In the Lead with UCEA

In this episode of In the Lead with UCEA, Executive Director Dr. Mónica Byrne-Jiménez talks with Dr. Ellen Goldring, Patricia and Rodes Hart Professor of Educational Leadership in the Department of Leadership, Policy and Organizations and Vice Dean from Peabody College Of Education and Human Development at Vanderbilt University, about the report she was lead author on, ‘The Role of Assistant Principals Evidence and Insights for Advancing School Leadership,’ and in what ways the AP role could make more powerful contributions to educational equity, school improvement, and principal effectiveness. They discuss the increasing number of AP roles and the growing complexity of their roles in educational leadership. Ellen explores the shift from their traditional image as disciplinarian to their important roles in community building and leadership development. The discussion also delves into disparities in career advancement for assistant principals, particularly among educators of color and women, and underscores the importance of mentorship and equitable opportunities for leadership progression. Submit your takeaways and/or questions here: forms.gle/qFEL3BMUfJnBdMoP9 In the Lead with UCEA is produced by University FM.Episode Quotes:Data uncovers the dramatic increase of assistant principals, expanding sixfold compared to principals.I think the first thing that was just really, really surprising, and we had no idea using national data was the extent to which the number of APs has increased over time.  I don't think anyone anticipated that, or certainly we didn't. So the first thing that we found is, Wow, this is a role that's being implemented in schools more and more, and in fact, we estimated that the APs have grown more than six times as fast as the number of principals, from 1990 up to 2015. Has the role of assistant principals changed over time?09:36 The literature review suggests that [the roles has] probably overemphasized that assistant principals do student discipline, because as we know, student discipline doesn't happen in a vacuum. And I think, in many ways, it is much more related to the instruction of the teacher and how the teacher is being mentored and supported to engage students in teaching and learning and how the students are being addressed in the classroom. So, separating out student discipline as separate from mentoring of teaching and coaching of teaching is a little problematic. One of the things we talk about a lot in the report is, how are we conceptualizing roles? And how do we think about roles when there's so much interconnection in practice? And we might want to think about this a little bit differently.The misalignment of feedback and evaluation for assistant principals.19:47 Most states evaluate assistant principals on the same rubric as principals, and how that's handled is very variable. Some districts say, “Well, if you're assistant principals, you can't be exemplary because that's only for principals.” So you're starting out and you get to a certain threshold. Others include the assistant principal in the principal's overall school evaluation. It depends on the rubric. And what is often the case, though, in both of these scenarios is how misaligned  feedback and evaluation is for assistant principals to the work that they're actually doing. So, why am I bringing that up now? I think there's also very few states, and we talked about this in the report, that have differential licensing and differential certification processes. A few do. We have no research on whether these differential certification processes or licensees somehow bring a different outcome or more people into the profession or it's developmental approach. That's a whole area that needs work. But what I think is important is that we consider the unique roles and responsibilities that assistant principals do that are distinct from principals, and this gets into the pipeline work.Show Links:Recommended Resources:The Role of Assistant PrincipalsGuest Profile:Faculty Profile at Peabody College of Education and Human Development at Vanderbilt University

In this episode of In the Lead with UCEA, Executive Director Dr. Mónica Byrne-Jiménez talks with Dr. Jason Grissom, Patricia and Rodes Hart Professor of Public Policy and Education at Vanderbilt University's Peabody College and Faculty Director of the Tennessee Education Research Alliance, about the report he was lead author on, ‘How Principals Affect Students and Schools,’ a comprehensive synthesis of two decades of research commissioned by the Wallace Foundation. Jason discusses how his research underscores the significant impact of principals on student learning outcomes and educational equity. Their discussion also delves into the importance of an equity lens in school leadership, essential skills for principals, and the future directions for research in this field.Submit your takeaways and/or questions here: forms.gle/qFEL3BMUfJnBdMoP9 In the Lead with UCEA is produced by University FM.Episode Quotes:Four key behaviors of effective principals according to the research[05:09] We spent months and months culling through these studies and trying to come up with what were the studies that we could really lean on in terms of making that connection and what could