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Charles L. Lowery

Charles Lowery, Associate Professor of Educational Leadership

Charles Lowery portrait
Charles Lowery, Associate Professor of Educational Leadership

School of Education
1750 Kraft Drive
Room 2076 (0302)
Blacksburg, VA 24061
540-231-8439 |  loweryc@vt.edu

Charles L. Lowery, Ed.D., is an associate professor of Educational Leadership  and Policy Studies in the School of Education at Virginia Tech.

Research Profiles:

  • Authentic Educational Leadership
  • Asset Oriented Leadership for Rural Schools
  • Education for Local and Global Issues
  • Critical Literacies for School Leadership
  • Democracy in Education
  • Ed.D. - Stephen F. Austin State University, 2013 (Educational Leadership)
  • M.S. - Walden University (Instructional Design and Online Teaching)
  • Superintendent Certificate Program - University of Texas at Tyler, 2010
  • M.Ed. - Stephen F. Austin State University, 2007 (Educational Administration)
  • B.A. - University of Texas at Tyler, 2003 (with honors) (Literature & Languages, Spanish-Major)
  • Program Coordinator 2018-2020
    Department of Educational Studies, Patton College of Education, Ohio University
    Program of Educational Administration, doctoral program, comparative and international educational leadership specialization, superintendent program, principal preparation program, teacher leader endorsement, general master’s program
  • Co-Program Coordinator 2017-2018
    Department of Educational Studies, Patton College of Education, Ohio University
    Program of Educational Administration (Practitioner/Master’s Level), superintendent program, principal preparation program, teacher leader endorsement, general master’s program
  • Principal 2012-2014, Wheat Elementary School (PK-2), Woodville ISD, Woodville, TX
  • District Title III Bilingual Coordinator 2011-2012, Dayton ISD, Dayton, TX
  • Principal 2008-2011, East Side Elementary School (PK-4), Jacksonville ISD, Jacksonville; a TX Texas Education Agency Recognized School

Professional Affiliations

  • American Educational Research Association (AERA)
  • National Network for Educational Renewal (NNER)
  • International School Leadership Development Network (ISLDN)
    (A UCEA – BELMAS Affiliated Research Group)
  • International Council of Professors of Educational Leadership
  • The John Dewey Society (JDS)
  • Transnational Education and Learning Society (TELS) 2015-2021
  • Appalachian Studies Association 2015-2020
  • National Association for Professional Development Schools (NAPDS) 2014-2020
  • American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (AACTE) 2014-2019

Editorial Activities

  • Associate Editor, Journal of Comparative Studies and International Education, 2020-Present
  • Manuscript Reviewer
    International Journal of Educational Leadership Preparation, (IJELP) 2019-Present
    Quality Assurance in Education 2019-Present
    Mentoring & Tutoring 2019-Present
    Educational Leadership Review (ELR) 2019-Present
    Journal of Contemporary Ethnography 2018-Present
    Democracy and Education 2018-Present
    International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education 2018- Present
    Journal of Research Initiatives 2018-2019
    International Journal of Leadership in Education 2017-Present
    Journal of International Students 2016-2018
  • Book Manuscript Reviewer
    Bloomsbury Publishing 2020-Present
    Corwin Press 2014-Present
    Emerald Press 2014-2015

Ohio University

  • Nominee, Distinguished Graduate Faculty Teaching Award 2019-2020
  • Ohio Faculty Newsmakers, Certificate of Recognition 2017-2018
  • Recipient, Distinguished Faculty Research Award 2016-2017
  • Nominee, Distinguished Graduate Faculty Teaching Award 2016-2017

Texas Education Agency

  • Recipient, TEA “Recognized” School Principal 2010-2011

Peer-Reviewed Journal Articles

*Musselman, A., Lowery, C. L., & Hess, M. (2021). Engaging educational leadership and the Coalition of Essential Schools in Appalachian Ohio. International Journal of Educational Leadership Preparation, 16(1), 152-169.

