William Sterrett, Ph.D.
Fred & Edith Hale Endowed Chair for School Leadership Baylor University
- Waco TX
Research focuses on school improvement, including sustainable green schools and districts; digital principals and collaborative leadership.
Media
Biography
Sterrett’s research focuses on school improvement, including sustainable green schools and districts; digital principals and technology-savvy superintendents; and collaborative school leadership. Sterrett has written ASCD books on school leadership and articles in journals such as the Journal of Educational Administration, the Journal of Cases in Educational Leadership, and Educational Administration Quarterly. Sterrett collaboratively led an effort involving three schools that received the U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon School designation. He served on an NSF-sponsored grant effort connecting first-year university STEM students with a K-8 partner school to foster STEM learning and engagement. As Lead Principal Investigator of the U.S. State Department grant IDEA-STEM, Sterrett traveled with an interdisciplinary team of faculty and doctoral students to Lahore, Pakistan, to engage in STEM-focused professional development.
At Baylor, Sterrett has engaged in a number of funded efforts. He led the U.S. State Department-sponsored IDEA-SPORT grant that included Baylor faculty, staff, and students, along with UNCW and several universities in Pakistan to support women's leadership through sports through on-the-ground sports and leadership workshops in Pakistan and through virtual professional learning communities. Sterrett also serves in the Baylor Center for School Leadership to support efforts such as the Thriving Learning Communities grant work in Mississippi.
Areas of Expertise
Accomplishments
Milken National Educator
Received as a School Principal (Albemarle Co. Schools)
2008
Commendation
Virginia House Joint Resolution No. 850
2009
Graduate Mentor Award
University of North Carolina Wilmington
2017-2018
Education
University of Virginia
Ph.D.
Education: Administration and Supervision
2005
University of Virginia
M.Ed.
Administration and Supervision
2003
Asbury University
B.S.
Middle School Grades 5-9
1999
Affiliations
- Milken Family Foundation
- ASCD Author
Media Appearances
SOE Department Chair Helps Connect Baylor Leaders
Baylor University's Moody School of Education online
2026-01-14
Dr. Bill Sterrett, chair of the Department of Educational Leadership, has just completed a two-year term as the co-chair of a new initiative launched by Baylor’s Office of the Provost.
Baylor University’s Chair Leadership Training initiative is an effort designed to connect and support the university’s 70+ academic leaders — primarily department chairs but also leaders in roles such as associate deans and directors. Sterrett described the group’s mission as “connecting silos” across campus academic units.
Transforming Learning Outdoors at Hewitt Elementary
Baylor Center for School Leadership online
2025-09-08
Inspired by stories shared during educational leadership coursework with Dr. Bill Sterrett, Brown collaborated with colleagues to develop a series of green initiatives leading toward a model of environmental sustainability. In his School Management class, Sterrett overviews the notion of “sustainability in schools” with a focus on stewardship principles and the three pillars of the U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon Schools (ED-GRS). Former students Meredith Frey, Sahira Kodra, and Krystle Moos joined Sterrett and Brown in showcasing the vision and growth of the outdoor space.
Baylor uses sports to empower women in Pakistan
Baptist Standard online
2024-11-01
Under the guidance of William Sterrett, department chair and professor of educational leadership at Baylor, and Mar Magnusen, associate professor of educational leadership, the Texans worked with schools in Pakistan to strengthen women’s leadership and coaching skills in an interfaith context.
“The Lord opened doors for us,” Sterrett said.
School of Education Faculty Collaborate with Engineering Faculty on $4.3-million Grant
Baylor University's Moody School of Education online
2024-09-27
School of Education faculty Dr. Bill Sterrett, Dr. Rishi Sriram, and Dr. Sandi Cooper partnered with Baylor engineering and physics faculty to provide a 10-week summer experience for undergraduate students focused on collaborating with the Baylor Point-of-Needs Innovation (PONI) Center, Baylor’s Mayborn Museum, and regional partners as a part of a large effort focused on Friction Stir Additive Manufacturing (FSAM) research at Baylor.
The Four-Day School Week in Texas – Is This Best for Students?
Baylor University online
2024-08-02
This fall, more than 100 Texas school districts have moved to a four-day school week with another 19 districts moving to a hybrid schedule, but does this move benefit students? This is a question Baylor University education expert Bill Sterrett, Ph.D., is asking as he looks at how the four-day week could potentially affect student learning, attendance, teacher retention and cost savings. As of now, Sterrett says the data is inconclusive about the benefits – and stresses – of the four-day school week.
Four-day school week is here to stay for many Texas public schools
103.3 KWBU radio
2024-05-01
Now that the school year is nearing its end, education experts, parents and school administration alike are reflecting on the implications of this shift.
Dr. Bill Sterrett: “I have heard of no districts that have reversed course. In other words, once they decide to go to a four-day week, overall, both the staff and the parents seem to be positive about it.”
Innovating and Designing Engaging Applications in Sports Promoting Outreach, Responsibility, and Teamwork
Baylor Center for School Leadership online
2024-03-09
In December 2023, a team had the opportunity to go to Pakistan as part of another unique project empowering women for leadership through sports. Sterrett and Co-Principal Investigator Mar Magnuson, built partnerships with three universities in the Lahore and Faisalabad regions of Pakistan to help meet the call to support the inclusive development of all aspects of Pakistani society, fostering diversity and inclusion in civil society, empowering women and girls, and promoting interfaith and intra-faith harmony.
