Dawn Davis and Leslie Hawley, faculty affiliates with the Nebraska Center for Research on Children, Youth, Families and Schools, were recently named “emerging leaders in education” by Phi Delta Kappa International, a global association of education professionals.
Davis, project director of the Language and Reading Research Consortium, and Hawley, research assistant professor in the Nebraska Academy for Methodology, Analytics and Psychometrics, are two of 25 education professionals nationwide to join PDK’s class of emerging leaders. They represented UNL at PDK’s Dec. 4-5 professional development conference in Washington, D.C.
It is an honor to be selected as an up-and-coming leader from such a talented peer group.
Leslie Hawley, research assistant professor
The conference featured discussions with federal policy makers, including U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan. Hawley’s research in teacher evaluation previously sparked conversations with a member of the Department of Education during a preliminary discussion session, and she continued the conversation in the nation’s capital.
“This conference opened additional doors for collaboration and new research perspectives,” Hawley said. “PDK emerging leaders are connectors and their contributions benefit our research, CYFS and the university. It is an honor to be selected as an up-and-coming leader from such a talented peer group.”
The PDK Emerging Leaders program recognizes educators who are age 40 or younger on the basis of their professional accomplishments. Leaders selected for this year’s program include teachers, administrators, non-profit directors and university faculty. The diverse group provides valuable insight to nationwide education issues and policy aspects.
“Joining the PDK network allows us to take a step back and view national trends that may impact Nebraska in the future,” Davis said. “Outside perspectives may help inform our research, while we bring strategies and interventions from CYFS that others may find beneficial for their work.”
Davis is dedicated to helping early childhood educators provide quality learning environments. She received the 2013-2014 Dr. Ron Joekel research award from UNL’s Phi Delta Kappa chapter and earned her doctorate in human sciences from UNL.
Hawley’s methodology research in teacher evaluation earned her the 2012-2013 Dr. Ron Joekel research award from UNL’s Phi Delta Kappa chapter. She received her doctorate in educational psychology from UNL.