Blog Posts

Publication Announcement

4/3/2018

Craig De Voto

Please see this Journal of Research on Leadership Education co-authored publication discussing the importance of utilizing application-oriented projects in the school context as a resource for early leaders' development.

Cosner, S., De Voto, C., & Andry Rah’man, A. (2018). Drawing in the school context as a learning resource in school leader development: Application-oriented projects in active learning designs. Journal of Research on Leadership Education (https://doi.org/10.1177/1942775118763872).

Grant announcement: $3.5 million for PPeERS

4/1/2018

Dr. Kimberly Kappler Hewitt (PI) and Dr. Carl Lashley (Co-PI) of the University of North Carolina Greensboro, in partnership with the Southern Regional Education Board and 9 rural districts in North Carolina, have received a $3.5 million, 4-year grant to continue the Principal Preparation for Excellence and Equity in Rural Schools (PPEERS) program, which prepares teacher leaders to be principals of high-needs rural schools. The program involves intentional recruiting and rigorous selection and includes a 10-month, full-time paid internship, leadership coaching, mentor principal training and support, and a rich curriculum that is integrated with a practicum (Year 1) and internship (Year 2). For more information about the program, contact Hewitt at [email protected].

CALL for Submissions to the journal of case studies in Educational leadership: Indigenous Perspectives and Experiences

3/12/2018

Educational leadership (K-20) has commonly been constructed, understood, and developed as a practice of an individual person – a leader, which runs the risk of discounting the wider field of relations (Evers & Lakomski, 2013). According to Warner & Grint (2012), “the individualist and democratic culture of white America has generated a particular approach to American Indians that promotes western governance systems at the expense of indigenous leadership cultures” (p. 971). Such constructions of leading in education have not served Indigenous students well (Mackey, 2017). The Journal of Case Studies in Educational Leadership is calling for submissions related to the theme of indigenous perspectives and experiences in educational leadership. This themed issue focuses on educational leadership through cases that help readers to understand and apply ways of understanding, practicing, and developing leadership that are reflective of Indigenous worldviews. One approach to changing the culture of education is to take up ways of relating, being, thinking and leading that are more consistent with longstanding views of relationality, community, and oneness with all living or non-living matter. These cultural elements can be amplified across various sectors to sustain cultural heritage, reciprocity, and survivance (survival and resistance).

Timeline:
Cases submitted by July 15, 2018; Issue published in Spring, 2019
Send inquiries to David Fisher, Managing Editor: [email protected]
Submit: Indicate the submission is for the themed issue: Indigenous Perspectives and Experiences

For more information, please click here.

new book: CREATING A DATA-INFORMED CULTURE IN COMMUNITY COLLEGES

2/10/2018

BRAD C. PHILLIPS and JORDAN E. HOROWITZ; Harvard Education Press (2017)

Brad C. Phillips and Jordan E. Horowitz offer a research-based model and actionable approach for using data strategically at community colleges to increase completion rates as well as other metrics linked to student success. They draw from the fields of psychology, neuroscience, and behavioral economics to show how leaders and administrators can build good habits for engaging with data constructively.

At the core of their approach is helping administrators and faculty identify leading indicators that they can impact and monitor before student failure occurs. The book also helps educators make better use of common sources of data, clarify problems to be solved, match research-based interventions to problems, and evaluate results. Three cases studies from Long Beach City College, Southwestern College, and Odessa College further illustrate how this approach was implemented as a part of comprehensive reform efforts.

Based on two decades of experience working with colleges across the country, Creating a Data-Informed Culture in Community Colleges promises to be a valuable contribution to the ongoing conversation about information use in education to improve student outcomes.

See a related blog post by Jordan E. Horowitz at https://drive.google.com/file/d/1lubRKRbCz4RE_Xb8A0QTYq9zhfFAPaSP/view?usp=sharing

new book: DOES COMPLIANCE MATTER IN SPECIAL EDUCATION?

