Mustafa Toprak, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Education
Office: Harrington Academic Hall 316J
Email: mtoprak@wtamu.edu
Phone: 806-651-2034
Professional Profile
Dr. Mustafa Toprak is an Associate Professor of Educational Leadership in the Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) in Educational Leadership program at the Terry B. Rogers College of Education and Social Sciences at West Texas A&M University. He brings more than 20 years of experience as a faculty member, researcher, educational leader, and teacher across K–12 and higher education. Prior to joining WTAMU, he served as Associate Professor and Chair of the Department of Educational Leadership at Sharjah Education Academy in the United Arab Emirates, where he led the design, development, and accreditation of graduate programs focused on preparing educational leaders.
Teaching and Related Service
Dr. Toprak’s teaching experience spans graduate and undergraduate education across face-to-face, hybrid, and online modalities, with particular emphasis on transformational leadership, instructional leadership, research methods, organizational theory, and teaching and learning. He has contributed substantially to curriculum and program development, including educational leadership and inclusive education programs, and, most recently, postgraduate diploma and master’s programs in Educational Leadership.
Dr. Toprak’s teaching is complemented by extensive student mentorship and institutional service. He has supervised numerous completed graduate theses on topics ranging from instructional leadership and teacher digital literacy to inclusive education, student motivation, and action research. His service has included membership and leadership roles on academic, curriculum, research ethics, faculty affairs, and research committees, as well as the establishment and facilitation of Peer Communities of Learning.
Research and Creative Activity
Dr. Toprak’s scholarship focuses on school leadership, educator well-being, organizational behavior in educational settings, educational policy, and leadership for inclusion. His work draws on quantitative and qualitative approaches, including regression analysis, structural equation modeling, mixed methods, systematic reviews, and bibliometric analysis. He has published more than thirty journal articles in leading international journals, including Educational Management Administration & Leadership (EMAL), Journal of Educational Administration (JEA), International Journal of Leadership in Education (IJLE), International Journal of Educational Management (IJEM), and Teaching and Teacher Education (TATE). He is also the author of the book Problems and Possibilities of Neoliberal Education Reforms: Accountability, High-Stakes Testing, and Inequality, published by Bloomsbury Academic.
Dr. Toprak’s scholarly activity extends beyond journal publications to book chapters, conference presentations, invited workshops, and editorial and peer-review service. He has presented his research at major conferences, including the American Educational Research Association (AERA) Annual Meeting. He has contributed to scholarly publishing as an editor and editorial board member for several journals and currently serves as a Regional Editor for the Bloomsbury Digital Series on Education and Childhood.