we learn from them about. Those domains of behavior that seemed to be linked most clearly to better outcomes for kids. And so we identified four of those. And so we call those engaging and instructionally focused interactions with teachers, building a productive climate, facilitating collaboration and professional learning community, and managing personnel and resources strategically.The equity lens opens an opportunity for self-reflection[11:37] The equity lens idea is the idea that principals should be driving their schools towards more equitable outcomes for marginalized and non-marginalized students in their schools, which means that their work in these 4 domains of practice have to reflect that priority. And we liked the metaphor of the lens because it emphasizes a perspective on the broader work. So, as a principal, I'm working to build a productive climate for my building. But that means a productive climate for all kids, right? Regardless of background. So, how am I ensuring that students, regardless of who they are and what they come to school with and what their identity characteristics are and so forth, how are all of those kids experiencing those levels of trust and care and self efficacy, you know, those goals that I have for a productive climate? And so that's the lens idea. So I'm all kids in mind, climate is not just the typical kid or the average kid or the kid who I see the most often. It's a productive climate for kids regardless of their background.Leadership expectations are often set beyond realistic human capabilities.[16:20] I think a challenge we have in the field of educational leadership is that the standards that we set for what we expect of school leaders is very high. Sometimes I think we're expecting superhumans, not real humans. And if standards are aspirational, right? And some part of what you do when you write down a standard is you're giving a person something to aspire to. And I think that's important. I do think, though, that when you're having to train and prepare on so many different dimensions at once, that it can lead that preparation for the candidate even to feel unfocused. Like, there's so much I have to learn and I don't understand on what timeline I need each one of these things. And so, what I hope our results can do bring a little bit of focus to where we can start as we're trying to provide people with a set of skills and capacities that they need to enter leadership. And be as successful as they can be right at the beginning of the career.Show Links:Recommended ResourcesHow Principals Affect Students and SchoolsGuest Profile:JasonGrissom.comFaculty Profile at VanderbiltSocial Profile on XGoogle Scholar Page

In this episode of In the Lead with UCEA, Executive Director Dr. Mónica Byrne-Jiménez talks with Dr. Rotunda Floyd-Cooper, Vice President of Education Leadership at The Wallace Foundation, about The Wallace Foundation’s Equity Centered Pipeline Initiative (ECPI), which aims to develop equity-oriented school principals across eight diverse school districts in the U.S. The discussion explores the initiative's impact on educational leadership and practices, the critical role of community and university partnerships, and the unique, context-specific approaches to defining and implementing equity in education. Rotunda also shares insights into the continuous improvement processes and upcoming research findings that are expected in the future.Submit your takeaways and/or questions here: forms.gle/qFEL3BMUfJnBdMoP9 In the Lead with UCEA is produced by University FM.Episode Quotes:How ECPI districts and their university partners ensure high-quality, equity-centered principal preparation programs.12:36: [Mónica Byrne-Jiménez] How are the ECPI districts working with their university partners to make sure that their principal preparation is high-quality, equity-centered, and, sort of, building on strengths of the community?12:52: [Rotunda Floyd-Cooper] Yeah, that’s a great question. What's been fantastic to see in these partnerships with districts and these institutions of higher education is, just as we know that the districts want pools of principal candidates who are well-prepared to meet the real-world demands of the role. We also know that the university partners strive to offer the highest quality and most relevant principal preparation programs to attract candidates and to meet the needs of the districts that they serve. That's the reason that the partnerships between the universities and the local school communities are so essential. Each district is either developing or revising leader standards and then working closely with their university partners to ensure that those standards will guide the pre-service work and preparation that the university partner offers. And in some cases, for example, in Columbus City Schools, in partnership with the Ohio State University, there's even collaboration on the development and support of in-service principals. These partnerships, in some cases, even result in more strategic approaches to preparation for assistant principals within the district.The Wallace Foundation recognizes each district’s unique definition of equity.07:59: [Rotunda Floyd-Cooper] While we do, at Wallace, think about equity in a very specific way, The Wallace Foundation