David DeMatthews

David DeMatthews is the W.K. Kellogg Endowed Professor in the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy at The University of Texas at Austin, where he directs the Cooperative Superintendency Program and founded the Texas Education Leadership Lab. He also holds a courtesy appointment in the Department of Special Education. Prior to joining UT Austin in 2018, DeMatthews served as an assistant professor at the University of Texas at El Paso and began his career as a teacher, campus leader, and district administrator in Baltimore City Public Schools and the District of Columbia Public Schools.

DeMatthews' research focuses on district and school leadership, with a particular emphasis on creating and sustaining schools where all students are present, meaningfully engaged, and achieving at high levels, especially students with disabilities. His work also examines leadership stability and its role in school improvement, including superintendent and principal career pathways, job-related stress and burnout, and turnover. In addition, he studies the impact of school choice policies on public schools and historically marginalized students.

He has published nearly 100 peer-reviewed journal articles, along with numerous book chapters, research reports, policy briefs, and editorials. His research appears in leading journals such as Educational Researcher, Educational Administration Quarterly, Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, Teachers College Record, Journal of Special Education, and Journal of Learning Disabilities. DeMatthews has authored or edited five books, including Community Engaged Leadership for Social Justice: A Critical Approach in Urban Schools (Routledge). He is the lead author of the Inclusive Principal Leadership Innovation Configuration, an evidence-based guidance document adopted by dozens of university-based principal preparation programs nationwide. He has also authored policy briefs for Brookings, the National Education Policy Center, and the Annenberg Institute.

DeMatthews' work and ideas have been featured in major media outlets including The New York Times, Washington Post, USA Today, The Guardian, Associated Press, ProPublica, ABC News, Education Week, and regional outlets such as The Dallas Morning News and Houston Chronicle. He regularly provides expert commentary on education policy issues in Texas and nationally, particularly on topics related to state education policy, special education, school leadership, school choice and vouchers, and school safety.

Recognized as one of the nation's top education scholars by Education Week (ranked 36th overall and 6th in Curriculum, Instruction, and Administration), DeMatthews has received numerous honors, including the American Educational Research Association's Outstanding Public Communication of Education Research Award (2025). He served as president of the University Council for Educational Administration (UCEA) in 2021 and chaired AERA's Leadership for School Improvement SIG (2020-2021). His other awards include the UCEA Jack A. Culbertson Award (2017), the William J. Davis Award for the most outstanding article in Educational Administration Quarterly (2018), and the Paula Silver Case Award for the most outstanding article in the Journal of Cases in Educational Leadership (2017). He has also contributed to national efforts to develop educational leadership standards and improve educator preparation.

DeMatthews is deeply committed to mentoring future scholars and practitioners. His doctoral students and postdoctoral fellows have secured tenure-line faculty positions at universities across the country, including Stanford University, Michigan State University, Auburn University, Sam Houston State University, St. John's University, and others that play a critical role in preparing school and district leaders in their regions. His former students also serve as superintendents, chief academic officers, directors of special education, and principals in districts throughout Texas and across the nation.