graduate Performance, An Academic Comparison
Evaluating Situating Learning and Law School
Acceptance Scores
Research Professor: Dr. Larry R. Price
Department of Counseling, Leadership, Adult Education and School Psychology
A DECADE OF TEACHING, RESEARCH, AND SERVICE
A Celebration of the 10th Anniversary of Texas State University’s Ph.D. Programs in APCE and SI
LOSS OF AN APCE COLLEAGUE
Thomas (Tom) Michael Barrington, a member of ACPE cohort 03, died November 20, 2012. His wife Wendy Francik is also a student in the Ph.D. program, APCE cohort 04. His obituary reads: "Tom was a gifted man whose passions included politics, social issues, science, history, education, art, and music." Those of us who taught or studied with Tom were enriched by his many passions, as were his students at Austin Community College where he taught as an Adjunct Associate Professor in Communication Studies, having retired from employment with the State of Texas after 20 years at criminal justice and human service agencies. Donations can be made in his honor to Heifer International (www.heifer.org)
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