2/7/2018

Does Compliance Matter in Special Education? IDEA and the Hidden Inequities of Practice
By Catherine Kramarczuk Voulgarides
(TC Press)

This book asks a question that many educators may think, but won’t say outloud: Does compliance with IDEA legislation matter? The author acknowledges that, while compliance with IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act) is important, it can also be an administrative burden that detracts from practitioners’ capacity to adequately serve students with disabilities. The author uses data collected from three suburban school districts to understand how compliance with IDEA intersects with decades of evidence of racial inequities in student outcomes. In this timely and thought-provoking book, the author unpacks the civil rights history of IDEA, examines the impact of its procedural focus on educational practice, and questions why racial inequities in special education persist despite good intentions by policymakers, educators, and school personnel.

New report: Teaching and learning in the age of trump

1/29/2018

John Rogers, representing the Institute for Democracy, Education, and Access at the University of California, Los Angeles, has published a report entitled Teaching and Learning in the Age of Trump: Increasing Stress and Hostility in America’s High Schools. The report, drawing upon surveys of 1,535 teachers and 35 follow-up interviews, examines school climate in high schools during the first four months of the Trump administration. The report can be found here: https://idea.gseis.ucla.edu/publications/teaching-and-learning-in-age-of-trump.

New book: Fighting for change in your school

1/26/2018

Harvey Alvy, Professor Emeritus in Educational Leadership at Eastern Washington University, authored, Fighting for Change in Your School: How to Avoid Fads and Focus on Substance (ASCD, 2017). ASCD selected the book as a Premium Member book in August of this year.

National Distinction Award

1/26/2018

In 2017, Dr. Carol A. Mullen, PhD, was honored with the National Distinction Award from her home university, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg Campus, for national reputation/importance/impact. Specifically, the award is “in recognition of the importance and impact of her work” and “continuous significant scholarly contributions as a faculty member to Virginia Tech and the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences.” Central administrative leaders also wrote that she was being honored for her “Outstanding performance over the years as a scholar, education, and university citizen and ongoing commitment to excellence and service based on her national reputation and impact. She serves as an excellent role model for rising assistant and associate professors.”

Division A Early Career Faculty Mentoring Seminar at AERA in NYC

11/20/2017

Division A- Administration, Organization and Leadership
Early Career Faculty Mentoring Seminar
American Educational Research Association Annual Meeting
Thursday, April 12, 2017, 1 p.m.–5 p.m., and Friday, April 13, 2017, 8:30 a.m.-12 p.m.

Division A will sponsor a mentoring seminar for pre-tenure faculty members prior to the start of the 2018 AERA Annual Meeting in New York City, NY. This year’s seminar will be held on two half days, Thursday (1-5 p.m.) and Friday (8:30 a.m.-noon). Pre-tenure faculty who are members of Division A are encouraged to register for this seminar.

The Division A Early Career Faculty Mentoring Seminar is an excellent opportunity to dialogue with mid-level and senior faculty and to network with other new faculty. The seminar is designed to:

Provide support for pre-tenure educational leadership/school administration faculty
Assist new faculty in preparing for pre-tenure reviews
Assist new faculty in developing skills needed to be productive scholars in research, teaching and service

Topics to be covered in this seminar include:

Day 1

Dean Panel about Tenure Processes
Innovative Teaching Session
Manuscript Revision Process for Publication

Day 2

Time with Senior Scholar Mentors

We ask that you save the date for your travel plans and submit a registration form if you plan to attend. For additional information and to submit your registration, contact Anjalé (AJ) Welton at [email protected]. The Google registration form can be found here: Division A Early Career Seminar Registration Form. This event is planned in coordination with Linda Tillman, Yinying Wang and Angela Urick as co-chairs.

new book: Beyond leadership: a relational approach to organizational theory in education

