Don Hackmann’s primary research agenda focuses on educational leadership preparation programming, including characteristics of tenure-line and clinical educational leadership faculty, program quality, and faculty/student mentoring. An additional research interest addresses the principalship, focusing on effective leadership behaviors and strategies at the middle and high school levels that promote equity and access, including effective supervisory approaches, school improvement, distributed leadership, and promoting college and career readiness.

My primary research agenda focuses on the principalship, including effective leadership strategies at the middle and high school levels that promote equity and access and that facilitate improved student learning. Research interests within this area include college and career readiness structures and supports in high schools, the role of supervision and evaluation in promoting learning-centered environments, and school improvement initiatives. A second research interest relates to educational leadership preparation programming. Interests within this strand include characteristics of tenure-line and clinical faculty; leadership preparation curricula, program design, delivery, and size of program faculty; faculty/student mentoring, the quality of clinical experiences; and roles/responsibilities of program coordinators.

I incorporate constructivist teaching and learning strategies in my classroom instruction, helping my students to develop essential knowledge and skills to be effective school leaders and researchers. I also assist students with understanding how to apply research to solve problems of practice.