Hess, M. E., Lowery, C. L., *Fewell, C. J., & *Zaher, G. (2021). Democratic teacher preparation and praxis: Creating active, reflective educators (CARE). Democracy & Education, 29(1), 1-11. https://democracyeducationjournal.org/home/vol29/iss1/1/

†Hartman, S. L., Lowery, C. L., Kennedy, C., Hess, M. E., Kennedy, M. K., Mazid, I., & *Coy, M. P. (2021). Student voices: What do children reveal about the impact of clinically based teacher preparation. Peabody Journal of Education, 96(1), 87-98. https://doi.org/10.1080/0161956X.2020.1864249 (SJR IF 0.8 - h-index 41 – Q1)

*Fewell, C. J., Lowery, C. L., Hess, M. E., *Gervason M., *Ahrendt, S., & *Giglio, M. (2021). Experiences of stereotyping and tracking in Appalachia: A case in consolidation and social class. Journal of Cases in Educational Leadership, 24(3), 15-26. https://doi.org/10.1177/1555458920982331

*Kim, T., & Lowery, C. L. (2020). Who should get “ineffective”? A principal’s ethical dilemmas on teacher evaluation. Journal of Cases in Educational Leadership, 24(2), 31-45. https://doi.org/10.1177/1555458920976718

Hess, M. E., & Lowery, C. L. (2020). Crisis leadership and the impact of opioids on schools and students: Perspectives of school leaders in rural Appalachia. Educational Leadership Review, 20(1), 126-141. https://www.icpel.org/uploads/1/5/6/2/15622000/elr_volume_21-1_fall_2020.pdf

†Hartman, S. L., Hess, M. E., Lowery, C. L., Kennedy, C., Mazid, I., *Coy, M. P., Mowrer, C., & Kennedy, M. K. (2020). An examination of time allocation in early childhood teacher candidates’ clinical field placements. Action in Teacher Education, 43(1), 67-84. https://doi.org/10.1080/01626620.2020.1820404 (SJR IF 0.49 - h-index 24 – Q2)

Lowery, C. L. (2019). Moral literacy and school leaders: Perceptions of principals in southeast Ohio on the ethics of decision-making. Journal of Educational Administration, 58(1), 112-127. https://doi.org/10.1108/JEA-06-2018-0120 (SJR IF 1.252– h-index 46 – Q1)

Lowery, C. L., Hartman, C., Elasky, B., Cell, A., Hawk, R., Elmore-Clark, K., Kennedy, M. K., & Kroeger, G. (2019). Creating active and reflective educators through CARE: A PDS partnership between Federal Hocking Local Schools and OHIO University. School-University Partnerships, 12(1), 1-6.

*Collins, J., Hess, M. E., & Lowery, C. L. (2019). Democratic spaces: How teachers establish and sustain democracy and education in their classrooms. Democracy & Education, 27(1), 1-12. https://democracyeducationjournal.org/home/vol27/iss1/3/

*Fewell, C., Hess, M. E., & Lowery, C. L. (2019). Twenty years in the trenches: A fight for equitable and adequate school funding in Ohio. Journal of Research Initiatives, 4(2), art. 7. https://digitalcommons.uncfsu.edu/jri/vol4/iss2/7/

Lowery, C. L. (2018). An autoethnography of culturally relevant leadership as moral practice: Lived experiences through a scholar-practitioner lens. The Qualitative Report, 23(12), 3036-3053. (SJR IF 0.334– h-index 21 – Q3) https://doi.org/10.46743/2160-3715/2018.3347

Lowery, C. L., Hess, M. E., Hartman, S., Kennedy, C., & *Mazid, I. (2018). Establishing partnership spaces: Reflections of educational leaders on founding Professional Development Schools. Educational Leadership Review, 19(1), 92-110. https://www.icpel.org/uploads/1/5/6/2/15622000/elr_volume_19_fall_2018.pdf

Lowery, C. L., & *Abbott, T. (2018). Developing moral literacy by reflecting on leadership values: A scholar–practitioner collaborative inquiry. Journal of Authentic Leadership in Education, 5(4), 1-10. https://csle.nipissingu.ca/wp-content/uploads/sites/78/2018/05/Vol5Num4.pdf

*Akinola, T., & Lowery, C. L. (2018). The question of ecological injustice, interventions, and sustainability: The role of transnational educational leaders. The African Symposium, 17(1), 6-24. http://tas.theafricanresearch.org/index.php/TAS/article/view/79

Lowery, C. L., & *Akinola, T. (2017). A scholar-practitioner construct in transnational education: Social justice issues for school leadership in Nigeria. The African Symposium, 16(1), 50-62. http://tas.theafricanresearch.org/index.php/TAS/article/view/70/24

Lowery, C. L., Gautam, C., Hess, M. E., & Mays, C. (2017). Rural superintendents as political agents: Grassroots advocacy in Appalachian districts of southeast Ohio. Journal of Research Initiatives, 3(1), art. 4. https://digitalcommons.uncfsu.edu/jri/vol3/iss1/4/

Lowery, C. L. (2017). Common sense and scientific interpretation of cultural relevance. Teacher Education and Practice, 30(3), 462-486.