10/25/2017

Eacott, S.; 2017; Springer

This book systematically elaborates Scott Eacott’s “relational” approach to organizational theory in education. Contributing to the relational trend in the social sciences, it first surveys relational scholarship across disciplines before providing a nuanced articulation of the relational research program and key concepts such as organizing activity, auctors, and spatio-temporal conditions. It also includes critical commentaries on the program from key figures such as Tony Bush, Megan Crawford, Fenwick English, Helen Gunter, Izhar Oplatka, Augusto Riveros, and Dawn Wallin. As such, the text models an approach to, or social epistemology for building knowledge claims in relation rather than through parallel monologues.
Eacott’s relational approach provides a distinctive, post-Bourdieusian variant of the relational sociological project. Shifting the focus of inquiry from entities (e.g., leaders, organizations) to organizing activity and recognizing how auctors generate – simultaneously emerging from and constitutive of – spatio-temporal conditions unsettles the orthodoxy of organizational theory in educational administration and leadership. By presenting its claims in the context of other approaches, the book stimulates intellectual debate among both relational sociologists and opponents of relational approaches.
Beyond Leadership provides significant insights into the organizing of education. As it does not fit neatly into any one field, but instead blends educational administration and leadership, organizational studies, and relational sociology, among others, it charts new territory and promotes important dialogue and debate.

new program: Educational Leadership Bilingual Program at QUEENS COLLEGE

10/17/2017

In partnership with the New York State Education Department, the City University of New York at Queens College has developed an Educational Leadership and Bilingual Advanced Certificate Program for multilingual individuals seeking to promote educationally healthy environments for all children. This new and exciting program will train and support future educational leaders with the knowledge and skill set that is needed to work with the bilingual children and underrepresented groups and communities in New York. The new program provides courses in the School Building Leadership program and highlights the Bilingual services needed to provide to students grades K-12.

The Educational Leadership and Bilingual Program consists of a 45-credit curriculum in theory, research and practicum. Only those participants holding an initial teaching certification and a master’s degree are eligible for this program. This program will take approximately 2 years to complete, and once the program is completed, the post graduates will be eligible for the School Leadership certification and Bilingual Certification. For more information, go to:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B5Le5g7FyFG0bFZxRGZNWlhYOWs/view?usp=sharingdrive.google.com/file/d/0B5Le5g7FyFG0bFZxRGZNWlhYOWs/view?usp=sharing

new position: Lis KrIMBill at Texas Z&M university at A&M

8/12/2017

Liz Krimbilll has left her role as principal of Stone Oak Elementary School in Northeast Independent School District in San Antonio (TX) to accept a position as Assistant Professor at Texas A&M University in San Antonio. Here is her updated information:

Elisabeth M. Krimbill, Ed.D.
Assistant Professor, Department of Educator and Leadership Preparation
College of Education and Human Development
Texas A&M University-San Antonio
[email protected]

New book: Unexplored conditions of charter school principals

8/12/2017

Gawlik, M. A. & Bickmore, D. L. (Eds.); 2017; Roman & Littlefield

This book explores contemporary policy issues confronting charter school principals. The purpose of this book is to explore the issues and challenges confronted by charter school principals across an array of goals and expectations set forth by the policy and local context. By drawing on leadership and policy experts and researchers, we offer an in-depth examination of what current issues charter school principals face. Starting with autonomy, we work our way through teacher evaluation and succession and socialization and then conclude with an opportunity to reflect on what we know and how to look forward. By drawing on autonomy, sensemaking, teacher evaluations, and succession and socialization, this book traces the development of the charter principal within these policy contexts. Collectively, these topics form the beginnings of what we hope will be an informative and useful conversation of where the charter school principal has been and where they are headed.

