<br>Wei-Ling Sun is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Educational Leadership and Foundations in the College of Education at The University of Texas at El Paso. Her work sits at the intersection of education policy, policy analysis, policy evaluation, organizational change, and educational leadership, examining how policies are designed, interpreted, implemented, and experienced in P–12 systems—especially in relation to school discipline, equity-oriented improvement, and district capacity in borderlands contexts. Sun draws on sociological and critical theories, including decolonial frameworks, Ecological Systems Theory, and Racialized Organization Theory, and she uses mixed methods that include critical quantitative approaches and qualitative inquiry.<br>Dr. Sun’s scholarship is grounded in public service and practice. Prior to academia, she worked as a classroom teacher and school administrator, experiences that continue to shape her attention to how leaders navigate accountability demands, limited resources, and competing organizational priorities. She also brings national policy experience from her time as a policy fellow in a U.S. Senate office, where she worked on federal education policy issues. This combination of practitioner leadership experience and policy training informs her commitment to producing research and evaluation that are both analytically rigorous and practically usable for decision-makers.<br>Across her research portfolio, Sun integrates policy analysis and policy evaluation with an organizational lens on leadership and change. She examines how policy logics and assumptions—often shaped by history and power—travel into districts and schools, how leaders make sense of policy signals under conditions of scarcity and compliance pressure, and how discretionary decisions become institutionalized through routines that shape students’ experiences of belonging, safety, and discipline. At the same time, she advances equity-centered approaches to policy evaluation that ask whether initiatives “work,” and how and for whom they work across varied organizational contexts. Her studies connect outcomes to implementation conditions and organizational capacity (e.g., turnover, policy churn, resource constraints), pairing quantitative indicators with on-the-ground evidence to strengthen the use of evidence, continuous improvement, and the sustainability of equity-oriented reforms. Her current and recent work includes Spencer-supported research that advances these aims by producing actionable evidence for policy and practice.<br>Sun is also engaged in collaborative, community-centered research–practice partnerships (RPPs) in the El Paso borderlands, including ongoing work with Region 19 and local school districts. Through these partnerships, she supports district teams in strengthening data use, developing equity-centered systems for student support, and advancing culturally responsive, trauma-informed, and restorative approaches to discipline and school improvement. She is the developer of a decolonial and ecological approach to everyday discipline decision-making designed for district and school implementation.<br>Her work has been recognized nationally for contributions to teaching and leadership preparation, including the 2024 Social Justice Teaching Award from the American Educational Research Association (AERA). Dr. Sun contributes professional service to the field through national committee roles and peer review for leading journals, and she is committed to scholarship that bridges research, policy, and leadership practice in ways that are responsive to local communities.
| Term | Course | Section | Syllabus |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring 2026 | EDAD 6380 - Capstone Doctoral Seminar | 22267 | |
| Spring 2026 | EDAD 6398 - Dissertation Research | 23575 | |
| Spring 2026 | EDAD 6399 - Dissertation Writing | 20244 | |
| Spring 2026 | EDAD 6399 - Dissertation Writing | 28780 | |
| Spring 2026 | EDAD 5345 - Ed Leadrshp in Diverse Society | 24860 | |
| Spring 2026 | EDAD 6330 - Leadership & Advocacy Educ | 27987 |
| Term | Course | Section | Syllabus |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fall 2025 | EDAD 5307 - Data Based Decision Making | 14780 | |
| Fall 2025 | EDAD 6399 - Dissertation Writing | 14584 | |
| Fall 2025 | EDAD 6325 - Qualitative Research Methods I | 14587 | |
| Summer 2025 | EDAD 6398 - Dissertation Research | 30154 | |
| Spring 2025 | EDAD 6399 - Dissertation Writing | 20278 | |
| Spring 2025 | EDAD 5345 - Ed Leadrshp in Diverse Society | 25572 | |
| Spring 2025 | EDAD 6326 - Qualitative Resrch Methods II | 25578 | |
| Fall 2024 | EDAD 6380 - Capstone Doctoral Seminar | 12096 | |
| Fall 2024 | EDAD 5307 - Data Based Decision Making | 15525 | |
| Fall 2024 | EDAD 6399 - Dissertation Writing | 15232 | |
| Fall 2024 | EDAD 6325 - Qualitative Research Methods I | 15235 | |
| Spring 2024 | EDAD 6398 - Dissertation Research | 28325 | |
| Spring 2024 | EDAD 6399 - Dissertation Writing | 20321 | |
| Spring 2024 | EDAD 5345 - Ed Leadrshp in Diverse Society | 26826 | |
| Spring 2024 | EDAD 6326 - Qualitative Resrch Methods II | 26832 | |
| Fall 2023 | EDAD 5307 - Data Based Decision Making | 17028 | |
| Fall 2023 | EDAD 6325 - Qualitative Research Methods I | 16496 | |
| Spring 2023 | EDAD 6380 - Capstone Doctoral Seminar | 27838 | |
| Spring 2023 | EDRS 5307 - Data Based Decision Making | 24819 | |
| Spring 2023 | EDAD 6398 - Dissertation Research | 26475 | |
| Spring 2023 | EDAD 5386 - Educational Policy Development | 26913 | |
| Spring 2023 | EDAD 6386 - Educational Policy Development | 27824 | |
| Fall 2022 | EDAD 5310 - Administrative Leadership | 17230 | |
