Honoring a Legacy of Innovation, Mentorship, and Impactful Scholarship
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The Theodore “Ted” Creighton Publication Innovation Award is presented annually by the International Council of Professors of Educational Leadership (ICPEL). This prestigious honor recognizes outstanding scholars who mirror Dr. Creighton's visionary spirit by introducing innovative practices to academic publishing, challenging educational inequities, and dedicating themselves to mentoring the next generation of educational leadership scholars.
About the Award & Background The name Ted Creighton is deeply woven into the history of NCPEA and ICPEL. Beginning his journey in education as an elementary school teacher, Ted went on to serve as a principal and a superintendent before transitioning to a distinguished career in higher education. His academic leadership touched major institutions across the country, including the University of Idaho, the University of Wyoming, Sam Houston State University, and Virginia Tech. |
Creighton Publication Innovation Award Recipients2026 - Kelly Brown 2025 - Brad Bizzell 2024 - Caryn Wells 2023 - Ken Young 2022 - M. David Alexander 2021 - Rosemary Papa 2020 - Carol Mullen 2020 - Tom Kersten 2019 - Gerry Babo 2018 - Sandra Harris 2017 - John Slate |
As Executive Director and Director of Publications for the organization, Ted revolutionized how educational leadership scholarship is shared globally:
- He brought the Education Leadership Review (ELR) into the organization's portfolio.
- He championed open education resources by launching the International Journal of Educational Leadership Preparation (IJELP) as an open-access project.
- He added the Mentoring & Tutoring: Partnership in Learning journal to our scholarly lineup
Recognizing the critical need to support early-career academics, he founded the Education Leadership Review of Doctoral Research (ELRDR) journal specifically to provide mentoring to new authors.
He established NCPEA Press to publish vital, state-specific school finance textbooks that traditional publishers overlooked.
Ted always delighted in seeing others recognized for innovative, impactful work that serves our profession and, ultimately, the children and youth in our schools.
Award Criteria
The ICPEL Awards Committee evaluates nominees based on a proven track record across three major dimensions. Nominees must provide explicit evidence of:
- Impactful Publication Record
- A demonstrated, high-quality record of scholarly publications and presentations with ICPEL and other impactful peer-reviewed journals, conferences, or professional outlets.
- A demonstrated, high-quality record of scholarly publications and presentations with ICPEL and other impactful peer-reviewed journals, conferences, or professional outlets.
- Innovation in Scholarship & Policy
- A record of pioneering ideas, projects, or approaches aimed at improving practice, communication, and scholarship in educational leadership. Submissions must address at least one of the following:
- Current and emerging challenges in educational leadership and administrator preparation.
- Improvements in methodologies, techniques, or instructional models in the practice of educational leadership.
- Constructive challenges to neo-liberal models of public education policy, or concepts that lead to the systemic marginalization of specific groups.
- Current and emerging challenges in educational leadership and administrator preparation.
- A record of pioneering ideas, projects, or approaches aimed at improving practice, communication, and scholarship in educational leadership. Submissions must address at least one of the following:
- Deep Commitment to Graduate Student Mentorship
- A documented commitment to guiding graduate students through their early research and entry into academic publishing, evidenced by:
- Co-publishing articles or books with graduate students.
- Guiding graduate students who successfully publish their own work within five years of graduation.
- Mentoring graduate students who receive academic awards for their initial research.
- A documented commitment to guiding graduate students through their early research and entry into academic publishing, evidenced by:
Submit a Nomination
Please consider nominating a deserving scholar by honoring a legacy of innovation, mentorship, and impactful scholarship in educational leadership. Named for a transformative leader whose work with ICPEL advanced open-access publishing, supported emerging scholars, and expanded opportunities for meaningful professional contribution, this award recognizes individuals who demonstrate a strong record of publications and presentations, introduce innovative ideas or approaches that address critical challenges in educational leadership, and show a clear commitment to mentoring graduate students in their early scholarly work. The award will be presented at the ICPEL Annual Conference in July.
Deadline: April 1
Nomination Contact & Link
For questions regarding the nomination package, documentation requirements, or the submission process, please contact:
Benjamin Jankens
[email protected]
For questions regarding the nomination package, documentation requirements, or the submission process, please contact:
Benjamin Jankens
[email protected]