2015-2016 marked a successful year for the Division A graduate students. Our membership increased to approximately 1,000 students, representing approximately 33% of Division A’s total membership. Not only did enrollment increase, students were more engaged in our various initiatives, including our webinars, UCEA events, and our scholarship program. Most recently, Division A graduate students gathered at the 2016 AERA Annual Meeting for two annual events—the Dialogic Forum and the Fireside Chat. Below is a recap of our AERA events and annual Foster-Polite Scholarship.
Dialogic Forum
Chair: Lolita Tabron
Since 2012, the Division A Dialogic Forum has provided a platform for graduate students to share their research, receive constructive feedback from faculty and students, and get the pulse of current and future directions of research in the field. The 2016 Division A Dialogic Forum grew bigger and better. The 2016 application pool more than tripled, making the selection process very competitive. After a rigorous peer-review process, we selected 25 doctoral students to participate. More than half of the graduate student participants were first-time AERA participants and presenters whose work covered a broad spectrum of topics critical to educational leadership. We thank the Division A faculty mentors who shared their time and expertise: Judy Alston, Noelle Arnold, Scott Bauer, Jennifer Clayton, Shelby Cosner, Morgaen Donaldson, Chris Dunbar, Kristina Hesbol, Leslie Locke, Michael O’Malley, Margaret Terry Orr, Craig Peck, John Petrovic, Virginia Rangel, Mariela Rodriguez, and Dawn Williams.
Dialogic Forum
Chair: Lolita Tabron
Since 2012, the Division A Dialogic Forum has provided a platform for graduate students to share their research, receive constructive feedback from faculty and students, and get the pulse of current and future directions of research in the field. The 2016 Division A Dialogic Forum grew bigger and better. The 2016 application pool more than tripled, making the selection process very competitive. After a rigorous peer-review process, we selected 25 doctoral students to participate. More than half of the graduate student participants were first-time AERA participants and presenters whose work covered a broad spectrum of topics critical to educational leadership. We thank the Division A faculty mentors who shared their time and expertise: Judy Alston, Noelle Arnold, Scott Bauer, Jennifer Clayton, Shelby Cosner, Morgaen Donaldson, Chris Dunbar, Kristina Hesbol, Leslie Locke, Michael O’Malley, Margaret Terry Orr, Craig Peck, John Petrovic, Virginia Rangel, Mariela Rodriguez, and Dawn Williams.
Fireside Chat – Politics and Power in Community Policing and Schooling
Chair: Priya La Londe & Emma Bullock
On a snowy and cold early Saturday morning, several graduate students and educators came to the D.C. Convention Center to engage in a profound discussion about how politics and power shape policing and community schooling. The panel included Joel Bratton, Dean of Students, Baltimore City Public Schools; Hassan Charles, Executive Director of Engagement, Baltimore County Public Schools; Elke Chen, Assistant Principal, Washington D.C. El Haynes Public Charter School; Sonya Douglass Horsford, Associate Professor, George Mason University; and Tarryn McGhie, University of Nevada Las Vegas. The outstanding panel shared their perspectives on the fundamental issues and possible future directions to improve community schools and face community policing head on. Focusing on the context of D.C. and Baltimore and more broadly on implications for school leaders, the panel offered four key areas of insight around the goal of sharing power and improving partnerships between schools and communities. Panelists articulated a need for an explicit focus on building trust, partnership, and a symbiotic relationship with community members. At present, many communities feel disconnected from schools and institutions, often because of longstanding mistrust, misunderstanding, and policing. Another key theme that emerged in our dialogue is a need for school leaders to train and engage consistently with law enforcement to better understand adolescent development and community needs. Third, panelists suggested students need opportunities to have open dialogue with school leaders and law enforcement about their perspectives on discipline and policing practices. Several panelists highlighted how social media and new technologies should be utilized to empower student voice. Finally, in terms of policy, panelists suggested incentives and specific evaluation criteria around community engagement would help improve the pace of and create a culture of commitment toward community improvement. This year’s Fireside Chat was timely. It took place in a period in which law enforcement and our most vulnerable students are interfacing with one another in hostile, and sometimes deadly, ways. Each panelist offered invaluable perspectives on the ways in which community policing directly shapes educational outcomes and thus must be a central focus of school improvement and school leadership. We are deeply grateful to the panelists for their time and perspectives. Panelist contact information is as follows:
Joel Bratton: [email protected]
Hassan Charles: [email protected]
Elke Chen: [email protected]
Sonya Horsford: [email protected]
Tarryn McGhie: [email protected]
Foster-Polite Scholarship
Chair: LaTanya Dixson
Division A annually awards $500 travel stipends to attend the AERA Annual Meeting to a few deserving graduate students. Applicants were accepted for paper and poster presentations in Division A sessions. The Division A graduate student committee and former Foster-Polite Scholarship awardees conducted blind reviews of the applications. Once again, our applicant pool reflected the high quality of Division A graduate students. This year’s recipients were Osly Flores, University of Pittsburgh; Frank Perrone, University of Virginia; and Sherry Gannon-Shilon, Bar Ilan University in Israel. Osly Flores’s paper examined school leaders’ interpretation of achievement and opportunity gaps, Frank Perrone’s paper examined 21st century trends in educational administration degree production, and Sherry Gannon-Shilon’s research looked at principals’ sense-making as creative-bridging for balancing internal and external demands. This group of diverse papers reflected the Division A graduate student committee’s commitment toward supporting the scholarly development of its constituents.
We look forward to another administration of the Foster-Polite Scholarship in 2017. The Call for Applications will go out in late fall 2016. We encourage all graduate students, with a proposal accepted to an AERA 2017 Division A session or SIG session related to educational administration, to apply for this prestigious scholarship.
Chair: LaTanya Dixson
Division A annually awards $500 travel stipends to attend the AERA Annual Meeting to a few deserving graduate students. Applicants were accepted for paper and poster presentations in Division A sessions. The Division A graduate student committee and former Foster-Polite Scholarship awardees conducted blind reviews of the applications. Once again, our applicant pool reflected the high quality of Division A graduate students. This year’s recipients were Osly Flores, University of Pittsburgh; Frank Perrone, University of Virginia; and Sherry Gannon-Shilon, Bar Ilan University in Israel. Osly Flores’s paper examined school leaders’ interpretation of achievement and opportunity gaps, Frank Perrone’s paper examined 21st century trends in educational administration degree production, and Sherry Gannon-Shilon’s research looked at principals’ sense-making as creative-bridging for balancing internal and external demands. This group of diverse papers reflected the Division A graduate student committee’s commitment toward supporting the scholarly development of its constituents.
We look forward to another administration of the Foster-Polite Scholarship in 2017. The Call for Applications will go out in late fall 2016. We encourage all graduate students, with a proposal accepted to an AERA 2017 Division A session or SIG session related to educational administration, to apply for this prestigious scholarship.
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