Washington State University’s Jeff Walls has been given an emerging scholar award from the Journal of Professional Capital and Community.
The journal’s editorial board gave Walls, an associate professor of educational leadership in the College of Education, its Michael Fullan Emerging Scholar in Professional Capital and Community recognition.
In an educational context, professional capital refers to holding to fundamental teaching and learning principles while still adapting to new developments, research, and best practices.
The award is named for Michael Fulan, a longtime educational leader who has published several books on leadership, educational change, and professional capital.
To qualify for the award, the candidate must have graduated with a Ph.D., in education or Doctor in Education, and be within the first five years of his career as an educational scholar. The individual must also demonstrate a strong record of original and significant scholarship related to professional capital.
The journal’s award committee praised Walls’ commitment and contributions towards the ongoing development of professional capital at WSU. The committee cited Walls “well-balanced CV” and “impeccable publication record”, calling him “an excellent and extensive member and leader of the professional community… making a valuable contribution” to the field. He was widely recognized for his impressive publication track record on promoting caring leadership, values, and value-infused decision-making within local schools.
“I believe that the work I am doing on how schools can be organized to care for teachers and support their development was very important to my winning this award,” Walls said. “In my own work at WSU, I have focused on supporting local district administrators in thinking about how to make their schools and districts more supportive for students and staff. I have done this, for example, by leading workshops at their professional meetings.”