new book: The Charter school principal: Nuanced descriptions of leadership

8/12/2017

By Bickmore, D. L. & Gawlik, M. A. (Eds.); (2017; Roman & LIttlefield

This book provides a foundational understanding of the charter school principalship through the lens of culture, mission and vision. By drawing on the experts in the field of charter school research, this volume expands our understanding of the unique challenges facing charter school principals as they engage in the core responsibilities of developing and sustaining charter schools. With this expanded knowledge practitioners and policy makers are positioned to ponder and engage in improved practice, while researchers can further expand the knowledge base surrounding the charter principal.

interview on creativity in china featuring carol mullen

8/9/2017

Carol A. Mullen, PhD, Professor of Educational Leadership at Virginia Tech (School of Education in the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences) was interviewed by Michael F. Shaughnessy of Education News on creativity in China. Read the full interview here.

fulbright specialist scholarship: carol mullen

8/9/2017

Carol A. Mullen, PhD, Professor of Educational Leadership at Virginia Tech (School of Education in the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences) has been awarded a U.S. Fulbright Specialist Scholarship. Carol will be fulfilling her project objectives in Toronto, Canada in fall 2017 at The Ontario Institute for Studies in Education of the University of Toronto (OISE/UT). Among its many accolades, Times Higher Education magazine named this institution the top university in Canada.

award: Perry zirkel

7/6/2017

Dr. Perry A. Zirkel, professor emeritus of education law at Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pa., has been selected to receive the 2017 CEC Research Award from the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC), the world’s leading special education professional association.

The CEC Research Award recognizes an individual whose research has significantly advanced the education of children and youth with exceptionalities.

In his 35-year career, Zirkel has produced over 1500 scholarly publications. These writings, unique in the way that they bridge the fields of law and education, highlight key issues and questions that have been integral to helping schools, educators, and parents interpret state and federal education policy.

For more on Zirkel and the award, go to: http://tinyurl.com/ZirkelCECResearchAward.

Tenure and promotion: Kimberly Kappler Hewitt

7/6/2017

Kimberly Kappler Hewitt Ph.D. has been awarded tenure and promoted to Associate Professor of educational leadership at the University of North Carolina Greensboro (UNCG). Hewitt was honored with the 2016 Distinguished Researcher Award by the School of Education at UNCG and was a 2015 UNCG Faculty Excellence in Research and Creative Activity Honoree.

Award and Tenure: Dr. katherine cumings mansfield

7/1/2017

Katherine Cumings Mansfield was awarded the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Education Distinguished Junior Faculty Award, which is presented to one junior faculty member who has demonstrated excellence in the areas of teaching, research, and service. Mansfield was also promoted to Associate Professor with tenure at Virginia Commonwealth University effective July 1, 2017.

AWARD: dr. deborah verstegen

7/1/2017

Dr. Deborah Verstegen, Professor at the University of Nevada, was honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award at the National Education Finance Conference

New position: dr. dana lucka

7/1/2017

Dr. Dana Lucka is happy and excited to share that, effective May 1, she is heading up the Graduate Medical Education Program at the Saint Agnes Medical Center, which is part of the Trinity Health System.

Promotion: Dr. Camille M. Wilson

7/1/2017

Dr. Camille M. Wilson, has been promoted to full professor of Educational Foundations, Leadership, and Policy at the University of Michigan School of Education.

Promotion: Dr. Steven Bingham

7/1/2017

Dr. C. Steven Bingham was recently promoted from Associate Professor to Professor at Gardner-Webb University, Boiling Springs, NC. Bingham is the editor-in-chief of Journal of Organizational and Educational Leadership, teaches in the Master of Executive Leadership and the Doctorate of Education in Organizational Leadership programs, and advises doctoral candidates in dissertation research.

Bingham was recently appointed to the Board of Directors of CREATE (Consortium for Research on Educational Assessment and Teaching Effectiveness). At the Annual CREATE Conference at Virginia Beach, VA, he is presenting a paper, “A Study of Job-Embedded Learning Among Principals.”

