​Alexandra Pavlakis, Ph.D., Meredith Richards, Ph.D., and J. Kessa Roberts, Ph.D. have created, in collaboration with professional cartoonists, Uprooted: Voices of Student Homelessness. This initiative is a free comic based on years of research on K-12 student homelessness. Intended for use by educational leaders, teachers, and staff, the comic presents composite stories that push back on deficit narratives and highlight the diversity in K-12 homelessness experiences. Interested scholars and practitioners can download the comic or request free physical copies (while supplies last) at http://smu.edu/uprooted.
 
Dr. Pavlakis is an Associate Professor in the Education Policy and Leadership department at Southern Methodist University (SMU). Her research agenda addresses the social contexts of education. In particular, she examines how student and families’ broader life contexts intersect with educational institutions, actors, policies, and practices to shape their schooling experiences. Her work falls into three distinct but overlapping research strands: 1) educational leadership and community change, 2) family-school-community engagement, and 3) policy and diversity in student homelessness. While her third strand explicitly addresses student homelessness, across all three, she focuses primarily on the contexts of economic disadvantage, poverty, homelessness, and housing instability.
 
Dr. Richards is an Associate Professor of Education Policy and Leadership in the Simmons School of Education and Human Development at SMU. She received her Ph.D. in Educational Policy from the University of Texas at Austin and was an IES Post-doctoral Fellow in Education Policy and Methods at the University of Pennsylvania. She also holds a B.A. in Cognitive Science from the University of Virginia, a M.A. in Industrial/Organizational Psychology from George Mason University. At SMU, she is responsible for teaching doctoral coursework in educational research methods. 

Dr. Richards’ research seeks to understand the underlying causes of educational inequities and explore the effects of a wide range of educational policies—such as school choice, accountability, and student assignment policies—on equity and stratification in schools. 
 
Dr. Roberts is an Assistant Professor of Instructional Leadership in the Emma Eccles Jones College of Education and Human Services at Utah State University. Her research focuses on educational leadership and policy in the contexts of rural education and crisis and pays particular attention to the role of various stakeholders, including students and families, in educational policy and practice.

Our Division A colleagues have been busy writing, traveling researching, and creating. In this newsletter, we share some posts from Division A members as a way to build connections between Division A members. 

Interesting Projects and Tools
​​Erica Crane, Ed.D. has developed a journaling system from research and practice, based in liberatory leadership concepts to build necessary habits to lead in educational environments with equity. She created The Principal Journal at the conclusion of her dissertation, selecting impactful readings about developing liberatory-based school programs for daily inspiration. These daily pages allow leaders to consider their basics, especially as the work of equity-based educational leadership becomes more demanding and controversial. It is essential for leaders to take care of themselves, from drinking water to creating manageable priorities. This may sound simple, but the work of leading in community can be overwhelming and take precedence over simple self-preservation and care. Weekly, monthly, and annual pages allow for further tracking of actions and reflection. The journal is in alignment with the concepts of continuous improvement for equity and acts as a resource for scholars and practitioners to consider HOW liberatory work actually happens in schools, day to day. This work has the goal of supporting the best practices in leadership research so they can be enacted sustainably in educational organizations by transformational leaders. She sought to create a tool that could help turn research into practice. Here is a link to learn more about the journal: https://www.audaciouslearner.com/the-principal-journal

​The past seven summers, Dr. Belinda Karge has coordinated a trip to Washington DC for the Concordia University Irvine Policy, Law and Practice in Dynamic Settings course. The time in DC helps students understand the economic, social, legal, political, and cultural contexts impacting educational organizations and practices in the United States (US). Conversations with elected and appointed officials and various organizational staff help provide perspective on policy development. Speaking to US Department of Education elected and appointed officials as well as US Department of State Office of Overseas Schools diplomats give students perspective that they otherwise would not be privy to in their local educational settings. Listening to a staff member at the Department of Education who has worked for seven Presidents is eye opening! A day at the Library of Congress researching a policy issue as well as a visit to the National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance are typically on the agenda. These onsite visits and the think tank opportunities for discussion help education leaders determine best practices in carrying out responsibilities and envisioning how they can impact change. If Division A members are interested in doing something similar, they can read https://ccte.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/CCTESPAN2020Monograph.pdf for more details or contact Dr. Karge at [email protected]

 
Dr. Hilary Lustick, an assistant professor at the University of Massachusetts in Lowell, is working on a project titled Uplifting the Voices of Restorative Coordinators. This project utilized surveys, interviews, and focus groups to gain the perspectives of restorative coordinators across the contiguous United States regarding restorative practice implementation. Specifically, they were interested in whether and how restorative practices play a role in schools’ efforts to equitably serve schools that enroll culturally and racially diverse students. This work supports leaders' abilities to meet students' social and emotional needs, create feasible processes for school discipline reform, and become familiar with the dilemmas of restorative justice during their leadership education. To learn more about her work, contact her at ​[email protected].

