Karon LeCompte, Ph.D.

Dr. Karon LeCompte is an associate professor of curriculum and instruction with an emphasis in social studies education. Her research interests include civics education, technology, and teacher preparation. She works with teacher education candidates and Texas teachers on civics education and law-related education and teaches classes in elementary social studies methods. In 2023, Dr. LeCompte received the Baylor Centennial Professor Award for her research on the iEngage Civics Institute Project. In 2022, Dr. LeCompte and the iEngage team were awarded the Sandra Day O'Connor Award for the Advancement of Civic Education.

Dr. LeCompte serves as co-principal investigator on $302,000 in grant funds for civics education and research. She is a member of the National Council for the Social Studies and the American Educational Research Association. 

Dr. LeCompte earned her B.S. in Elementary Education and English and M.A. in gifted education from Sam Houston State University in Huntsville, Texas. She earned her Ph.D. in curriculum and instruction from the University of Texas at Austin.

Her teaching interests are in social studies education and leadership theory. She has authored or co-authored over 25 book chapters and articles on topics related to civics education and leadership. She has presented her work at state, national, and international conferences. She was named the “Baylor iCivics Fellow” in 2012, when she spent six weeks in Washington, D.C., working with the national iCivics team formed by retired Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor. Karon and her husband, Randy, are both active members of Trinity Lutheran Church at Badger Ranch.

Select Publications

• The Social Studies, Vol. 112, Issue 3, p. 116-120, 01/01/2022
  "Youth Act: The Impact of an Action Civics Program on the Community & Political Engagement of Youth"
  with co-authors Dr. Brooke Blevins, associate professor, Nate Scholten, doctoral students, Dr. Kevin R Magill, assistant professor, and Dr. Tiffani Riggers-Piehl, Kansas State University.
• Post-Pandemic Social Studies: How Covid-19 Changed the World and How We Teach, p. 222-236, 02/01/2022
  "Teaching Federalism: Investigating Federal vs. State Power during a Pandemic in Post-Pandemic Social Studies"
  with co-authors Dr. Brooke E. Blevins, associate professor, and Dr. Kevin R Magill, assistant professor.

Awards & Honors

• Centennial Professor - 2023 | Baylor University
• Teaching Enhancement Grant - 2021 | Academy of Teaching & Learning