| Fall 2022 | EDAD 6380 - Capstone Doctoral Seminar | 18892 | |
| Fall 2022 | EDAD 6300 - Intro to Doctoral Program | 17239 | |
| Fall 2022 | EDAD 6350 - Practicum in Leadership | 20339 | |
| Summer 2022 | EDAD 6380 - Capstone Doctoral Seminar | 33202 | |
| Summer 2022 | EDAD 6350 - Internship In Leadership I | 36644 | |
| Fall 2021 | EDRS 6315 - Qualitative Research Methods I | 17424 | |
| Spring 2021 | EDRS 5307 - Data Based Decision Making | 28217 | |
| Spring 2021 | EDAD 5386 - Educational Policy Development | 28358 | |
| Fall 2020 | EDAD 5388 - Central Office Administration | 19194 |
| Term | Course | Section | Evaluation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fall 2025 | EDAD 5307 - Data Based Decision Making | 14780 | Evaluation |
| Fall 2025 | EDAD 6325 - Qualitative Research Methods I | 14587 | Evaluation |
| Spring 2025 | EDAD 5345 - Ed Leadrshp in Diverse Society | 25572 | Evaluation |
| Spring 2025 | EDAD 6326 - Qualitative Resrch Methods II | 25578 | Evaluation |
| Fall 2024 | EDAD 5307 - Data Based Decision Making | 15525 | Evaluation |
| Fall 2024 | EDAD 6325 - Qualitative Research Methods I | 15235 | Evaluation |
| Spring 2024 | EDAD 5345 - Ed Leadrshp in Diverse Society | 26826 | Evaluation |
| Spring 2024 | EDAD 6326 - Qualitative Resrch Methods II | 26832 | Evaluation |
| Fall 2023 | EDAD 5307 - Data Based Decision Making | 17028 | Evaluation |
| Fall 2023 | EDAD 6325 - Qualitative Research Methods I | 16496 | Evaluation |
| Spring 2023 | EDRS 5307 - Data Based Decision Making | 24819 | Evaluation |
| Spring 2023 | EDAD 5386 - Educational Policy Development | 26913 | Evaluation |
| Spring 2023 | EDAD 6386 - Educational Policy Development | 27824 | Evaluation |
| Fall 2022 | EDAD 5310 - Administrative Leadership | 17230 | Evaluation |
| Fall 2022 | EDAD 6300 - Intro to Doctoral Program | 17239 | Evaluation |
| Fall 2021 | EDRS 6315 - Qualitative Research Methods I | 17424 | Evaluation |
| Spring 2021 | EDRS 5307 - Data Based Decision Making | 28217 | Evaluation |
| Spring 2021 | EDAD 5386 - Educational Policy Development | 28358 | Evaluation |
<br>Wei-Ling Sun is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Educational Leadership and Foundations in the College of Education at The University of Texas at El Paso. Her work sits at the intersection of education policy, policy analysis, policy evaluation, organizational change, and educational leadership, examining how policies are designed, interpreted, implemented, and experienced in P–12 systems—especially in relation to school discipline, equity-oriented improvement, and district capacity in borderlands contexts. Sun draws on sociological and critical theories, including decolonial frameworks, Ecological Systems Theory, and Racialized Organization Theory, and she uses mixed methods that include critical quantitative approaches and qualitative inquiry.<br>Dr. Sun’s scholarship is grounded in public service and practice. Prior to academia, she worked as a classroom teacher and school administrator, experiences that continue to shape her attention to how leaders navigate accountability demands, limited resources, and competing organizational priorities. She also brings national policy experience from her time as a policy fellow in a U.S. Senate office, where she worked on federal education policy issues. This combination of practitioner leadership experience and policy training informs her commitment to producing research and evaluation that are both analytically rigorous and practically usable for decision-makers.<br>Across her research portfolio, Sun integrates policy analysis and policy evaluation with an organizational lens on leadership and change. She examines how policy logics and assumptions—often shaped by history and power—travel into districts and schools, how leaders make sense of policy signals under conditions of scarcity and compliance pressure, and how discretionary decisions become institutionalized through routines that shape students’ experiences of belonging, safety, and discipline. At the same time, she advances equity-centered approaches to policy evaluation that ask whether initiatives “work,” and how and for whom they work across varied organizational contexts. Her studies connect outcomes to implementation conditions and organizational capacity (e.g., turnover, policy churn, resource constraints), pairing quantitative indicators with on-the-ground evidence to strengthen the use of evidence, continuous improvement, and the sustainability of equity-oriented reforms. Her current and recent work includes Spencer-supported research that advances these aims by producing actionable evidence for policy and practice.<br>Sun is also engaged in collaborative, community-centered research–practice partnerships (RPPs) in the El Paso borderlands, including ongoing work with Region 19 and local school districts. Through these partnerships, she supports district teams in strengthening data use, developing equity-centered systems for student support, and advancing culturally responsive, trauma-informed, and restorative approaches to discipline and school improvement. She is the developer of a decolonial and ecological approach to everyday discipline decision-making designed for district and school implementation.<br>Her work has been recognized nationally for contributions to teaching and leadership preparation, including the 2024 Social Justice Teaching Award from the American Educational Research Association (AERA). Dr. Sun contributes professional service to the field through national committee roles and peer review for leading journals, and she is committed to scholarship that bridges research, policy, and leadership practice in ways that are responsive to local communities.