Recently Published Works

Drs. Judy Cox and Carol Mullen's qualitative interview study examined principals’ instructional actions in rural, high-poverty schools and the perceived impact on student achievement. The published article connects to Division A's goals by mapping how leadership impacts rural, high-poverty schools through principals' instructional leadership practice in Title I settings. Division A members interested in evidence-based practices for improving student learning in under-studied contexts may find this work compelling. Reference: Cox, J. S., & Mullen, C. A. (2023). Impacting student achievement: Principals’ instructional leadership practice in two Title I rural schools. Journal of School Leadership, 33(1), 3-25. doi:10.1177/10526846221133996

​Daphne Warren recently wrote and published a case with Dr. Ericka Roland, assistant professor and Daphne’s dissertation chair at University of Texas at Arlington. The purpose of their scholarly article, Assignment Negotiation: Critical Race Theory and Educational Leadership Preparation Program, was for readers to explore the challenges many faculty experience when they engage with antiracism leadership teaching. This work is part of the Journal of Cases in Educational Leadership Anti-Racist Leadership Special Issue-Invited Authors only publication. Included in this article are Critical Race Theory reading resources, discussion questions, topic related reading resources, and a racial audit activity. Reference: Roland, E., & Warren, D. (2023). Assignment negotiation: Critical race theory and educational leadership preparation program. Journal of Cases in Educational Leadership (OnlineFirst). https://doi.org/10.1177/15554589231173356

Looking for Collaborators
Dr. Armen Alvarez, a storyteller & critical discourse scholar, would like to connect with other scholars that are interested in restorative justice for Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) understanding their valuable contribution to ways of knowing. Dr. Alvarez's extensive experience in academia includes program development, non-profit administration, faculty roles, academic research, and storytelling to unite students and academic scholars through culture. As a minoritized scholar, she employs Critical Discourse Analysis to dismantle the rhetoric of white settler colonialism, aiming to restore the valuable contributions of BIPOC to ways of knowing. You can find her on Twitter and Linked In, or contact her at ​[email protected]

​Dr. Gülnur Ak Küçükçayir is a teacher in Ankara, Turkey. She recently received her Ph.D. from Gazi University. She has developed an interdisciplinary holistic model at the blend of business and human resource management, in addition to the school/education lens, that will contribute to the professional development and training of school leaders. She designed a conceptual framework according to the theory synthesis and tested the model using mixed methods. This model, which can be applied to any professional group, was successful when applied to educational leaders. She presented the theoretical infrastructure of the data collection instruments of this research in a roundtable session at AERA 2021. She is seeking collaborators and would like to be able to apply this research in collaboration with academicians and different education administrators (maybe as a project) in another country. Contact her at ​[email protected]

Dr. Karis Clarke is an Associate Professor and Department Chair of Educational Leadership at Clark Atlanta University who works with leaders in the Educational Leadership Department to prepare them to work in diverse schools locally, nationally, and internationally. Karis is a passionate educator cultivating the growth and development of educators. For 10+ years Karis has driven the development of teacher education with oversight of training programs instructional strategies, curriculum planning, and accreditation.

Publication: Clarke, K. L. (Ed.). (2022). Self-Care and Stress Management for Academic Well-Being. IGI Global.


Summary: Self-care is a topic that is often challenging in education. Educators are required to learn to teach, advise, and cope with organizational change as well as encourage their students to take responsibility for their actions, say no, identify burnout, establish a network of family and friends, schedule breaks, do things they enjoy, and take care of themselves physically. However, teachers often do not follow these guidelines themselves. It is important that teachers allow themselves the time and space to do the same things that they insist their students do. Moreover, it is important that administrators recognize and support these efforts as well. Self-Care and Stress Management for Academic Well-Being discusses why self-care for educators is needed in order for them to sustain the growth of the students at their institutions. It explores the ways in which educators devote themselves to helping students develop their creativity and their academic voices but do not always give themselves the same permission. Covering a range of topics such as physical care, stress, and self-advocacy, this reference work is ideal for researchers, academicians, practitioners, scholars, administrators, instructors, and students.
​

Eleanor Su-Keene is faculty in the Department of Teaching, Learning, and Culture at Texas A&M University. Her research interests include social justice practices, occupational health, and wellbeing of school leaders. David DeMatthews is an associate professor of Educational Leadership and Policy at the University of Texas at Austin. His research examines social justice leadership, principal burnout, and turnover and retention with a focus on urban and rural schools serving low-income students of color.

Publication: Su-Keene, E. & DeMatthews, D. (2022) “Savoring” the Joy: Reducing Principal Burnout and Improving Well-Being through Positive Psychology Interventions, The Clearing House: A Journal of Educational Strategies, Issues and Ideas, 95:5, 210- 219. 

Summary: Researchers found that principals were more stressed, burned out, and depressed than your average American worker post-pandemic (Steiner et al., 2022). Widely recognized strategies that support mental health—consistent exercise; healthy, consistent meals; and quality sleep—can be challenging for principals to maintain given their high workloads, long hours, and often inconsistent schedules. In our article, we propose interventions from the field of positive psychology (PPIs) that have been empirically tested and shown to reduce burnout and depressive symptoms and improve wellbeing. We offer these strategies to principals because they are self-administered, relatively quick, and can be easily integrated into a routine. We also provide recommendations for integrating PPIs at the district level. While we recognize that stress and burnout are symptoms of larger systemic issues, we believe it is critical to help principals find joy and sustain themselves in their careers while simultaneously pushing for systems to change.

Follow them on Twitter: @ESuKeene and @DrDeMatt 

Dr. Kris Melloy has been an educational professional for 46 years. Dr. Melloy has served the profession as a classroom teacher, school administrator, university professor, and student success coach.

Publication: Melloy, K. J., Cieminski, A., & Sundeen, T. (2021). Accepting Educational Responsibility: Preparing Administrators to Lead Inclusive Schools. Journal of Research on Leadership Education.