Gautam, C., & Lowery, C. L. (2017). Teaching moral literacy through critical pedagogical bricolage: A co-constructed auto-ethnography of an educational leadership program. The Qualitative Report, 22(1), 160-178. https://doi.org/10.46743/2160-3715/2017.2557 (SJR IF 0.334 – h-index 21 – Q3)

Lowery, C. L. (2016). Dewey’s educational values for teacher practice in the 21st century. Teacher Education and Practice, 29(3), 531-544.

Lowery, C. L. (2016). A poetics of selflessness: Moral dispositions in conceptualizing scholar–practitioner models of leadership. Scholar-Practitioner Quarterly, 10(3-4), 125-136.

Gautam, C., Lowery, C. L., Mays, C. D., & Durant, D. G. (2016). Challenges for global learners at a small-town university: A qualitative study of the concerns and difficulties of international students. Journal of International Students, 6(2), 500-525. https://www.ojed.org/index.php/jis/article/view/368 (SJR IF 0.3– h-index 5 – Q3)

Lowery, C. L., Gautam, C., & Mays, C. D. (2016). The praxis of Gandhi’s satyagraha: The scholar–practitioner educational leader as moral “truth holder.” International Journal of Educational Leadership Preparation, 11(2), 71-86.

Lowery, C. L. (2016). The scholar–practitioner ideal: Toward a socially just educational administration for the 21st century. Journal of School Leadership, 26(1), 34-60. https://doi.org/10.1177/105268461602600102

Lowery, C. L. (2014). Culture, democracy, and expectations: A case study of one assistant principal’s ethical dilemma. Scholar-Practitioner Quarterly, 8(4), 375-385.

Lowery, C. L., Gautam, C., & Mays, C. D. (2014). The Buddha metaphor: The teacher-seeker, the wheel-turner, the scholar–practitioner. Scholar-Practitioner Quarterly, 8(2), 109-125.

Lowery, C. L. (2013). Faith, humility, and hope: Freire’s critical consciousness for repairing the world. Scholar-Practitioner Quarterly, 7(2), 125-136.

Lowery, C. L. (2012). Preserving the democratic platform: An educational leadership for all. Scholar-Practitioner Quarterly, 6(3), 219-231.

*Indicates student author †Indicates research from grant funded project

Edited Books

Lowery, C. L., & Jenlink, P. M. (Eds.). (2019). The handbook of Dewey’s educational theory and practice. Brill|Sense.

Walker, A., Lowery, C., & Thomas, C. (Eds.). (2017). Quantum realities: Educational truth telling in an era of alternative facts. Kendall Hunt.

Lowery, C., Walker, A., & Thomas, C. (Eds.). (2016). Un-democratic acts: New departures for dialogues in schools and society. Sense.

Lowery, C., Hernandez, C., Walker, A., & Thomas, C. (Eds.). (2015). Un-American acts. Sense.

Chapters in Books

Lowery, C. L., & Hess, M. E. (2022). One school leader’s storied response to the opioid crisis: A narrative on moral literacy. In L. M. Harter & B. L. Peterson (Eds.), Imagining new 5ormal…Brave space-making through storytelling (pp. 581-598). Kendall-Hunt.

Lowery, C. L. (2021). Moral literacy as social efficiency in Dewey: Preparing educators for moral agency and autonomy in 21st century teaching. In J. Avila, A. G. Rud, L. Waks, & E. Ring (Eds.), The contemporary relevance of John Dewey’s theories on teaching and learning: Deweyan perspectives on standardization, accountability, and assessment in education (pp. 115-130). Routledge International.

Lowery, C. L. (2021). Advancing moral literacy in educational preparation: Developing civic and ethical educators for a socially just world. In P. A. Robinson, K. V. Williams, & M. Stojanovic (Eds.), Global citizenship for adult education: Advancing critical literacies for equity and social justice (pp. 166-177). Routledge.

