An ETSU faculty member earned the Education Sciences Outstanding Reviewer Award, recognizing contributions to strengthening research through peer review. 

Plenty of readers trust what they read in journals, never knowing that someone spent hours reading drafts, offering feedback and helping authors strengthen their work before it ever published.

Dr. Jill Channing does that work. A lot of it.

The associate professor of Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis in East Tennessee State University’s Clemmer College of Education and Human Development earned the Education Sciences Outstanding Reviewer Award. The honor recognizes a form of scholarly service that quietly shapes the quality of research across entire disciplines.

"Peer review is one of the most important forms of scholarly service we can offer our field," Channing said. "It is careful, often invisible work, but it plays a central role in strengthening research, supporting authors and helping ensure that published scholarship is thoughtful, rigorous and useful."

The work behind the work

Channing doesn't just review for Education Sciences.  

She serves as associate editor of the International Journal of Educational Leadership Preparation and reviews for more than a dozen journals, including Community College Review, Journal of Research on Leadership Education, Behavioral Sciences and Educational Leadership Review.

"A strong and impactful review is one that is rigorous, constructive and generous," Channing said. "I try to approach every manuscript with care and respect for the work the author has done, even when I see significant areas that need revision. A good review does more than identify weaknesses. It helps the author see how the piece might become stronger, clearer and more consequential."

What it means for ETSU

Channing's reviewing also shapes her work at ETSU. It keeps her engaged with emerging scholarship, new methodologies and evolving conversations in education. It sharpens her thinking as a researcher and informs how she mentors students and emerging scholars.

"I want them to see scholarship not simply as producing knowledge, but as participating in a community of inquiry built on reflection, revision and responsibility to one another," she said.

Dr. Janna Scarborough, dean of the Clemmer College, sees Channing's work as emblematic of ETSU's mission.  

"Dr. Channing's commitment to improving the quality of scholarship across the field reflects the kind of service and excellence that defines our faculty. Her work strengthens not just individual manuscripts, but the entire ecosystem of educational research."

Explore the ways that ETSU faculty advance their academic fields at etsu.edu/trailblazers.