Summary: Educational leaders are expected to lead schools for increased outcomes for all students. Effective leadership of inclusive schools requires certain skills and dispositions. However, many principals do not have a background in special education, and there is criticism that educational leadership preparation programs are inadequately preparing aspiring school leaders. In this study, we surveyed graduate students in a leadership preparation program to understand their perceptions of their knowledge and skills in leading inclusive schools. The study's results contribute to the body of research regarding curricular and experiential changes needed in preparation programs to prepare leaders for inclusive schools.

Dr. Phillip Caldwell II
As a son and citizen of Detroit, my mission is to partner with key stakeholders to develop and implement practices, policies and procedures that accelerate equitable access to educational opportunities and achievement for all students. This commitment has led me to answer the call to apply my technical skills, experiential knowledge, and leadership acumen toward reestablishing the academic health and fiscal solvency of our schools. I hold the rank of Assistant Professor in the Department of Leadership & Counseling within the College of Education at Eastern Michigan University. I am also Co-Coordinator for our Educational Leadership program. Over the past two year, I was awarded both the John W. Porter Distinguished Chair in Urban Education & Michael G. Morris Endowed Chair for Outstanding Faculty Members.

Publication: Caldwell II, P., Richardson, J. T., Smart, R. E., & Polega, M. (2022). The Intersectionality of Educating Black Students in Michigan: Public School Finance, Racial Segregation, and Housing Policy. Journal of Education Human Resources, 40(4), 524-563.

Summary: This research investigates Michigan’s system for funding public schools, particularly for Black students, via critical race theory, focusing on structural racism and discrimination embedded in education finance laws, housing policies, and residential and educational segregation. Through its continued reliance on local property taxation, the school finance system in Michigan is just another example of how laws and policies reinforce structural racism and discrimination against Black students. This study can discern a self-reinforcing system that relegates Blacks to a subordinate socioeconomic status regarding school finance, segregation and housing policy, and discrimination.

Follow on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/phillip-caldwell-ii-9a82591a3

​Mollie McQuillan is an Assistant Professor in Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Dr. McQuillan’s research focuses on the intersection of educational policy, leadership, school climate, and health of LGBTQ+ populations.

Dr. McQuillan was a guest editor of a special issue of Educational Researcher on Trans Studies in PK-12 Education. Several articles in this special issue can inform educational leaders' understanding of gendered policies, procedures, and practices.





​*McQuillan, M. T. (2022). A starting point: Gender, hot cognition, and trans-informed administrative guidance: Educational Researcher, 51(5), 336-351. https://doi.org/10.3102/0013189X221084707
*Suárez, M. I., McQuillan, M. T., Keenan, H. B., & Iskander, L. (2022). Differences in trans employees’ and students’ school experiences. Educational Researcher, 51(5), 352–358. https://doi.org/10.3102/0013189X221100834
*Mangin, M. M., Keenan, H. B., Meyer, E. J., McQuillan, M. T., Suárez, M. I., & Iskander, L. (2022). Editors’ introduction: Toward Trans Studies in K–12 Education. Educational Researcher, 51(5), 302–306. https://doi.org/10.3102/0013189X221105513
​
Please check out Dr. McQuillan important scholarship and consider the implications for the field of educational leadership. For more information, follow Dr. McQuillan on Twitter @msmmcquillan. 

Description
The articles in this special issue of Educational Researcher provide conceptual framings, empirical, and practical recommendations for scholars and educational leaders interested in examining gender within K12 education institutions and engaging with trans knowledge and communities. Three empirical articles in the special issue directly relate to Division A’s focus on PK-12 leadership practices and policy reforms. 

Division A member Mollie McQuillan uses a mixed methods approach in “A Starting Point: Gender, Hot Cognition, and Trans-Informed Administrative Guidance” to examine the design of PK-12 administrative guidance documents concerning transgender students from a representative sample of 112 school districts. McQuillan draws from trans studies, organizational studies, and cognitive psychology to describe why trans-informed guidance can be an effective tool to introduce complex gender “definitions,” the legal underpinnings of trans-informed administrative actions, and broaden administrators’ ability to appropriate respond to the diverse needs of students. McQuillan also provides evidence of language from administrative guidance documents that add barriers for administrators who aim to support trans students. McQuillan proposes codesigning trans-informed, specific administrative guidance as part of a broader cycle of inquiry to implement and expand gender-diversity reforms. 

In a second article, “Differences in Trans Employees’ and Students’ School Experiences,” Mario I. Suárez, Mollie McQuillan, Harper Keenan, and Lee Iskander, provides a descriptive analysis of a sample of 296 trans-identified school workers in Canada and the United States. The authors find trans PK-12 school workers may have greater structural supports but fewer social supports when compared to trans students in the same school. Suárez and colleagues highlight the need for school leaders and policymakers to direct attention to trans adults in schools in addition to the students they serve.  

Finally, the special issue includes a qualitative study from Division A member Melinda Mangin that describes supportive teachers’ attempts to decrease gendered practices, increase discussions about gender, and affirm individual student's gender identity. Mangin centers cisnormative school structures and institutionalized practices as a core obstacle to supporting trans and gender-expansive students. PK-12 leaders and scholars may be interested in learning from Mangin's descriptions of educators who push back against institutionalized cisnormativity. Mangin also led the special issue effort, which stemmed from a Spencer Foundation-funded learning community she organized on trans studies in K-12 educational research

​Name: Jennifer Santos
Dissertation: Transformative and Trauma-informed 
Social-emotional Learning at the Secondary Level

