University of North Texas 
The purpose of this project is to examine whether new teachers who are prepared through programs with a focus on recruiting, training, and placing students from a geographically local context, have higher retention rates and larger impacts on student achievement compared to teachers prepared through non-localized programs. At the intersection of leadership, policy, and practice, the results of this study will provide important evidence about north Texas teacher pipelines, with an explicit focus on outcomes for new teachers of Color and the students they serve.
Kafarra Q. L. Burden
Graduate Research Assistant
Kafarra Q. L. Burden earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Theatre Education, a Master
of Education degree in Educational Leadership, and a second Master of Education degree
in Higher Education Student Affairs, each from the University of North Texas. Kafarra
is an educator and has served as a Theatre Teacher, Dyslexia Specialist, and a Special
Populations Coordinator over several school districts. Kafarra is currently a doctoral
student working toward her Ph.D. in Educational Leadership, and her research focuses
on nontraditional educational pathways such as online learning to understand how educational
leaders adopt technology programs and systems to support active learning for students
and teachers within learning organizations. Kafarra is passionate about equity, technology
integration, online learning, and providing a quality educational learning experience
for all students and teachers.
Alexis D. Miller
Graduate Research Assistant
Alexis is a proud UNT eagle. As a striving educational leader, her long-term goal
is to utilize her platform to encourage the accessibility and sustainability of high-quality
education. She has earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology, a Master of Health
Administration degree, and a Master of Education degree in Educational Leadership.
She is a current student in the Ed.D. Educational Leadership program. She holds state
certifications in EC-6 Generalist, K-12 Special Education, ESL, and Principal as an
Instructional Leader. Over ten years ago, she started her journey in education with
the Children's Defense Fund, then as an elementary classroom teacher. She currently
serves as an instructional coach at a Title I campus within the Lewisville Independent
School District. A great deal of her workday involves participating in professional
learning communities (PLCs), leading job-embedded professional development, and student-centered
coaching cycles. Her research interests are instructional coaching, novice teachers,
teacher well-being, teacher retention, and efforts to promote equity in education.
Padlet link:
https://padlet.com/teacherworkforce/teacher-workforce-pipelines-vkwu7e6ffqqot9a2
