School of Education
The Heart of a Baylor Educator
On Demand Video Available Now
Spend your lunch break with Baylor’s School of Education! Hear from Dean Shanna Hagan-Burke, Ph.D., and three School of Education faculty members – Brooke Blevins, Ph.D.; Jon Eckert, Ed.D.; and Tonya Davis, Ph.D. – as they share what it means to be a Christian educator. Enjoy this wonderful opportunity to learn more about one of the many areas of excellence within Baylor University.
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About our Speakers
Brooke Blevins, Ph.D., Associate Professor & Chair, Department of Curriculum and Instruction
Brooke Blevins, Ph.D., is an associate professor and chair of the department of curriculum and instruction, as well as the Conwell G. Strickland Endowed Chair in Education in the School of Education at Baylor University. Dr. Blevins teaches both undergraduate and graduate courses in secondary education, social studies education, and multicultural education. As a former secondary teacher, Dr. Blevins has a passion for equipping teachers with the resources needed to engage in humanizing social studies education. Dr. Blevins also serves as the co-director for the iEngage Summer Civics Institute.
Dr. Blevins’ research focuses on social studies education as a means to prepare active and engaged citizens. In her work, Dr. Blevins examines how to prepare teachers to develop both political clarity and pedagogical content knowledge that encourages them to engage in transformational based and humanizing social studies education. In addition, Dr. Blevins is also interested in how to educate and empower young people to become active civic participants through participation in action civics and digital technologies.
Tonya N. Davis, Ph.D., BCBA, Professor
Tonya N. Davis, Ph.D., is a professor of educational psychology, specializing in special education and applied behavior analysis. She currently serves as the coordinator of the Special Education Undergraduate Program and the Applied Behavior Analysis Graduate Program. She is also the director of the Baylor Clinic for Assessment, Research, and Education (CARE). Prior to joining the faculty, she was a special education teacher and in-home applied behavior analysis therapist.
Dr. Davis’s research interests involve applied behavior analysis and developmental disabilities, such as autism. The primary focus of her research involves the treatment of severe challenging behavior among individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Within this line of work, she conducts research on communication interventions and teaching strategies for children with autism and related disorders. Her applied research is predominantly conducted at Baylor CARE and in public schools.
Jon Eckert, Ed.D., Professor
Jon Eckert, Ed.D., is a professor of educational leadership and the Lynda and Robert Copple Endowed Chair in Christian School Leadership within the School of Education. Through the Center for Christian Education, he is supporting Christians in school leadership across the country in whatever setting they are called to serve. His research interests include collective leadership, teaching effectiveness, evaluation and strategic compensation to enhance that effectiveness, and science education.
Dr. Eckert came to Baylor in 2019 with more than two decades of experience in education. He taught and coached intermediate and middle school students outside of Chicago and Nashville for 12 years. After completing his doctorate at Vanderbilt University in 2008, he was selected as a Teaching Ambassador Fellow at the U.S. Department of Education, where he worked in both the Bush and Obama administrations on teaching quality issues. For 10 years, he prepared teachers at Wheaton College prior to joining Baylor’s faculty.
Shanna Hagan-Burke, Ph.D., Baylor School of Education Dean
Shanna Hagan-Burke, Ph.D., became Dean of the Baylor School of Education on July 1, 2020. She came to Baylor from a position as professor of special education and head of the Department of Educational Psychology at Texas A&M University’s College of Education and Human Development.
Dr. Hagan-Burke’s research interests include functional analyses of challenging behavior, positive behavioral interventions and supports (PBIS), and early literacy. Her work investigating relations between academic performance and problem behaviors has been recognized by the U.S. Department of Education’s Institute of Education Sciences (2013, 2014) for its contributions to the fields of early reading intervention and early childhood education.