How did you choose your dissertation topic?
I was a secondary science teacher when I started my doctoral program. I infused social-emotional learning into my classes, but I felt that I lacked the resources to support and teach students who experienced trauma or had a different background than myself. I wanted to explore the best way for secondary teachers to teach when they have students from diverse backgrounds or who had experienced trauma. The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and social unrest in the Summer of 2020 created more urgency for me to explore these topics. The Ed.D. was an avenue to conduct my own research and learn about something that I was really interested in. 
How has learning about the topic and conducting research affected your practice? 
It reignited a passion in me and a desire to bring this learning back to my school. I became a dean in the Fall of 2020 and an assistant principal in the Fall of 2021 in a school with more than 50% students of color. I also believe that all of us have experienced trauma over the last few years, so I am motivated to do something that could impact the teachers and students in my school. 
How has being a scholar-practitioner influenced your work as a school leader? 
It influences my day-to-day work. My lens is paying attention to the social-emotional wellness of staff and students. I notice adults' and students' social and emotional status and am more aware of different perspectives. It gives me resources that I share with others. I also look for opportunities to influence the work of others that is aligned to research-based practice. 
What have been the joys and barriers to sharing your research and the research of others with other practitioners?
I am fortunate to work for a principal who is open to me sharing research-based ideas with the staff. I am facilitating an ongoing professional learning series for staff. My research and the research of others have provided the foundation and teachers have tried some of the activities. I also found some resources that are aligned with SEL research that teachers have been able to adopt and implement in their classrooms.
What are your ideas to make research more accessible to practitioners?
Unfortunately, many teachers and leaders do not use research as a resource. Their plates are full. We do all the research, but it doesn’t get down to practitioners. There’s a chasm between the body of research and the practices in schools. I wish practitioners didn’t view it as one more thing but as necessary to their professional practice. They often go to a colleague or leader instead of going and looking at the research. It would be cool to have more time to talk about research. 
I’d like to see ways to shorten the gap between the time research is conducted and when it gets implemented in the field. I have tried to share some 30-page research articles, but they are challenging for teachers to understand. I recommend we (researchers) reduce our findings to bite-size pieces. 
What opportunities have you had to share your work? What are your next steps?
I attended a research conference in August. Beyond that, it has just been within my workplace and with my participants. I’ll be presenting my dissertation study results at UCEA in November and working on a publication for a peer-reviewed journal. I’d like to conduct more research to test the theory I developed-let’s try it and see if it works!

Name: Deanna Dykstra-Lathrop
Dissertation: School Leadership Through the COVID-19
Pandemic: A Phenomenological Study

How did you choose your dissertation topic?
As an assistant principal, I was living through trying to lead amidst COVID-19 and wondered how other leaders were coping with it. Previously, I had been thinking about investigating bilingual administrators using a model of interculturally inclusive leadership, but the confluence of factors and timeliness of the topic pushed my thinking. It was important to me to research a topic that I cared about and that the results could make a difference in my practice and in the practice of others.
How has learning about the topic and conducting research affected your practice?
My own research shapes my daily actions. I am applying what I learned from my participants and sharing the findings with others on my leadership team. I am aware of using the recommendations that I made. I am helping others on the leadership team by reminding them to take care of others and not to forget about self-care.
How has being a scholar-practitioner influenced your work as a school leader?
It has made me aware of issues the need for research to guide my work and the work of others. I walk around everyday thinking about the issues that would make a great research question and study.
I had followed a ton of practitioners on social media and now I follow more researchers.
One project I am working on this year is a revised master schedule. I am relying on other people’s research. I am sharing that with teachers and then we are doing a mini-action research project. I probably wouldn’t have relied on research findings before getting a doctorate.
What have been the joys and barriers to sharing your research and the research of others with other practitioners?
It’s challenging working as a full-time administrator and think about conducting more research or getting an article ready for a research publication.
I think back to when some doctoral colleagues and I presented at a research conference a few years ago. It only reached a few people--maybe six to 10. I wonder how we redefine publishing and accessibility to research so more people could benefit from what we learned.
What are your ideas to make research more accessible to practitioners?
Action research is a great place to start. I think many practitioners can begin research in their classroom or school by collecting data and sharing it. Anytime researchers can keep a foot in the classroom or school, it builds credibility. I wonder how people can keep their feet in both camps.
I’d like to see more opportunities for practitioners to share their research, maybe in a new publication or blog, and then build a network of scholar-practitioners. I’d like to see research findings shared more widely--here are the takeaways. That would respond to practitioners who say, “Give me the bottom line, cut to the chase, and tell me what I need to know.”
What opportunities have you had to share your work? What are your next steps?
I have had many small conversations but nothing formal yet. I applied to present at AERA 2023 for Division A. I get the NASSP Bulletin and keep thinking that I’ll send the results of my study to them since I want to influence the work of other practitioners. I am still concerned about access and equity for historically underserved students. I would like to investigate the long-term effects of the COVID-19 shutdown and family experiences of those who may have struggled.

Check out these great shares from our Division A scholars!

We used two calls for scholar shares for this newsletter, and both are shared below. First, we present shares about working during the challenges of the COVID-19 Pandemic. Second, we present shares about resources for effective online instruction.  

First, here are shares about Working During the Challenges of the COVID-19 Pandemic:

George Theoharis shared:

Rebecca Lowenhaupt and I have edited a book due out March 2021 titled "Parenting in the Pandemic: The collision of school, work, and life at home" (Information Age Press). The book features 44 auto-ethnographic essays from education faculty on navigating the realities of parenting during COVID. The essays are organized in 3 sections: Section I: “Fierce Urgency of Now:” Pandemic Parenting, Justice & Identity; Section II: “Got to Go Through It!” Schooling at Home; Section III: “We are here for the storm”: Seeking balance in the midst of crisis. It is worth the read as the essays are beautiful in how the capture the weight, struggle and joy of this moment.

