Bethany LePla has been selected as a Clark Scholar and invited to attend the 2024 David L. Clark Graduate Seminar in Educational Leadership & Policy Studies
Bethany LePla, an Ed.D. student in the Educational Leadership program and a Research Assistant for the Principal Fellows Program in the College of Education at Texas Tech University, has been selected as a Clark Scholar and invited to attend the 2024 David L. Clark Graduate Seminar in Educational Leadership & Policy Studies, produced by the University Council for Educational Administration and sponsored by AERA Division A, AERA Division L, and SAGE Publications. Bethany will be representing Texas Tech University and presenting her research Principal Preparation: A Developmental Shift to Prepare Strong Title I Instructional Leaders at the 2024 AERA conference.
Bethany's research interests include building the capacity of instructional leaders at the educator preparation program (EPP) level and exploring the evidence of the instructional leadership gap that exists for aspiring principals during their development in an EPP. Bethany's research purpose is to identify best practices that contribute to creating strong instructional leaders that are prepared to meet the diverse needs of a Title I campus. Currently, Bethany works for the Texas Education Agency (TEA) on the Educator Preparation Program (EPP) Continuous Improvement Division and collaborates with EPPs across the state of Texas to ensure that teachers and educational leaders are day-one ready for their role. Prior to joining the TEA, she was an assistant principal in Dallas ISD and then transitioned into School Leadership where she coordinated the leadership development of over 100 participants across multiple university partnerships to establish a pipeline of school leaders within the district. She also worked as a Dean of Students and English teacher in Irving ISD. Before moving to Texas, Bethany began her teaching career in Flint, Michigan working at alternative school campuses, which served court-mandated and high-risk students. Bethany holds a M.Ed. in Educational Leadership from Southern Methodist University (Dallas, TX) and a B.A. in English and Secondary Education from Saginaw Valley State University (Saginaw, Michigan). Currently, she is an Ed.D. doctoral student within the EDLD program at Texas Tech University.