Cherie Barnett Gaines began her career in 2001 as a middle school teacher of science, reading, and English. After earning her doctoral degree from The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, in Education with a concentration in Educational Administration and Supervision, she began work in higher education at Lincoln Memorial University, Knoxville, Tennessee, United States (LMU), where she worked in Initial Teacher Licensure programs. While at LMU, Dr. Gaines also served as Director of Clinical Experiences for the School of Education, focusing on accreditation. Currently, Dr. Gaines is an Associate Professor of Education in the doctoral program for Education at LMU. Cherie’s research interests include rural schools, teacher leadership, school climate, middle school education, and leadership preparation. As a member of the American Educational Research Association’s Leadership for School Improvement Special Interest Group, she focuses her research on school improvement in those research areas. Dr. Gaines has presented research at conference meetings such as American Educational Research Association; Mid-South Educational Research Association; British Educational Leadership, Management & Administration Society; and Appalachian College Association, and her work can be found in journals such as NASSP Bulletin and in published books.
Kristy Hutson received her Ed.D. in Instructional Leadership from Lincoln Memorial University in 2019. Dr. Hutson began her teaching career in 2012 as a Grade 7 science teacher in Knoxville, Tennessee and taught a variety of subjects in middle school until 2018, at which time, she began teaching at the high school level. As of the publication of this book, Dr. Hutson serves as an instructional coach and teaches STEM at Oak Ridge High School in Tennessee. She also serves as a standing guest lecturer at Lincoln Memorial University’s Doctor of Education program and also is a member of multiple dissertation committees. Dr. Hutson has published a dissertation in 2019, and her research was presented at Lincoln Memorial University’s Annual Research Day in 2019. Her research interests include social justice in K-12 education, disparities in advanced courses in education, and middle school education as it relates preparing students for high school and post-secondary education.