Ty-Ron Douglas shared:

Here is a link to my blog.

www.tcpress.com/blog/class-leading-pandemic/

​Daniella G. Varela shared:
​
In January 2020, I became an assistant professor. When COVID-19 rocked our world just a few weeks later, I suddenly had 3 children learning at home and a fatigued husband (essential frontline worker) trying to balance fear with duty. All the while I felt this nagging obligation to prove myself as the new kid in a space no one really knew how to navigate yet. After a week's long roller coaster ride of emotions and (ahem) outbursts, I decided I needed to rededicate myself to myself. I began an exercise regimen to improve my mood, focus, and energy. I stopped obsessing over daily case counts and instead obsessed over healthy new recipes and overdue home projects. I turned my curiosities about how to best adapt and overcome into research opportunities (and finished the year with 5 peer-reviewed publications). I studied mental health and its influence on educational leadership. We have an incredible opportunity to reshape the future of education, but we cannot be so internally broken that will lose sight of our individual potential. Instead of relying on “when things go back to normal,” we must nurture and protect confidence in our ability to move forward. Take care of yourself, first!

Jenny Dutton shared: 

Teaching in both face-to-face and online formats from undergraduate to doctoral learners, it's important to know that, while we are physically separated, they are still a valuable part of the learning community within their courses. Whether students physically attended class or connected through a video platform, its critical to show our (as professors) appreciation of the students. Be encouraging, caring, flexible, and yet teach the course to standards so students walk away learning something about the material and can feel good about their perseverance. This is a time to support and engage students on a more personal level. I have also adjusted my curriculum to include leading in a COVID-19 environment. How do we lead virtual teams? How do we still contribute to the success of the organization?

Elizabeth Walker shared:

During the COVID-19 pandemic, REFLECTION has allowed me to thrive. As a full-time, non-profit leader, an EdD student at USC, and a mom to a teenager, the pandemic has slowed down my life considerably. Pre-pandemic, I traveled for work every other week, ate poorly, drank too much, ran from one meeting to another, and didn't exercise enough. Like many families, mine has experienced considerable loss during the pandemic — the loss of my young nephew and my great uncle, the loss of my favorite feline, the loss of my independence and control. Further, parenting a teenager during this time has proven to be especially interesting! In addition to the loss though, I have gained a love of "reflection." As a primary tenet of my doctoral program, I was introduced to reflection last year. I now carry small reflection notebooks with me wherever I go—in my purse, in the car, in my backpack—so that I can jot down "ahas" that arise in my readings, new learnings that can be applied at work, conceptual frameworks for my dissertation, how to parent better at the next opportunity. Reflection has been "my mindfulness" and a way to better connect with my authentic self and my goals (and, just like an old diary, it's fun to go back and read the entries).

K. Kayon Morgan shared:

During the Fall 2020 semester, I taught Organizational Theory and Qualitative Research to the same group of students consecutively on the same night. This meant that I had doctoral students who had worked all day, were tired, had family commitments tugging at every fiber of their being, all while trying to remain present and focused for five hours in class. My strategies for self-care that led to a successful semester were:

1. I logged in a half hour before class and played music, (mostly classical) until about five minutes into the start of class when all students were logged in.
2. We took regular breaks to do deep breathing, stretch, and walk outside.
3. I facilitated moments for students to connect on a personal level such as in breakout rooms or sharing their stories with the larger group. This fostered a sense of community but allowed for the social and emotional needs to be fulfilled rather than only focusing on academics.
4. Assignments were adjusted as needed to lessen the demand and stress for students.

​
Kimberly Kappler Hewitt shared:

I have leveraged several strategies to promote wellness and productivity. In terms of productivity, I have maintained a daily writing practice of writing at least 30 minutes each morning M-F. This is a practice advocated by the National Center for Faculty Development and Diversity (see here for a brief newsletter article about it: https://www.facultydiversity.org/octobernews20). It keeps my scholarship moving forward. For wellness, I have been keeping a gratitude journal and writing in it each morning when I wake up. There's substantive research about the positive effects of gratitude (see here for a brief article: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/the-transformative-power-_2_b_6982152). Also, I recently started scheduling one hour of wellness time every other week. During this hour, I do whatever I want to in that hour, as long as it isn't anything on my to do list. I LOVE this time. It fills my bucket and allows me to be spontaneous. I especially like to use the time to take a solo hike and picnic at a nearby lake.

Brooke Soles shared:

Transhumanism, Future Studies, and Educational Leadership

Higher education must engage its educational leadership graduate students in futures studies to ensure equity and access for everyone and get comfortable with the uncomfortable. I understand the coronavirus has changed the way we live and work. I also understand COVID-19 and our current context of exposed racial injustices has highlighted inequities in our educational systems. What must follow is a radical examination of how these inequities occurred and implement changes through collective, anti-oppressive conversations. One definition of transhumanism (Gidley, 2019) is embracing direct application of medicine and technology to overcome our basic biological limitations; another definition of transhumanism addresses human progress and improvement through education and culture (Bostrom, 2005). If the former definition can be used to engage in effective teaching and learning online to avoid receiving and transmitting the coronavirus, how might the latter definition function as a conduit for human progress and improvement through education and culture to address our deeply racist and oppressive schooling systems?

Bostrom, N. (2005). A history of transhumanist thought. Journal of evolution and technology, 14(1), 18.

