Five Educators Discuss Teacher Certification Challenges and Changes and How It Impacts Public Schools
Dr. Donna M. Druery, Dr. Kelly Bullock Daugherty, Dr. LaConti Bryant, LaTanya S. Sothern, and Tara Kirton

Dr. Donna M. Druery earned her Ph.D. in Educational Administration at Texas A&M University, College Station, Tx, in May 2021. Donna also holds certifications in the following areas: Superintendency; College Teaching (Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas); Nonprofit Management (George Bush School of Government & Public Service at Texas A&M University), and as a Certified Teacher and an Administrator. Donna earned her M.Ed. in Educational Administration from Sam Houston State University, her B.A. in English with double minors in Business Administration and Speech Communication at Texas A&M University, and an A.A. in Business Administration at Blinn College. Dr. Druery has served as a Research Specialist and has worked on multi-million-dollar grants related to the Accelerated Preparation of Leaders for Underserved Schools (APLUS). Her research focuses on educational policy and politics, school choice, race, class, gender, cultural issues, and social stratification of education and communities. Donna volunteers her time in the community, tutoring and assisting first-generation college students with financial assistance, course arrangements, goal setting, and college enrollment applications.
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Dr. Kelly Bullock Daugherty is the Founder and Chief Education Officer for Transitions Educational Coaching & Consulting Services. Transitions specializes in leadership and instructional coaching, educational training, and customized program/curriculum development for teachers who work to educate and inspire K12 students. With over 20 years of experience in teaching and leadership, Dr. Kelly is led by her vision to transform teachers' mindset, empower teachers with new knowledge, and increase teacher efficacy to provide meaningful expectations that increase effectiveness and promote excellence in education across the country.
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Dr. LaConti Bryant earned her Ed.D in Educational Leadership from Liberty University in 2017. Her research is specifically focused on the areas of instructional coaching/mentoring, collaboration, and job-embedded professional development. Dr. Bryant has worked with teachers and administrators with creating professional learning communities that are conducive to positive results in student achievement and teacher development. In addition, Dr. Bryant has over 10 years of classroom experience as a classroom teacher and instructional coach. Prior to entering public education, Dr. Bryant served in the United States Army as a paralegal for 5 years stationed at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, Bamberg, Germany, and Fort Hood, Texas.
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LaTanya S. Sothern has been an educator for over 25 years. She is a passionate supporter of children and ensuring equity in education for all students. A native Washingtonian, she holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Public Communication and Economics from American University and a Master of Arts in Teaching with a concentration in Early Childhood Education from Howard University. She is pursuing her Doctorate of Education in School System Leadership at the University of Maryland College Park. Ms. Sothern is certified in Early Childhood Education, Special Education, and School Administration and is National Board Certified as an Early Childhood Generalist. She serves as a Principal in Prince George’s County Public Schools, where her instructional leadership has also included district-wide professional development, mentoring teachers, and creative community outreach initiatives.
Ms. Sothern is an entrepreneur and a published author of two books featured by the NAACP and Congressional Black Caucus conventions. She is the 2018 recipient of the ACHI Magazine DMV Educator of the Year and the American University NAACP Mentor of the Year awards. She and her husband Greg facilitate events and workshops for married couples, with a particular focus on those who are parents of special needs children. They have been happily married for over 20 years and reside in Prince George’s County, Maryland, with their two sons.
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Ms. Sothern is an entrepreneur and a published author of two books featured by the NAACP and Congressional Black Caucus conventions. She is the 2018 recipient of the ACHI Magazine DMV Educator of the Year and the American University NAACP Mentor of the Year awards. She and her husband Greg facilitate events and workshops for married couples, with a particular focus on those who are parents of special needs children. They have been happily married for over 20 years and reside in Prince George’s County, Maryland, with their two sons.
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Tara Kirton is an early childhood educator and a doctoral student in the Curriculum and Teaching department at Teachers College, Columbia University. She is also a curriculum writer, a teacher educator, and an early childhood and special education consultant. Kirton has facilitated workshops to help teachers and administrators center and affirm racial identity in their work with young children, in addition to a variety of other topics. As a teacher educator, Kirton has taught graduate courses in early childhood and special education and she has supported hundreds of teacher candidates with the certification process. Her research examines how teacher preparation programs interrogate race, racism, and equity with early childhood teachers. Additional research interests include special education and partnering with families. Kirton is a Graduate Student Executive Board Member for the American Educational Research Association, Division K (Teaching and Teacher Education).
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