For over twenty years, I have grown as a teacher because I am always learning - from students, colleagues, family, research, risks, successes, and failure. I have taught fourth and fifth graders, science to seventh graders, and now I teach college students who are becoming teachers.

As a Teaching Ambassador Fellow at the U.S. Department of Education in both the Bush and Obama administrations, I worked on teaching quality issues. This grew from my doctoral work at Vanderbilt University, and my desire to elevate and advance teaching. Now I work with schools across the country to improve policies and teaching practice.

​My youngest daughter tells me, "My friends don't know what kind of doctor you are, so I just tell them you are a teacher." A teacher and learner is what I will always aspire to be. 

​At Baylor University, I am currently serving some of the best education leaders in the country through the School of Education and through the Center for Christian Education. 

Teaching science to 5th grades.

Doctoral work at Vanderbilt complete!

Keynote address to Education Ministers from the G8, Middle East, and North Africa in Muscat, Oman.

Speaking with Secretary Duncan and other teacher leaders at the U.S. Department of Education.

Exploring Bernoulli's Principle with pre-service teachers.

Selected Publications

Find my complete CV here.

*Eckert, J., & Daughtrey, A. (2019). Teacher leadership development: Tracking one district's progress over three years. Education Policy Analysis Archives 27(42).​ 

*Eckert, J. (2018). Collective leadership development: Emerging themes from urban, suburban, and rural high schools. Educational Administration Quarterly, 55(3). 477-509 

Eckert, J., Cann, B., Rammer, B., & Schuler, J. (2018, September 17). How to build a better teacher contract. Education Week.

Eckert, J. (2018). Leading together: Teachers and administrators improving student outcomes. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.

*Smylie, M., & Eckert, J. (2018). Beyond superheroes and advocacy: Teacher leadership development for school improvement. Education Management, Administration, and Leadership 46(4), 556-577. 

Eckert, J. (2017, September 13). The no in innovate. Edutopia.

Eckert, J. (2016, November). How sex ed made me a better teacher. Phi Delta Kappan, 98(3), 80. 

Eckert, J. (2016, September 30). Three ways to be less boring. Edutopia.
 
Eckert, J. (2016, March 30). Bring joy back into the classroom. Education Week, 35(26), 21. 

Eckert, J. (2016). The novice advantage: Fearless practice for every teacher. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.

*Eckert, J., Ulmer, J., Khatchatryan, E., & Ledesma, P. (2015). Career pathways of teacher leaders: Adding and path-finding new professional roles. Professional Development in Education.
 
*Eckert, J. (2015). “Science Education.” Oxford Bibliographies in Education. Ed. Patrick Schuermann. New York: Oxford University Press.
 
Eckert, J. (2014, October). Teach like a novice: Classroom management lessons from beginning teachers. Phi Delta Kappan, 96(2), 13-18.

*Eckert, J. (2014). Christian liberal arts teacher preparation for 21stcentury students. Religion & Education, 41(2), 207-219. Retrieved from 
 
Eckert, J. (2013, February). Increasing educator effectiveness: Lessons learned from selected TIF sites. A report for Capitol Hill prepared with funding from the National Institute for Excellence in Teaching.
 
Eckert, J., & Byrd, A. (2012, December). A different kind of education gap. Phi Delta Kappan, 94(4), 49-52.
 
*Berry, B. & Eckert, J. (2012). Creating teacher incentives for school excellence and equity. Boulder, CO: National Education Policy Center.
 
Eckert, J. (2011, December). Teachers and faith. Phi Delta Kappan, 93(4), 20-23.
 
Eckert, J. (Ed.). (2011). Labor management relationships as a vehicle to advance reform: Findings from the U.S. Department of Education’s Labor Management Conference. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Education.
 
Eckert, J. (2011, January 25). Teachers and nanny-cams: Compliance vs. trust. Washington Post.
 
Eckert, J. & Raymond, J. (2010, November 10). Friends to teachers at the U.S. Department of Education? Education Week, 30(11), 26-27.
 
Eckert, J. (2010). Performance-based compensation: Design and implementation at six teacher incentive fund sites. Santa Monica, CA: National Institute for Excellence in Teaching. White paper funded by The Gates Foundation and The Joyce Foundation prepared for Capitol Hill legislators and staffers.
 