Gidley, J. M. (2019). Transhumanism. In H. Paul (Ed.), Critical Terms in Futures Studies (pp. 319-326). Palgrave Macmillan.

Charles Steven Bingham shared:

My first response is but a singe word--grace. But, first, the backstory, I am sure all too familiar with many of my Division A colleagues charged with teaching practitioner scholars.

My EdD students are all working as professional educators, primarily but not exclusively in K-12. Many are teachers, administrators, and parents of school-aged children, all of whom at some time or another have been learning remotely.

My university courses, including how I interact with my dissertation advisees and interns, have been challenged by uncertainty and volatility as face-to-face classes and meetings were cancelled. Particularly hard hit were courses, heretofore with no online component, now transformed into virtual sessions.

I appreciate the advances in virtual learning and applaud my colleagues who have risen to the challenges of online instruction. I myself have developed technical skills I never knew I would need.

But what has been most difficult is helping ambitious young and middle-aged professionals understand it's okay not to be perfect, especially in the Time of COVID-19. So my policy has become family-first, program-of-study second.

I suppose my new approach is working. After last fall experiencing the most stressful semester in my career, my students rewarded me with the most creative, innovative, and thoughtful course capstone projects and Student-Observation-of-Instruction ratings I have ever received.

Both my students' resiliency and mine have led to bonds of affection and deepened understanding about human nature and leading in difficult times heretofore unimagined. And we owe it to our permission to grant grace in all things.

Next, here are shares about Effective Resources for Online Instruction:

Mark E. Deschaine shared:

I have done presentations in the past related to flipped instruction. During the sessions, I utilized Hunter's ITIP and called our model IFLIP. The model was picked up by a blog and was highlighted here https://bit.ly/3t0Hhag. The pandemic has caused a renewed interest in IFLIP, and has supported appropriate lesson design and development utilizing flipped instruction.

Deschaine, M. (2018). Supporting students with disabilities in k-12 online and blended learning. Michigan Virtual University. https://michiganvirtual.org/research/publications/supporting-students-with-disabilities-in-k-12-online-and-blended-learning/. This resource highlights basic issues related to providing IEP driven supports and designs for students with disabilities in online learning environments.

Maxwell Yurkofsky shared:

drive.google.com/file/d/1Jw2yDiktc-N2IKx7qWIyHYFKApZ6uDUx/view?usp=sharing

Blum-Smith, S., Yurkofsky, M. M., & Brennan, K. (2020). Stepping back and stepping in: Facilitating learner-centered experiences in MOOCs. Computers & Education, 160, 104042.

This paper explores how a set of facilitation teams described enacting their learner-centered pedagogical aspirations through MOOC platforms. Drawing on in-depth interviews, we present a set of six facilitator actions: “giving up control,” “distributing facilitation,” “being live,” “amplifying,” “modeling,” and “being explicit.” We discuss these actions as emerging from the negotiation between existing pedagogical aspirations and the realities of a new medium, highlighting how they involve facilitators both stepping back (making space for and foregrounding learner expertise and perspectives) and stepping in (intervening and directing as a facilitator).

Ruth Best shared:

Here is an article entitled: Distance Teaching and Learning: Group Projects and Oral Presentations

learningandteachingexchange.wordpress.com/2019/08/14/distance-teaching-and-learning-group-projects-and-oral-presentations/
​
​Brooke Soles shared:

Soles, Brooke; Maduli-Williams, Denise
Student Perceptions of an Accelerated Online Master's in Education Administration Program through the Lens of Social Presence
Educational Leadership and Administration: Teaching and Program Development, v30 p56-82 Mar 2019
​https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ1206790 

Here is an article in which I was featured that focuses on online instruction:
https://news.csusm.edu/ask-the-experts-education-covid/

​Gerald Dryer shared:

www.leadershipforlearning.org/what-we-do/personalized-learning

This is a survey and PD system that I have designed as part of my research. It gives educators feedback about their practices of personalization and student agency.

dangerouslyirrelevant.org/

This is a great blog about education technology by Dr. Scott McLeod.

Suzanne E. McLeod shared:

www.ascd.org/publications/newsletters/education-update/sept20/vol62/num09/Encouraging-Student-Participation-in-Distance-Learning.aspx

Even graduate courses need new approaches in distance learning to encourage active participation. This resource from the Association of Supervision and Curriculum Development inspired our Educational Policy class to take a virtual field trip to the Southern Poverty Law Center, considering its significant and continuing contribution to shaping US educational policy. An email outreach resulted in a field trip tailor-made to course objectives, enlivening the routine of class after class via computer screen. Based on the success, this semester we are exploring a field trip possibility to a presidential library to enhance our learning about leadership.

Zarna Shah shared:

Here is an article with helpful ideas:

www.insidehighered.com/digital-learning/article/2017/07/12/7-guidelines-effective-teaching-online

Thank you to all the contributions from our Division A scholars!

Check out recent publications and other accomplishments from our exceptional Division A scholars!

Sonya D. Hayes

Hayes, S.D. & Burkett, J.R. (2020). Almost a principal: Coaching and training assistant principals for the next level of leadership. Journal of School Leadership. Available first online at https://journals.sagepub.com/home/jsl# 

Stone-Johnson, C. & Hayes, S.D. (2020). Using Improvement Science to (Re)Design Leadership Preparation: Exploring Curriculum Change Across Five University Programs. Journal of Research in Leadership Education. Available first online at https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/1942775120933935

Hayes, S.D., & Mahfouz, J. (2020). Principals and mentorship: A review of perspectives, evidence, and literature 1999-2019. Research in Educational Administration & Leadership, 5(3), 722-751.