is not imposing a singular definition of equity on the districts that we are partnering with. Each district has actually defined its own vision for equity with input from the community. And they are designing their pipelines with the vision for equity embedded that they have collaborated with their communities around. And what's really exciting about the work is that, in partnership with the stakeholders that I mentioned previously, they are iterating on what they learn over time about the needs of principals, along with the interests of their communities, and they leverage the deep knowledge of some of the other partners, like state agencies, as well as members of higher ed communities, to engage in this continuous improvement process.08:51: [Mónica Byrne-Jiménez] And just hearing you say that now also makes me think that, actually, part of the approach, if that's the right word of the foundation, is to recognize that issues of equity have to be locally driven. And so, that's actually part of the equity definition, right? It's not something that can't be imposed, but rather locally driven, locally addressed in local leadership.[Rotunda Floyd-Cooper] Yeah. I think that's a fantastic point.Rotunda shares insights and hopes for sustaining Wallace leadership initiatives19:10 Through a series of independent research studies, we're hoping to learn whether large districts, in partnership with all of the stakeholders that we've spent this time talking about, can create principal pipelines that are capable of producing and supporting leaders who can advance equity within their districts. We're also hoping, though, to be able to understand how local history and district culture shape approaches to equity. And more specifically, the researchers who are engaged in this component of a study will be able to document the cultural, historical, and organizational factors that district partnership teams have to grapple with as they develop visions, goals, and plans for equity-centered principal pipelines.Show Links:Recommended Resources:​​​​Equity-Centered Pipeline Initiative (ECPI)Guest Profile:Wallace Foundation ProfileLinkedIn

In this episode of In the Lead with UCEA, Executive Director Dr. Mónica Byrne-Jiménez talks with Dr. Bronwyn Bevan, Vice President of Research at The Wallace Foundation, about the foundation's learning strategies and research initiatives. Dr. Bevan elaborates on the foundation's focus areas: educational leadership, youth development, and the arts, highlighting their long-term goals or 'North Stars' for each area. She also shares insights into the foundation's current initiatives, such as developing equity-centered leaders in education and supporting arts organizations founded by communities of color. Mónica and Bronwyn explore the interconnectivity of these focus areas and the strategies adopted by the foundation to innovate and document impactful change. Bronwyn also reflects on her own professional background and how it has influenced her work at the foundation.Submit your takeaways and/or questions here: forms.gle/qFEL3BMUfJnBdMoP9 In the Lead with UCEA is produced by University FM.Episode Quotes:Dr. Bronwyn Bevan reflects on her professional background and how it has influenced her work at the foundationI think, in my role, although all of our work is done collaboratively, of course, we all bring our own, sort of, experience and expertise to the conversation. And I think we're really trying to think differently about what kinds of research approaches are most suited for the kinds of questions that we're asking. We've moved, especially in the art space, but in other places as well, moved into more of an exploratory mode. So, it's not necessarily always hypothesis testing and those kinds of studies. Sometimes, that is what we're doing. But so, I think, it's just bringing a broader approach. I also have a background and have an edited book that I wrote with Bill Penuel on research-practice partnerships. And so, just thinking about how research and practice are intertwined can benefit one another, not putting up firewalls, thinking about evidence-based decision-making, and also, really paying attention to when the context just means that things have to be done differently than what research might say at that moment is the thing. So, bringing, maybe, that nuance to the conversation is one of the ways I think I can, I'm trying to make a contribution here.The Wallace Foundation intends to make a broader impact through its philanthropic strategy. [Dr. Mónica Byrne-Jiménez] 07:16: The foundation has a real commitment to a specific kind of approach that guides the work that you do with communities, that guides the research. And so, if you could explain a little bit about that.