Lowery, C. L. (2021). Mediated representations of teacher identity in Mr. D: Reconciling cultural images of the expert-professional educator. In P. M. Jenlink (Ed.), Understanding teacher identity: The complexities of professional identity as teacher (pp. 29-46). Rowman & Littlefield.

Hess, M. E., Lowery, C. L., Hartman, S. L., Kennedy, C., Keifer-Kennedy, M., Kaufman, A., & *Coy-McClain, M. P. (2021). Exploring the democratic development of teacher candidates: Mentor teacher perceptions of facilitating spaces in the clinical model. In P. M. Jenlink (Ed.), Teaching as a clinical practice profession: Research on clinical practice and experience in teacher preparation (pp. 73-92). Rowman & Littlefield.

Hess, M. E., Lowery, C. L., *Olad, R., *Fewell, C., *Kondrit, T., & *Yeager, S. (2019). Resettled Somali Muslim parents’ perceptions of school-community relations. In H. Tran, D. Smith, & D. Buckman (Eds.), Improving education through multi-level community relations and engagement (pp. 77-98). Rowman & Littlefield.

Lowery, C. L. (2019). Multimedia learning for a new generation of educators. In P. M. Jenlink (Ed.), Multimedia learning theory: Preparing for the new generation of students (pp. 69-84). Rowman & Littlefield.

Lowery, C. L., & *Fewell, C. (2019). Civic efficiency as a democratic ideal: Social renewal through Dewey’s continuous, integrated education. In C. L. Lowery & P. M. Jenlink (Eds.), The handbook of Dewey’s educational theory and practice (pp. 271-288). Brill-Sense.

Gautam, C., Alford, B., & Lowery, C. L. (2018). Local control of education challenges and opportunities: Stories of successful high need school leadership in Nepal. In I. del Arco Bravo & P. Silva (Eds.), Tendencias nacionales e internationales en organización educativa: Entre la estabilidad y el cambio (pp. 450-464). Wolters Kluwer.

Lowery, C. L. (2017). Lived experiences as quantum realities: Valuing the development of the scholar-practitioner identity. In A. Walker, C. Lowery, & C. Thomas (Eds.), Quantum realities: Educational truth telling in an era of alternative facts (pp. 123-140). Kendall Hunt.

Lowery, C. L. (2017). Educational truth-telling in a moment of alternative facts. In A. Walker, C. Lowery, & C. Thomas (Eds.), Quantum realities: Educational truth telling in an era of alternative facts (pp. 7-16). Kendall Hunt.

Walker, A., Lowery, C. L., & Thomas, C. (2017). Quantum realities. In A. Walker, C. Lowery, & C. Thomas (Eds.), Quantum realities: Educational truth telling in an era of alternative facts (pp. 1-2). Kendall Hunt.

Lowery, C. L. (2016). Critical transnational pedagogy (CTP): Toward a critical theory of transnational education and learning. In E. Jean-François, M. B. M. Avoseh, W. Griswold (Eds.), Perspective on transnational higher education (pp. 55-74). Sense.

Lowery, C. (2016). Race to de-democratization: The militarization, commodification, and hyper-politicization of education. In C. Lowery, A. Walker, & C. Thomas (Eds.), Un-democratic acts: New departures for dialogues in schools and society (pp. 7-22). Sense.

Lowery, C., Walker, A., & Thomas, C. (2016). Dissonance, divergence, and democracy: An introduction. In C. Lowery, A. Walker, & C. Thomas (Eds.), Un-democratic acts: New departures for dialogues in schools and society (pp. 1-6). Sense.

Lowery, C. L., Walker, A., Gautam, C., & Mays, C. D. (2015). DPPE and the scholar-practitioner: Accountability through care, collaboration, criticality, and commitment. In P. Tenuto (Ed.), Renewed accountability for access and excellence: Applying a model for Democratic Professional Practice in Education (pp. 261-278). Lexington.

Lowery, C. (2015). From Vesey to Pinckney: Finding meaning in the legacy of Mother Emanuel and the martyrdom of her spiritual leaders. In C. Lowery, C. Hernandez, A. Walker, & C. Thomas (Eds.), Un-American acts (pp. 59-70). Sense.

Lowery, C. (2015). Time of the Brave mask, a metaphor for racial identity/invisibility in US schools. In C. Lowery, C. Hernandez, A. Walker, & C. Thomas (Eds.), Un-American acts (pp. 11-22). Sense

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