Hayes, S.D. & Angelle, P.A. (2020). Relational mentoring for supporting school principals in social justice leadership. In C. Mullen (Ed.), Handbook of Social Justice Interventions in Education. Springer. 

Israel Aguilar

I would like to share with all Division A the great work Dr. Ian Mette, Dr. Douglas Wieczorek, and I did on researching state political cultures and teacher supervision and evaluation models. Please enjoy our 2020 accomplishment. I learned so much from working with these two fine scholars on this publication. Thank you, team, for your work on this publication:

Mette, I., Aguilar, I., & Wieczorek, D. (2020). A Thirty State Analysis of Teacher Supervision and Evaluation Systems in the ESSA Era. Journal of Educational Supervision, 3 (2). https://doi.org/10.31045/jes.3.2.7 

Linsay DeMartino

I was honored to facilitate the Care and Caring in Remote Instruction webinar, the first of ten sessions from the inaugural Connecting the DOTS (Distant, Online Teachers & Students) interactive webinar series sponsored by the College of Education at Illinois State University. You can access the site here: https://experienceliteracy.wixsite.com/remotelearning.

I am excited to announce the publication of one of my labors of love, De-centering the deficit framework: Courageous refugee mentors in educational spaces. 

DeMartino, L. De-Centering the Deficit Framework: Courageous Refugee Mentors in Educational Spaces. Urban Rev (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11256-020-00579-7

Jeremy D. Visone

Visone, J. D. (2020). Teacher leadership for excellence in US National Blue Ribbon Schools. International Journal of Leadership in Education. https://doi.org/10.1080/13603124.2020.1811897

Visone, J. D. (2020). Pre-launch preparations of a peer observation initiative viewed through a concerns model. Professional Development in Education, 46, 130-144. https://doi.org/10.1080/19415257.2019.1585385

Karen Seashore

​I want to lift up my colleagues, Peter Demerath and Michael Goh, whose passion for teaching, ethnographic research and equity led to their appointment to a state-wide Minnesota initiative called Generation Next. Like many commissions, there was a lot of noise and little action -- except their work group, which produced "Narrowing School-Based Relationship Gaps" -- A freely available web-based video resource for educators. It is not a "peer reviewed publication" but it will have enormous impact in raising serious questions about how schools work with marginalized communities and what educators need to do to address embedded institutional racism.

https://z.umn.edu/rethinkgaps 

Dr. Katie Pekel is a "Principal-in-Residence" in our department. Her energy and commitment has produced multiple years of funding for a year-long (non-degree) Principal Academy for mid-career school administrators. Further, she has linked successful completion of major research projects that members of that cohort can do for advanced credits and expedited entry to our Executive Doctoral Program. The result: state-wide support for our professional development and Ph.D. programs has increased enrollment in our doctoral cohort, which is growing, although it is more expensive and more rigorous than other programs in the state.

Kristina LaVenia

Principal Investigator on an award from the US DOJ to support training for school leaders. The focus of this project is leaders' improved awareness and response for (a) reducing school violence (with a special focus on violence against girls and minorities in schools), (b) response and prevention of substance abuse and addiction, and (c) improved mental health outcomes for students. We are working with 16 partner districts in OH on this 3-year, $750,000 award.

Bequita Pegram

Established a mentoring program for African American female students enrolled in a higher education. The first chapter began August 3rd on Prairie View A&M University.

Inducted into the Alpha Kappa Mu Honor Society

Marco A. Nava

Nava, M. A., Dávalos, I. M., Crossin, M., Escobedo, A., Estrada, D., Lowe, H. L., ... & Sotomayor, M. (2020). THE PRINCIPAL'S COACH. The Learning Professional, 41(2), 43-46. https://learningforward.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/the-principals-coach.pdf

Nava, M. A., & Nava, I. L. (2020). PARTNERSHIPS IN PRACTICE. Creating School Partnerships that Work: A Guide for Practice and Research, 27.
https://www.google.com/books/edition/Creating_School_Partnerships_that_Work/5Hz4DwAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=marco+nava+lausd&pg=PA27&printsec=frontcover

Denver J. Fowler

Co-authored book titled "Human Resources for School Leaders: 11 Steps to Utilizing HR to Improve Student Learning" (Rowman & Littlefield). See: https://www.amazon.com/Dr.-Denver-J.-Fowler/e/B087WZT12G%3Fref=dbs_a_mng_rwt_scns_share

Co-authored journal article titled "Educational Leadership, Leader-Member Exchange, and Teacher Self-Efficacy" in the Journal of Global Education and Research. See: https://scholarcommons.usf.edu/jger/vol4/iss2/4/

Nichole Walsh

Walsh, N., Ginger, K. and Akhavan, A., (2020).“Impact of Instructional Coaching on Teacher Efficacy with PreK-6 Teachers,” Issues in Educational Research, vol. 30, no. 3, pp. 1143-1161. http://www.iier.org.au/iier30/walsh.pdf

Harrington, L. and Walsh, N. (2020). “District Support of Alternative Permit Teachers for Increasing Efficacy and Retention.” Management in Education, https://doi.org/10.1177/0892020620942508

Akhavan, N. and Walsh, N. (2020). “Cognitive Apprenticeship Learning Approach in K-8 Writing Instruction: A Case Study.” Journal of Education and Learning, vol. 9, no. 3, pp. 123-142. https://doi.org/10.5539/jel.v9n3p123

Raymond Pun

I have two edited books coming out next year. I signed two contracts (Mazie Press and ACRL Publication) and am excited that they will be out:

Wikipedia and Academic Libraries
Critical Ethnic Studies in Academic/Research Libraries

Obtained my Ed.D. in May 2020! I worked very hard under the pandemic and got it done. I am thankful of my chair Dr. James Mullooly and committee members Drs. Maria McCauley, Bob Bleicher and Annie White for their support and care!