[Dr. Bronwyn Bevan] 07:28: Yeah. We call it our philanthropic strategy. Basically, we're a midsize foundation, so it's part of an effort to make a greater contribution with, sort of, the limited funds that we have. The basic idea is that, in each of these three areas where we have these long-term sustained conversations and sets of colleagues out in the field that are both organizations doing the work and also professional associations supporting the work that school districts are doing, our youth development programs or the arts are doing, we stay in dialogue with them. We also stay in touch with the research and reference research, and essentially, through that dialogue and conversation, identify key pressing problems of practice, and from there, essentially, identify or invite — and sometimes these are through open calls and sometimes they're through conversations — other districts, other organizations that have a shared interest in that problem.Dr. Brevan shares some of the important questions that can move our understanding on school leadership, educational leadership, and community building.[Dr. Mónica Byrne-Jiménez]: What do you think are the next set of important questions that can move our understanding of school leadership, educational leadership, community building, and strengthening forward?[Dr. Bronwyn Bevan]: One of the things Wallace… pretty much across the board, certainly, in ed leadership and in youth development, is really think about the system level of things. I mean, in part, the arts ecosystem is just a little more complicated than, you know, not oftentimes, like, school districts or after-school networks. And we think about what kind of levers for change exist in the system. And one of the things we've been observing, first of all, in ECPI (​​​​Equity-Centered Pipeline Initiative), to some degree, and also in other places, is we had funded a number of years ago, or, like, three years ago, Learning Policy Institute, Linda Darling-Hammond and Marjorie Wechsler and their colleagues produced a study report looking at professional preparation and learning, you know, finding that there's just not a lot on professional development for sitting principals. And their report surfaced a number of questions about that. And we're seeing that play out, obviously there's a lot of support in the induction years, but what kinds of support are important when in a career? What kind of context? Those kinds of things are questions we're thinking about.Show Links:Recommended Resources:Connecting Research and Practice for Educational Improvement: Ethical and Equitable ApproachesUniversity Principal Preparation Initiative (UPPI)​​​​Equity-Centered Pipeline Initiative (ECPI)Guest Profile:Wallace Foundation ProfileLinkedIn   ResearchGate PageGoogle Scholar Page

In this episode of In the Lead with UCEA, Executive Director Dr. Mónica Byrne-Jiménez talks with Dr. Mary Erina Driscoll, Vice President of Academic Affairs at Regis College, and president of UCEA from 1999-2000, about how her experiences in Catholic education and interactions with mentors shaped her dissertation on schools as communities. Mary provides a deep dive into UCEA's evolution from an exclusive club of doctoral institutions to an inclusive organization championing diversity and collaboration.Leadership in education is a complex dance of balancing resources, advocacy, and communication. Drawing from her extensive experience as a dean and provost, Mary offers invaluable insights into the dynamics of leadership and partnership within higher education and its interplay with K-12 education. This episode is packed with practical advice and reflections. Listen in and gain a deeper understanding of the challenges and rewards of educational leadership and policy, all while celebrating the rich history and ongoing impact of UCEA.In the Lead with UCEA is produced by University FM.Episode Quotes:Discussing the challenges within the higher educationWhen I went to City College, which is a great place, but, interesting in terms of the politics, and people would say to me, "Well, you're in leadership," and especially when I went into the provost position, "What books have you read?” And I said, "Wolf Hall." And the reason I said that is because Thomas Cromwell, who's a very difficult character in that, not anybody that you would want to necessarily emulate in terms of his particular values but one of the leadership behaviors he engages in is he looks at the people that he's working with, and he tries to figure out in a given situation what is it that they want, what is it that's important to them, not what would he want if he were in that situation. And it's amazing when you look at some leaders. They can't make that shift. And I think, as a dean of education, or as a professor that was working in partnership when I was at NYU, again, with my colleagues with districts, it was very important to say, "What's important to the people that I'm working with in K-12? What are they looking for out of this relationship? And what can we provide there, not what makes sense for us to do?" On being vocal about the value and importance of educationIt is important for our scholarly community to be vocal about the value and importance of education, period, and increasingly higher education. It's not just because it's our bread and butter. We, sort of, self-select into it because we like it or we see its value or whatever, but in most cases, it's an exceptional case where that's driven by, boy, this is a great economic place to be in. I mean, how many of our professors are teaching either master's students or doctoral students that are making two, three times their salaries as district administrators. They deserve it, but I think we have to talk about, so, what is it that this community allows us to do? What are the benefits, not