Baylor Educators Implement State Department Grant in Pakistan focused on Sports Leadership
Baylor University's Moody School of Education online
2024-02-07
Dr. Bill Sterrett, chair of Baylor School of Education’s Department of Educational Leadership and professor, is Principal Investigator of the grant, titled “Innovating and Designing Engaging Applications in Sports Promoting Outreach, Responsibility, and Teamwork (IDEA-SPORT): Promoting Leadership for Women Through Sports.” Dr. Mar Magnusen, associate professor of sport management in the Department of Educational Leadership, serves as Co-PI of the grant
Texas public school districts make the move to a four-day school week
103.3 KWBU radio
2023-09-01
Education expert, Dr. Bill Sterrett, Department chair of Educational Leadership at Baylor University, says the most important part of this model is ensuring student benefit.
BILL: “I think we need to look at it closely, because an increasing number of schools and districts are looking at this as an opportunity. They see it as an opportunity, perhaps, to save on costs. Is this four day week the best thing for students? Is it right for kids?”
Honoring Excellence in Education
Baylor University's Moody School of Education online
2023-04-19
“This is a wonderful opportunity to recognize the incredible work of teachers, and it really helps elevate the profession,” Sterrett observed. “I was able to travel across the state, visiting Helena Park Elementary School in Beaumont’s Nederland ISD to meet and recognize Jenna Dean, a fourth-grade teacher, and then to BASIS San Antonio Primary School, where third-grade teacher Diana Lopez was recognized. It’s energizing to recognize the extraordinary work of these educators and to meet stakeholders engaged in this work.”
Articles
Navigating a radical opening for interdisciplinary STEM collaboration and mentoring amid challenge and change
Perspectives in Undergraduate Research and Mentoring2023
Engaging students in teaching and learning science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) is critically important in an era of social and economic change (such as the graying workforce in the US) and an increased need for skilled workers, which has led to a “radical opening” to work collectively to engage students and help them grow into leaders (Myers & Berkowicz, 2015, p. 7). As Hall et al. (2020) noted, high-quality mentoring that focuses on clear expectations, building a sense of community, one-to-one mentoring, and acquisition of mentoring skills can result in a salient experience for both the students and faculty involved. As a collaborative team spanning both the STEM sciences and educational teaching and leadership domains, we share experiences of navigating a pandemic, creating new pathways for collaboration, and seeking to engage students at both the university undergraduate as well as K-8 levels.
Engaging an international professional learning community to support underrepresented educators in sports leadership
Frontiers in Education2024
This article provides insights from a collaborative grant effort centered on supporting women in sports leadership through the context of a global professional learning community. This grant initiative, called IDEA-SPORT, focused on enhancing the leadership and sports knowledge of girls and other vulnerable and under-served populations in sports-related fields by encouraging leadership and sports collaboration through curricular design and leadership exercises. This article will focus on leveraging an international, bi-directional professional learning community and deliver a collaborative data-informed workshop focused on leadership education for social responsibility.
Sustainability Leadership in Schools: A Success Case Method
Journal of Organizational and Educational Leadership2025
Environmental unpredictability has become a crisis for the 21st century. In response, organizations from the local to international level are addressing the issues by creating, supporting, and promoting initiatives. Schools and school leaders play an important role in this work. An example of a multi-scaled initiative is the U.S. Department of Education's Green Ribbon Schools (ED-GRS) which recognizes local academic institutions, upon state recommendation, that have implemented three pillars of sustainability: (a) reduce environmental impacts and costs; (b) improve the health and wellness of schools, students, and staff; and (c) provide effective environmental and sustainability education. This evaluation analyzed ED-GRS pillars implementation and program sustainability in North Carolina.
Cultivating academic self-efficacy and student engagement for undergraduate students through research experiences and student-faculty interaction
Perspectives in Undergraduate Research and Mentoring2025
Research strongly suggests that student-faculty interactions positively relate to student learning outcomes (Beckowski, & Gebauer, 2018; Cotten & Wilson, 2006; Cox & Orehovec, 2007; Kim & Sax, 2014; Kuh & Hu, 2001; Pascarella & Terenzini, 1991; Trolian et al., 2016; Umbach & Wawrzynski, 2005). Previous scholarship provides different ways of conceptualizing these interactions. For example, Cox and Orehovec (2007) categorize the frequency of student-faculty interactions in the form of a pyramid in which interaction ranges from very infrequent (Disengaged) to very frequent (Mentoring). Other studies differentiate between specific types of student-faculty interactions, wherein interactions are described as social or substantive (Kuh & Hu, 2001), casual or substantive (Reason et al., 2010), incidental or functional (Mara & Mara, 2010), and informal or formal (Cotten & Wilson, 2006). Mara and Mara (2010) divide student-faculty interactions into purposeful opportunities, programming plans, and happenstance interactions.
Prioritizing people: personalizing principal preparation programs
Development and Learning in Organizations2026
Purpose
The researchers sought to gain insights from award-winning principals on the importance of preparing future-ready principals. The researchers purposefully selected principals who were recipients of the NASSP Principal of the Year award. The study was designed to gain a deeper understanding of their perspectives on preparing future administrators for current and future challenges.
Design/methodology/approach
Our research team interviewed 30 award-winning principals to gain an understanding of the needs of preparing principals in the current context of school leadership. The interviews, which lasted approximately an hour each, were transcribed and coded to identify themes across the participants.