James Martinez

Appointed as Assistant Director for the Center of Educational Leadership at the University of Tennessee to advance the support of educational leaders across the State (https://cel.utk.edu/).

Working as a member of an interdisciplinary team, worked to secure a $490,877 grant from the Robert D. and Patricia E. Kern Family Foundation to "support the integration of virtue, ethics, and character in the University of Tennessee – Knoxville’s education leadership programming".

Kathryn Hayes

Based on years of research into the district capacity for science education, we have proposed a framework to organize the disparate elements of capacity proposed to support reform. The framework consists of five dimensions—expertise, cultural, social, structural, and policy—organized at three levels: individual, organizational, and external. A paper using this framework has been published in the American Journal of Education, demonstrating that organizational structures and policies, such as aligned schedules, play a central role in science professional learning opportunities. However, each structure was facilitated by other elements of capacity, including resources in the cultural and social dimensions.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/14fCDzNl-swdWluVIt55fQHOWwcgy0ha8/view?usp=sharing 

Ann Hilliard

Hilliard, A. & Foose, R. (2020). How Can Educational Leaders Promote Greater Student Engagement Remotely During Covid-19. Advances in Sciences Research Journal. Vol. 7, No. 7 DOl
10.14738/assrj.77.8528.

Carol A. Mullen

Mullen, C. A. (2020). Online doctoral mentoring in a pandemic: Help or hindrance to academic progress on dissertations? International Journal of Mentoring and Coaching in Education, 1-19. doi.10.1108/IJMCE-06-2020-0029.

The guest-edited issue is underway: Mullen, C. A. (2021, in progress). Guest Editor of “Mentoring and Coaching in Times of Crises, Pandemics, and Social Distancing. International Journal of Mentoring & Coaching in Education, 10(2). Call for Papers (was due 11/16/20): https://www.emeraldgrouppublishing.com/journal/ijmce/mentoring-times-crises-pandemics-and-social-distancing

Mullen, C. A., Boyles, E., Witcher, A., & Klimaitis, C. (2020). Dynamics shaping collaborative peer group mentoring among educational leaders. Mentoring & Tutoring: Partnership in Learning, 28(4), 416-438. https://doi.org/10.1080/13611267.2020.1793087.

The entire special issue has been published: Mullen, C. A. (2020). Guest Editor of “Dynamic Mentoring Groups, Programs, and Structures: Legacy Special Issue.” Mentoring & Tutoring: Partnership in Learning, 28(4). Complete published issue: https://www.tandfonline.com/toc/cmet20/current
​
Nathan S. Schilling

Superintendent of Schools for Lansing School District 158 and Continuing Adjunct Professor in the Department of Educational Leadership at Concordia University Chicago, was selected to publish a chapter in the second volume of Research on the Superintendency – Reclaiming Local Control Through Superintendents, School Boards, and Community Activism – by editors Dr. Leigh E. Wallace and Dr. Meredith L. Mountford. Dr. Schilling’s chapter will be titled “Illinois School Superintendents: Moral Purpose in Leadership of Nontraditional Teacher Pay” and focus on the ethics of fiscal and managerial decision-making by school district leaders in the wake of ongoing economic recession.

Also, I was selected to present a session titled “Illinois Superintendent Leadership of Nontraditional Teacher Pay: A Qualitative Inquiry of Moral Purpose” at the 2020 Associated Colleges of Chicago Area Scholarship of Pedagogy Symposium. Hosted virtually by North Central College and available from www.northcentralcollege.edu/acca-pedagogy-symposium, Dr. Schilling’s presentation focuses on the ethics of human, fiscal, and material resource management by school district superintendents during times of economic recession – a topic reflecting synergy in educational leadership performance standards.

Cyrill Walters

Walters, C. The complexity of leadership in South African universities. Higher Education Research & Development. 2020. https://doi.org/10.1080/07294360.2020.1811644

Jansen, J. & Walters, C. (Eds.). 2020. Faultlines: A Primer on Race, Science and Society. Stellenbosch: SUNMedia.

Academic reviews:

Transactions of the Royal Society of South Africa, 75 (2020) https://doi.org/10.1080/0035919X.2020.1789239;

South African Journal of Science 116:9/10 (2020)
https://doi.org/10.17159/sajs.2020/8449

Kayon Morgan

Dr. Morgan was appointed for a two year term to the Mayor’s Permanent Task Force on Anti-Racism for the city of Middletown, CT where she will work closely with the mayor to advise the administration and promote the adoption of anti-racist policies and initiatives so as to address systemic racism both locally and nationally.

Summer Pannell

Accepted an Associate Professor position at Stephen F. Austin State University

Won Outstanding Faculty in Research and Scholarship at the University of Houston-Victoria

Malikah Nu'Man

Completed my Doctorate in Educational Leadership

Presented at ACSA Leadership Summit, November 2020

Lori L. Foltz-Rea

Successfully defended my dissertation. My topic was "Exploring Systemic Collaboration across Organizational Strata within Public Schools' Improvement Systems."

Ismat Abbas

Received Student Access Grant from National Council for Family Relations 2020
Acceptance to Candidacy

Mary McAllister-Parsons

Presenter at AAHHE 2020 conference
Presenter at AERA 2020 conference