April Sanders, Ph.D.

Dean, College of Innovation and Design, and Associate Professor of Curriculum and Instruction

April Sanders, Ph.D., did not set out to be a teacher. In fact, it was the very last thing she ever wanted to be; but by happenstance, she ended up in a classroom. The first time Sanders stepped in front of students and started teaching, she felt at home. She has always been highly comfortable being in a classroom, even if it was a classroom with challenging students or in complicated situations. Sanders knew all issues could be dealt with, handled and worked upon. She felt like teaching was her calling. Recently, Sanders and her wife moved back to Texas from Mobile, Alabama, to start a new adventure at East Texas A&M.

A Conversation With Dr. Sanders

What would you tell a student who is thinking about attending East Texas A&M?

East Texas A&M is the perfect mix between the personalized support and instruction you often find in smaller school settings and the tools, options and degree programs available at larger institutions. Due to its size, you get the best of both worlds. Also, you have several opportunities to be involved and go down different paths while having a lot of personalized support and instruction.

What draws you to your discipline?

I began as an English teacher and then I became an administrator for K-12. I went back and completed my doctorate in curriculum and instruction with an emphasis in language and literacy. I have always had that literacy aspect with my teaching. What draws me to the field is that I think there are all of these great platitudes about how teaching is important, which it is, but the reality is that not everyone can teach well, and not everyone has all of the tools to teach well, whether that is strategies, curriculum etc.

For me, I think curriculum and instruction is a lot like the movie “The Wizard of Oz,” when they pull back that curtain to reveal what is really going on. Curriculum and instruction is what goes on behind the curtain in the classroom. I think that is extremely important because so many of our students need different kinds of support. We have teachers who can use a variety of tools and strategies to excel where they need it. For myself, I really like those inner workings of how things happen, and that's what draws me into this field.

What has been your favorite course to teach?

I enjoy teaching reading courses that talk about how to teach literacy because I think that if we can teach someone how to read effectively, then they have several more options in their future. I believe creating quality reading teachers is integral to later successes in a lot of different fields. At the same time, I like working with student resident teachers. I enjoy it because that is the time when preservice teachers are able to see their dreams unfold. It is not always perfect, and sometimes we will have the good and the bad, which is when we get to figure out how we can make them better. This is the time when you take all that stuff you talked about in the coursework, and you are really in the thick of it, dealing with things, and that, to me, is a really exciting time with preservice teachers. We see them grow to be great teachers, and that is why it is my favorite course to teach.

Tell us about a project you are currently working on or recently completed.

Recently, I've been working on new programs for the College of Innovation and Design. We are exploring how we can create quality graduate programs that are competency-based education. In doing that, I have been fortunate to work with various course designers and leaders within each field to talk through what students should know at the end of a graduate degree. This is a large-scale curriculum project that will take a period of time to complete and launch, but I'm excited to see how it can allow students a flexible and affordable option for graduate school.

Currently, I'm working on some research that reviews how AI tools are able to support new teachers in K-12. I just started working on this project with several colleagues, and I think it has interesting implications on how we can utilize AI to support us as educators.

What is something you’re passionate about that relates to your work?

I was invited to speak at the Higher Edge conference presented by The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, and the topic was about how Texas universities are supporting adult learners.  I was honored to be asked to speak about this topic and share the amazing programs we offer adult learners in the College of Innovation and Design through competency-based education.  Most importantly, I was able to share some of our students' stories who have returned to college for a degree and how that degree has transformed their lives.  I believe these students are an important part of our community at ETAMU, and I hope I have other opportunities to share about how CBE is allowing them more opportunities.

Education

• Ph.D., Curriculum and Instruction, University of North Texas, 2013
• M.Ed., Educational Administration, Stephen F. Austin State University, 2002
• M.A., English Literature, University of Central Arkansas, 1996
• B.A., English Literature, University of Central Arkansas, 1995

Academic Positions

• Dean, College of Innovation and Design, East Texas A&M University, 2024-present
• Assistant Dean, College of Innovation and Design, Texas A&M University-Commerce, 2022-2024
• Associate Professor, Assistant Department Head, Interim Department Head, Texas A&M University-Commerce, 2020-2022
• Associate Professor and Chair, Division of Education, Spring Hill College, 2013-2020
• Graduate Teaching Fellow, University of North Texas, 2009-2013

Professional Licenses

• Principal (EC-12), Texas Professional Certificate, 2003-2024
• Secondary English (6-12), Texas Teaching Certification, 1999-2024

