Kara Bratton

Education and Credentials

• Concordia University Chicago, River Forest, IL, Ph.D. in Special Education Leadership, 2020
• Ball State University, Muncie, IN, Licensure in Gifted and Talented Education, 2013, Indiana Wesleyan University, Marion, IN, M.S. in Curriculum and Instruction, 2009
• Indiana Wesleyan University, Marion, IN, Licensure in Special Education, 2006
• Valparaiso University, Valparaiso, IN, B.S. in Elementary Education, 2000

Dr. Kara Bratton is an Assistant Professor at Concordia University Irvine in the School of Education’s doctoral program, where she teaches courses in leadership, special education, research, and serves as a dissertation chair. She is the chair of the Access, Intervention, and Student Success specialization in Concordia’s EdD program. Prior to her work in higher education, Dr. Bratton held the role of a special education director, working specifically with Christian schools across the United States and overseas, and she spent the first part of her career teaching K–8 special education. She is a board member of the Indiana Non-public Education Association and co-author of Resilient Minds: Christ-Centered Mental Health Curriculum, published by Concordia Publishing House. Dr. Bratton holds a Ph.D. in Special Education Leadership from Concordia University Chicago. She earned her M.Ed. in Curriculum and Instruction from Indiana Wesleyan University, along with graduate certificates in Special Education and Gifted & Talented Education from Indiana Wesleyan University and Ball State University, respectively. Her undergraduate degree is in Elementary Education from Valparaiso University. In 2024, Dr. Bratton was honored to receive the Distinguished Alumnus Award from Concordia University Chicago.

Courses Taught

• EDD701 – Leadership for Whole System Reform
• EDD703 – Policy, Law, and Practice in Dynamic Settings
• EDD742 – Mixed Research Methods
• EDSE708 – Advanced Social Emotional Skills
• EDD771 – Dissertation Seminar I
• EDD772 – Dissertation Seminar II
• EDD774 – Dissertation Seminar IV
• EDD775 – Dissertation Seminar V
• EDD 776-785: Dissertation Research

Areas of Expertise

• Special Education
• Response to Intervention (RtI) and Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) frameworks
• Research methods
• Social-emotional Learning (SEL) and student behavior
• Mental Health
• Dyslexia and specific learning disabilities in reading
• Inclusion
• Early intervention
• Non-public education
• Twice-exceptional students