Doctorate in Education Leadership, Master of Education in Education Leadership, Principal Certification Program
Trisha Gerrish Ray is an Assistant Professor of Education Leadership in the Department of Education Leadership. She coordinates the Master of Education in Education Leadership degree and the Principal Certification Program. She is a graduate from Texas A&M University-Texarkana and earned her Doctorate in Education Leadership from Texas A&M University-Commerce. As a principal, she developed and implemented a Professional Development School in her district in collaboration with A&M-Texarkana. Her research focuses on teacher retention and teacher preparation.
Dr. Ray joined the faculty full time in the fall of 2019, after serving as an adjunct instructor since 2015. She worked in PK-12 public education as the Director of Elementary Education in the Texarkana, Texas ISD. She was the lead elementary principal, the principal at Westlawn Elementary School from 2001-2012, Dean of Students at Texas High School, Assistant Principal at Pleasant Grove High School, and a mathematics teacher at Texas High School. At the University, she serves as the coordinator of the Principal Certification Program and has taught in the teacher certification program and the doctoral program.
Dr. Ray received her EdD in Educational Leadership from Texas A&M University-Commerce in 2013. She received her MS in Secondary Education and her BS in Secondary Education at Texas A&M University-Texarkana. She holds Texas certifications as a superintendent, principal, and teacher of mathematics and history.
Dr. Ray consistently teaches Instructional Leadership, Supervision of Instruction, and Executive Leadership where students complete a leadership portfolio of campus activities. She serves as a field supervisor for students in the Principal Practicum where students complete their certification requirements. She has taught Texas School Law, Ethics, Equity, and Diversity, Strategic Campus Operations, and the Principal Internship. In the Department of Teaching and Professional Programs in Education, she has served as a field supervisor and taught Foundations of Secondary Education.
From her work in the Professional Development School (PDS), Dr. Ray developed an interest in teacher retention and teacher preparation. She recently published a study of the long-term outcomes of the PDS for teacher retention and preparation to teach from the first day of school.
Ray, T. G. (2023). Teacher preparation matters: Long-term outcomes outpacing teacher retention and career trends through a year-long teacher residency design. Texas Educator Preparation Journal, 7(1), 11-26.
Dr. Ray believes that adult learners draw upon their experiences to connect new learning in terms of relevance to their current and future work. They need to apply learning in an authentic setting. The tenants of her philosophy include relevance, experiential learning, assessment and feedback, rigor and alignment, and relationship.