With Drs. Paula Egelson (Southern Regional Education Board) and Karen Sanzo (Old Dominion University), Bingham is co-editing and contributing a chapter to Research-based Instructional Practices of Effective Principals, to be released December 2017 by Info Age Publishing.

updates for dr. Denver Fowler

7/1/2017

Dr. Denver J. Fowler has accepted an Assistant Professor of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies position at California State University, Sacramento. His most recent appointment was at The University of Mississippi where he served as an Assistant Professor of Educational Leadership. In addition, he has served as the elected President of The Mississippi Association of Professors of Educational Leadership for the past two years. Dr. Fowler has over a decade of experience in the PreK-12 educational setting where he has served as a coach, teacher, athletic director, technology coordinator, and school administrator in the State of Ohio. During this time, he was named the Assistant Principal of the Year in the State of Ohio and was nominated for the Assistant Principal of the Year in the United States by the National Association of Secondary School Principals and Ohio Association of Secondary School Administrators. He received this recognition for leading a school turnaround effort in which his building received all A’s on their state report card. He has received Congressional Recognition and has advocated on Capitol Hill for educators and school leaders. In addition to this experience, he has previously served as an adjunct instructor and lecturer at The Ohio State University, University of West Florida, and Bowling Green State University. Dr. Fowler is the author of the forthcoming book titled The 21st Century School Leader: Leading Schools in Today’s World to be released in December, 2017 (Word & Deed Publishing). Leading speaker and author, Dr. Todd Whitaker wrote the foreword writing “A must-read for all aspiring and practicing school leaders.” Dr. Thomas Tucker (two-time National Superintendent of the Year) wrote the afterword writing “It is my hope that any individual aspiring to the superintendency will take the time to read this text.” Dr. Fowler and his family will relocate to Sacramento, California at the end of July. Fowler said, “I am extremely excited about joining California State University, Sacramento. I very much look forward to the opportunity of working with both aspiring and practicing school leaders in the State of California.”

new book: Degrees of Difference: Women, Men, and the Value of Higher Education

5/12/2017

by Nancy S. Niemi (Routledge)

This volume investigates the dissonance between the supposed advantage held by educated women and their continued lack of economic and political power. Niemi explains the developments of the so-called "female advantage" and "boy crisis" in American higher education, setting them alongside socioeconomic and racial developments in women’s and men’s lives throughout the last 40 years. Exploring the relationship between higher education credentials and their utility in creating political, economic, and social success, Degrees of Difference identifies ways in which gender and academic achievement contribute to women’s and men’s power to shape their lives. This important book brings new light to the issues of power, gender identities, and the role of American higher education in creating gender equity.

Division A Scholar Share

Publication Announcement

Grant announcement: $3.5 million for PPeERS

CALL for Submissions to the journal of case studies in Educational leadership: Indigenous Perspectives and Experiences

new book: CREATING A DATA-INFORMED CULTURE IN COMMUNITY COLLEGES

new book: DOES COMPLIANCE MATTER IN SPECIAL EDUCATION?

New report: Teaching and learning in the age of trump

New book: Fighting for change in your school

National Distinction Award

Division A Early Career Faculty Mentoring Seminar at AERA in NYC

new book: Beyond leadership: a relational approach to organizational theory in education

new program: Educational Leadership Bilingual Program at QUEENS COLLEGE

new position: Lis KrIMBill at Texas Z&M university at A&M

New book: Unexplored conditions of charter school principals

new book: The Charter school principal: Nuanced descriptions of leadership

interview on creativity in china featuring carol mullen

fulbright specialist scholarship: carol mullen

award: Perry zirkel

Tenure and promotion: Kimberly Kappler Hewitt

Award and Tenure: Dr. katherine cumings mansfield

AWARD: dr. deborah verstegen

New position: dr. dana lucka

Promotion: Dr. Camille M. Wilson

Promotion: Dr. Steven Bingham

updates for dr. Denver Fowler

new book: Degrees of Difference: Women, Men, and the Value of Higher Education

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