4 Dallas Baptist University is proud to present the ninth issue 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 that highlights skills needed to lead districts and schools in North Texas and beyond. Each article is a summary of the data gathered for their individual dissertations, and each provides answers to questions of local interest. This edition leads with two articles that were written by school leaders in rural schools. Dr. Michelle Barrow is featured on the cover, and she studied the challenges rural districts face in attracting and keeping teachers. Dr. Heidi Bragg’s study looked into the impact a specific trauma-informed professional development curriculum had on teachers and on the ways they engage with their students. The next two studies address topics that are specific to Emergent Bilingual students. Dr. Bernadette White’s study evaluated a particular curriculum being utilized to support native English speakers who are learning Spanish in a two-way dual language program; she had an interesting finding related to low-income students and bilingualism. Dr. Jesus Lujan sought to ascertain what difference it makes in student achievement in math and reading, if any, when a school’s principal is bilingual certified. The next three articles, written by Dr. Lorie Squalls, Dr. Bradley Willi, and Dr. Lindsay Henderson Lujan, respectively, include interesting information about principal development and a “grow your own” program, the practices of effective principals who have high campus climate scores, and preparing principals to lead special education departments. Dr. Squalls and Dr. Willi each utilized a mixed methods study while Dr. Henderson Lujan utilized a Delphi study that also included principal interviews. The final article, written by Dr. Jeremy Williams, used grounded theory methodology to build a theory for school transformation. Dr. Williams gathered data from public, public charter, and private schools in Texas that emphasize creative, moral, and social initiatives for EC–12 programs to create a new theory centering on school transformation through creativity, collaboration, and character education. 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 share their findings with those districts. The articles included in this issue and the final dissertations upon which they were based have the potential to empower educational leaders and classroom educators and to make a positive difference for students in North Texas and beyond. Julie Buckler Leslie, Ed.D. Director of Research in Educational Leadership K-12 juliel@dbu.edu | (214) 333-5466 Julie Buckler Leslie, Ed.D. A WORD FROM THE EDITOR Journal of K-12 Educational Research 2025, VOL. 9, ISSUE 1 dbu.edu/doctoral/edd
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