Awards and Honors

• 2023, Addressing Teacher Shortages in Texas K-12 Schools, U.S Department of Education, $516,614.00, June 2023-May 2026 (Co-PI at Grant Submission – PI starting July 2024)
• 2022, Transformation Plan for Pride Pathway CBE Supports, Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, U.S. Department of Education Stabilization Fund Program, Governor's Emergency Education Relief, $49,568.00 (Principal Investigator)
• 2021-2022, edTPA Pilot Support Year 2, Texas Education Agency, $9000.00 (Principal Investigator)
• 2022-2023, US PREP Cohort III, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, $261,655.00 (Subrecipient Investigator)
• 2022-2023, Raise Your Hand Texas Cohort II, Charles Butt Foundation, $50,000.00 (Co-PI)
• 2015-2018, edTPA Pilot Program Implementation, Alabama State Department of Education, $15,000.00 (Principal Investigator)
• Mitchell Faculty Research Grant, Spring Hill College, $5000, 2018-2020
• Dawson Faculty Research Award, Spring Hill College, $2500, 2019
• St. John Berchmans Teaching Excellence Aware, Spring Hill College Student Organization and Leadership Council, 2017
• edTPA Implementation, Alabama State Department of Education, $15,000, 2015-2018

Research Interests

• Use of new literacies in K-12 classrooms
• How preservice teachers are prepared to teach in a modern classroom
• LGBTQ+ curriculum development
• Preparing preservice teachers for edTPA
• Competency-based education and pedagogy
• How preservice teachers are prepared to teach in a modern classroom
• LGBTQ+ curriculum development

Professional Organizations

• American Educational Research Association
• National Council of Teachers of English
• C-BEN – Competency-Based Education Network
• American Educational Research Association

Selected Publications

• Thompson, A., Sanders, A., & Dixon, K. (2023). Historical Overview and Theoretical Perspectives of LGBTQ+ Themes and Awareness Within the United States K-12 Education System. In F. Palacios-Hidalgo & C.A. Huertas-Abril (Eds.), Promoting Inclusive Education Through the Integration of LGBTIQ+ Issues in the Classroom (pp. 84–101), IGI Global.
• Kimbriel, J., Sanders, A., Dixon, K., & Isbell, L. (2022). Defining instructional coach roles to provide equitable experiences for new teachers. TxEP: Texas Educator Preparation, 6, 66-72.
• Sanders, A., Isbell, L., & Dixon, K. (2021). Using instructional design to transform the lesson planning process for teacher candidate preparation. The Texas Forum of Teacher Education, 11 (1), 49-63.
• Sanders, A. (2021). After innovative teaching during the pandemic, what will stick? An Educator's metamorphosis. The Journal for Research and Practice in College Teaching. 6 (2), 1-3.
• Dixon, K., Sanders, A., & Isbell, L. (2021). The utilization of technology tools and preparation of preservice teachers for literacy instruction in the age of virtual learning. In Araujo, J. & Araujo, D.L. (Eds.) Handbook of Research on Reconceptualizing Preservice Teacher Preparation in Literacy Education. IGI Global.
• Smith, M., ElBassiouny, A., & Sanders, A. (2020). Partnering across disciplines: Engaging students in peer collaborations on writing assignments. The Journal of Teacher Action Research, 7(1), 101-125.
• Sanders, A., Isbell, L., & Dixon, K. (2020). Incorporating LGBTQ+ Identities in K-12 Curriculum and Policy (pp. 1-335). Hershey, PA: IGI Global. doi:10.4018/978-1-7998-1404-7
• Sanders, A. (2020). Exploring literary merit of mainstream video games through gaming literacy theory. In Hubbell, G. (Ed.) What is a game? Essays on the nature of videogames (Studies in gaming). McFarland.
• Sanders, A., & Dixon, K. (2020). LGBTQ+ literature in the secondary classroom as windows and mirrors for young readers. In Sanders, A., Isbell, L., & Dixon, K. (Eds.) Incorporating LGBTQ+ Identities in K-12 Curriculum and Policy. IGI Global.
• Isbell, L., Dixon, K., & Sanders, A. (2019). Arming Teachers for School Safety: Providing Clarity for State Policies. Texas Education Review, 7(2), 6-13.
• Dixon, K., Sanders, A., & Putman, R. (2018). Using microblogging as a social media tool for discussions in higher education classrooms. The Journal of Social Media in Society, 7(1), 339-365.
• Sanders, A. (2018). A Study of courage and caring. [Review of the book Early childhood literacy teachers in high poverty schools by M. Landa]. Teachers College Record, http://www.tcrecord.org, ID 22344.