*Eckert, J. (2010, Spring). Compensation and collaboration: Comprehensively improving teaching effectiveness. Voices in Urban Education, 27, 24-34. Brown University: The Annenberg Institute for School Reform.
 
Eckert, J. & Dabrowski, J. (2010, May). Should value-added measures be used for performance pay? Phi Delta Kappan, 91(8), 88-92.
 
*Eckert, J. (2008, June). Trends in mathematics and science study: International accountability and implications for science instruction. Research in Comparative and International Education, 3(2), 202-210.

*Denotes peer review

Selected Presentations

Sample Workshops

Eckert, J. (2019, February 1). Real improvement. GCSLS, San Antonio, TX.

Eckert, J. (2019, January 9-10. Networked improvement through collective leadership. Kickoff for a four school NIC, Plano, TX.

Eckert, J. (2018, October 1). Four questions to drive improvement. Annual CESA Conference. Itasca, IL. 
 
Eckert, J. & Biscan, M. (2018, July 9). Collective leadership: What, why, and how. Visible Learning Annual Conference, Chicago, IL.
 
Eckert, J. (2018, May 1). Collective leadership development. South Carolina Department of Education, Columbia, SC.

Eckert, J. & Ellefsen, E. (2017, December 4). Collective leadership for school improvement. Learning Forward, Orlando, FL.
 
Eckert, J. & Egeland, P. (2017, September 25). Tracking program completers with current students: How to get a 90% response rate. Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation Convention, Washington, DC. 

Eckert, J. (2017, December 4). The novice advantage and leadership development. Learning Forward Annual Conference, Orlando, FL.

Eckert, J. (2017, August 21). The novice advantage. Workshop for teachers and administrators from six independent schools. Lansing, IL.
 
Eckert, J. (2017, June 22). Expanding fearless practice for every teacher. Workshop with 65 educators from the Chicago area. Wheaton College, Wheaton, IL.
 
Eckert, J. (2017, May 1). The novice advantage: Fearless practice for every teacher. Professional learning workshop for 140 pre-service teachers and faculty, College of Charleston, Charleston, SC.
 
Eckert, J. (2016, August 22; 2017, February, 17; 2017, April 3). The novice advantage: Fearless practice for every teacher. Three full-day workshops for 120 K-12 educators at Delaware Country Christian School, Newtown Square, PA.

Eckert, J. (2016, November 3). Rethinking teachers’ careers for professional learning and leadership. Virtual class session on the future of professional learning systems for the University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS.

Eckert, J. (2016, September 15). The novice advantage: Fearless practice for every teacher. University of Toledo / National Education Association’s webinar.

Eckert, J. (2015, June 25). Fearless failure. Peabody Professional Institute, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN.

Eckert, J. (2015, February 13). Teaching science as inquiry. Hands-on science professional development day for Delaware Country Christian School, Newtown Square, PA.
 
Eckert, J. (2014, October 20-21). Re-designing leadership work for innovation. Facilitated workshop for 25 school leaders. Wheaton College, Wheaton, IL.
 
Eckert, J. (2014, October 20). Using evidence well. Two webinars presented through a collaboration of the National Board of Professional Teaching Standards, the National Education Association, and the Center for Teaching Quality as part of the Teacher Leadership Initiative.
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Eckert, J. (2014, August 6). Teacher evaluation: Putting it all together. Webinar presented through a collaboration of the National Board of Professional Teaching Standards, the National Education Association, and the Center for Teaching Quality as part of the Teacher Leadership Initiative.
 
Eckert, J. (2014, June 26). Assessment for consequential decisions. Peabody Professional Institute, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN.
 
Eckert, J. (2014, June 11). Common core policy overview. Webinar presented through a collaboration of the National Board of Professional Teaching Standards, the National Education Association, and the Center for Teaching Quality as part of the Teacher Leadership Initiative.
 
Eckert, J. (2014, April 24-25). Re-thinking assessment. Workshop provided to 21 schools on developing effective assessment systems. Council on Educational Standards and Accountability, West Chicago, IL.

Eckert, J. (2013, June 26). Strategic compensation: Aligning resources for effective teaching and learning. Peabody Professional Institute, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN.
 
