Cathy Dotson, Ed.D.
Three Decades. One Calling.
I have spent more than 30 years in Christian education, not observing it from a distance, but living it from the classroom to the principal's office to the graduate school lecture hall. Today I serve as the Elementary Principal at Wilmington Christian Academy in Wilmington, North Carolina, where I lead a faculty of teachers committed to education that shapes both minds and hearts. I also teach future educators at the university level, which keeps me grounded in current research while staying rooted in the daily realities of school leadership.
Each distinct role has reinforced a singular conviction: Christian educators are doing the most vital work in the world, and they deserve professional development uniquely designed to support their high calling.
My Background
I hold a Doctor of Education in Instructional Leadership from Nova Southeastern University, a Master of Science in Educational Leadership from the University of Memphis, and a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education from Pensacola Christian College. I am licensed as a K–12 Principal and K–6 Elementary Teacher in North Carolina and hold an Advanced Professional Certificate in Administration through the North Carolina Christian School Association.
My credentials include certifications and memberships with AACS (American Association of Christian Schools), ACSI (Association of Christian Schools International), and NCCSA (North Carolina Christian School Association). I currently serve on the AACS National Accreditation Commission and have led accreditation teams across multiple states. My research and writing have appeared in the Journal for Christian Educators, and I have presented at Christian school association conferences in more than a dozen states over the past three decades.
Board Memberships:
American Association of Christian Schools Accreditation Commission
BJU Education Group, Inc. Board
Bob Jones University, School of Education Advisory Board
Bob Jones University, Christian Ed Teaching Fellows Program
Veritas Baptist College Board of Directors
What Brings Me Here
Teaching is one of the most sacred things a person can do. A high calling!
To stand at the crossroads of a child's faith and their future — to hold both Scripture and a struggling reader in the same hands — that is weight worth carrying, and the teachers who choose Christian education choose it knowing the stakes are higher, not lower.
Every course, workshop, and coaching conversation I offer is an act of pouring into the people who pour into children every single day. Not because they are lacking — but because they deserve the same investment they give so freely to others. Practical tools. Research that actually translates to Monday morning. A community of educators who take both the craft and the calling seriously.
This is the work I was created for. My greatest joy is sending a teacher back to their classroom full — because a teacher who pours from abundance changes everything.
Articles & Publications
Over 30 years in Christian education, I've written for educators on teacher development, classroom practice, and school leadership.
All teachers need an I.E.P.: developing an individualized education plan for each teacher
Teachers, like students, need a personalized plan for growth. Drawing on research from both business and education, this article argues that one-size-fits-all, "shotgun" staff development fails to address each teacher's specific weaknesses. It offers a practical path forward — conducting a needs assessment, writing a collaborative learning agreement between teacher and principal, and building a growth plan tailored to the individual — so that teachers become self-directed lifelong learners and the whole school improves. Also published as a two-part feature in the NCCSA Update (May/June 2012).
Read the full article →Fixer-upper
Using the metaphor of a home renovation, this piece invites teachers to hang an "Under Construction" sign on the classroom door and honestly examine what needs remodeling — the environment, the learner, the pace, the lesson, and classroom culture — with practical, research-backed strategies for each. Grounded in the teaching style of Jesus as the Master Teacher.
Read the full article →A professional learning community
A call for schools to abandon the outdated "factory model" and recreate themselves as professional learning communities. This chapter lays out the five foundational elements of a PLC and how to build one — with student learning as the driving priority and collaborative teacher teams replacing isolated "sit-and-get" training.
Read the full article →