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Dr. Tiffini Brigola is the Coordinator of the M.Ed. in Educational Leadership, Vice President of the Louisiana Educational Research Association, and Executive Board Member of the Raphael-Evelyn Ofodum Education Foundation. A former State Assistant Principal of the Year, she is the creator of the Whole School Optimization Model and winner of LERA’s Rayma Harchar Outstanding Paper Award. Her work focuses on innovative leadership, teacher expertise, and resolving wicked problems in K–12 education. She is passionate about educational equity, systems thinking, and preparing leaders who uplift schools and communities.

Doctor of Education in K-12 Educational Leadership 
�鶹ҹ��, 2023

Master of Education in Educational Leadership 
�鶹ҹ��, 2017

Wicked Problems in Education 
Whole System Design and System Thinking 
Authentic School Improvement 
Dispositions and Practices of Effective School Leadership 
Self-Awareness and Personal Development in Leadership 
Expert Teaching and Teacher Leadership 
Innovation and the Flow Experience (Individual and Group Flow) 
The Human Development Index (HDI) and Its Impact on Education
AI and Its Impact on the Arts and Education

Brigola, T. (2025). The whole school optimization model: Using innovative leadership and teacher expertise to overcome wicked problems in K-12 education. Research Issues in Contemporary Education, 10(1). ISSN 2690-9251

Brigola, T. (2023). The whole school optimization model: A sequential, mixed-methods, multiple-case study of effective leadership and the utilization of irreplaceable, expert teachers in innovative roles to solve wicked problems in authentic school improvement [Doctoral Dissertation, �鶹ҹ��]. ProQuest LLC, Dissertations and Theses. ISBN: 979-8-3811-5862-5

Brigola, T. & Mayeaux, A. (2025, April 23-27). The whole school optimization model: Reconceptualizing school improvement through shared, expert leadership [Paper presentation]. American Educational Research Association Conference 2025, Denver, CO, United States

Brigola, T. (2025). Something Wicked this Way Comes: Applying the Whole School Optimization Model [Presentation]. New International Virtual Association Conference Spring Program, Florida, United States

Brigola, T., Comeaux, A., Hill, C., Bertrand, R., Boutte, N., Gardner, C., LeJeune, C., Buche, J., Wilkinson, S., Viator, J., Caesar, C., Toups, C., & Gilliam, A. (2025, March 11-14). Something wicked this way comes: Innovative approaches to tackling unrelenting issues in today’s educational climate [Conference symposium]. LERA Conference 2025, Lafayette, LA, United States

Autin, N., & Brigola, T. (2025, March 11-14). Using action research as a catalyst in designing implementation steps for improvement [Conference symposium]. LERA Conference 2025, Lafayette, LA, United States

Brigola, T. (2024). Something Wicked this Way Comes: Wicked Problems in Education and How to Solve Them [Presentation]. New International Virtual Association Conference Fall Program, National Social Science Association

Brigola, T. (2022). Wong and Wong’s Classroom Instruction Book: A Whole Group Book Study [Presentation]. Gueydan High School, Vermilion Parish Schools, Year-long Professional Learning Program

Brigola, T. & Lepretre, N. (2021). Teachers are leaders: Improving classroom management through leadership theory [Presentation]. Vermilion Parish School System District-wide Professional Development

2025 – Vice President, Louisiana Educational Research Association 
2025 – Rayma Harchar Outstanding Research Paper Award, Louisiana Educational Research Association
2024 - Appointment to �鶹ҹ�� Graduate Faculty 
2024 – Louisiana Association of Principals State Assistant Principal of the Year 
2023 – Executive Board Member, Raphael-Evelyn Ofodum Education Foundation 
2022 – Yearbook Dedication Recipient: “Behind the Scenes”, Gueydan High School 
2021 – Louisiana Aspiring Principal Fellow, Pilot Cohort, LDOE 
2019 – Scholarship Recipient, Louisiana BESE Tuition Program for Teachers 
2017 – Inductee, Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society, �鶹ҹ�� Chapter