Eckert, J. (2013, February 18). Developing your voice: Using research and experience. Webinar presented to members of the Illinois New Millennium Initiative.
 
Eckert, J. (2013, January 13). Creating teacher incentives for school excellence and equity. Keynote presentation to the Northeast Florida Education Consortium, Gainesville, FL.

Eckert, J. (2012, October 29). Strategic compensation: Aligning resources for effective teaching. Presentation to board members, administrators, and teachers at Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy, Cincinnati, OH.
 
Eckert, J., Khachatryan, E., & Cloud, J. (2012, August 2). Engaging teacher leaders. Strategy session to facilitate collaboration among Teaching Ambassador Fellows. U.S. Department of Education, Washington, DC.

Eckert, J. & Ciriza Houtchens, B. (2008, November 7). Decision-making in the U.S.: A loosely-coupled system. Presentation to a Chinese delegation of administrators for the U.S.  Department of Education. Northern Virginia Community College, Manassas, VA.
​
Refereed Conferences and Invited Presentations
Eckert, J. (2018, April 18). Better together: A case for collective leadership. American Educational Research Association Annual Conference, New York, NY.
 
Eckert, J. (2018, April 18). Teacher leadership development: Tracking one district’s progress over three years. American Educational Research Association Annual Conference, New York, NY. 
 
Eckert, J. & Ellefsen E. (2017, December 4). Collective leadership for school improvement.Learning Forward Annual Conference. Orlando, FL.

Eckert, J. (2017, April 28). Teacher leadership development: Emerging themes from urban, suburban, and rural schools. American Educational Research Association Annual Conference, San Antonio, TX.
 
Eckert, J. (2016, November 17). Beyond “teacher heroes” and “mint officers”: Teacher leadership development in complex contexts. University Council on Educational Administration Annual Conference, Detroit, MI.
 
Eckert, J. (2016, October 25). What we are finding out about what matters most for professional learning. Pearson conference on teaching: Teachers individualizing learning. Chicago, IL.

Eckert, J. & Smylie, M. (2016, April 12). Beyond superheroes and advocacy: The pathway of teacher leadership development. American Educational Research Association Annual Conference, Washington, DC.

Eckert, J. (2015, November 21). Student growth measures: A view from the classroom. University Council on Educational Administration Annual Conference, San Diego, CA.
 
Eckert, J. & Smylie, M. (2015, November 20). Beyond superheroes and advocacy: Teacher leadership development for school improvement. University Council on Educational Administration Annual Conference, San Diego, CA.
 
Eckert, J. (2015, April 20). School improvement lessons learned from Teacher Incentive Fund sites. American Association of Educational Research Annual Conference, Chicago, IL.
 
Eckert, J. & Ginsberg, R. (2014, March 2). Teacherpreneurs and the future of teaching. American Association of Colleges of Teacher Education, Indianapolis, IN.
 
Eckert, J. (2012, April 14). How labor management relationships advance reforms: Findings from 12 districts. American Educational Research Association Annual Conference, Vancouver, British Columbia.
 
Eckert, J. (2011, October 17). What value do value-added measures add? Keynote presentation at the Council on Educational Standards and Accountability / Paideia Symposium, Itasca, IL.
 
Eckert, J. (2011, March 30). Preliminary labor management findings from 12 noteworthy districts. Paper presented to State Chiefs from the 12 Race to the Top states. U.S. Department of Education, Washington, DC.
 
Eckert, J. (2010, November 15). Presented paper and was panel moderator: Performance-based Compensation: Where is it working? National Press Club, Washington, DC.
 
Eckert, J. (2010, November 15). Presented paper and was panel moderator: Performance-based Compensation: Where is it working? Capitol Hill – Senate side and U.S. Department of Education, Washington, DC.
 
Eckert, J. (2010, March 21).  Panel moderator: Transforming a school: Success stories from the field. National TAP Conference, Washington, DC.
 
Eckert, J. & Miller, T. (2009, April 30). The American recovery and reinvestment act: Saving and creating jobs and reforming education. U.S. Department of Education, Washington, DC.
 
Eckert, J. (2008, November 2) Teacher quality: The key to student learning. Presentation to the Education Ministers of the G8 and Broader Middle East North African partnership countries. Fourth annual G8/BMENA Education Ministerial Meeting, Muscat, Oman.