just to us personally, but benefits that accrue in helping to elevate the scholar practitioner within that K-12 community? We don't do a great job of supporting people once they finish their degrees, right? We're, sort of, not set up to do that. When we're able to bring together policy makers, scholar practitioners, professors, graduate students into one space, it can be really extraordinary.One of the greatest things UCEA has done as a guild organizationOne of the things that UCEA has done as a guild organization, which I think is great, is provide opportunities for you to work with other people on joint projects. And even smart people have to learn how to do that well. As director, you have to learn how to work with an executive committee. You have to learn how to work with a board. You have to learn how to deal with the plenum. If you're reviewing something, you have to understand what does a good review look like? What's actually going to be helpful for somebody? If you're doing a joint project or planning a program, how do you get as many voices at the table as you can and have a coherent message? And how do you articulate that? And how do you defend it? And how do you listen to what people think about it? I mean, they're good life skills.Show Links:Faculty Profile at Regis CollegeLinkedIn Profile

In this episode of In the Lead with UCEA, Executive Director Dr. Mónica Byrne-Jiménez talks with Dr. Paula Cordeiro, Dammeyer Distinguished Professor of Global Leadership and Education at the University of San Diego, and president of UCEA from 1997-1998, about the globalization of ed leadership, and how the field has expanded internationally. Paula shares how her own journey started with a US-centric approach and expanded to international horizons, emphasizing how she saw cultural diversity enrich the fabric of academia. Paula brings with her a treasure trove of experiences, discussing the milestones that have reinvented educational leadership and policy, as well as the vital role UCEA has played in pioneering this expansive vision. Paula and Mónica dissect the profound impact of global partnerships, the significance of study tours, and how these experiences have the power to improve our understanding of our domestic education systems. Paula also reflects on what she thinks UCEA’s role will be in this field going forward into the future. Paula’s insights shed light on the importance of cultural understanding and the transformative power of international collaboration in shaping the educational leaders of both today and tomorrow.In the Lead with UCEA is produced by University FM.Episode Quotes:On exploring how knowledge generation has evolved over timePhil Hallinger, I remember this distinctly. It was the late 1990s. Hallinger said to me, "Yeah, I'm going to Thailand." And I said, "Well, how can you possibly be a professor at Vanderbilt and also be a professor at Chulalongkorn University in Thailand?" And he did it. And that was the day that I said to myself, "I don't have to make my international interests tangential. I can put them in the core of my work because other professors are doing it." And by the way, I have to add, you know, Vanderbilt's a private university. UConn, public. It was harder. I get to USD. It's a lot easier to internationalize in the privates. It just is because we tend to be smaller with interdisciplinary work being supported and incentivized.This is what Paula strongly believes inA person who knows only one educational system knows no educational system. And it's when you're visiting schools, engaging in deep conversations with educators and policy makers in those nations, where you're exploring different practices. I learned about the practice of looping teachers in grades when I lived and worked in Venezuela. I thought it was so strange that a teacher, an elementary school teacher, moved from first to second to third grade with her students, and then would rotate back. When I came back to the U.S. and talked about that, you know, people were like, "What are you talking about? That's absurd." Well, fast forward… lots of school districts have adopted looping policies. Some of John Hattie's work looked at the impact of looping policies.Finding her community in UCEAAs a new professor, I found my tribe. I found people who were passionate about school leadership. And it didn't matter if it wasn't international or not. They were just passionate about school leadership. So, that was key. And I think the other part was, you know, I was, I think, maybe about 38 when I became president. Somewhere around there. And it just gave me confidence being in the plenum, representing UConn there. And then sitting on the UCEA leadership group and being president just gave me confidence that I didn't have. And I felt respected by my colleagues. And I liked my colleagues. And I see UCEA doing that. I have several graduates that are UCEA faculty members from institutions that are UCEA members. And that's what UCEA does for them.Show Links:Faculty Profile at the University of San DiegoLinkedIn ProfileAmazon Author Page

This episode of In the Lead with UCEA, Executive Director Dr. Mónica Byrne-Jiménez talks with Dr. Gerardo R. López, Professor in the Department of Educational Administration at Michigan State University’s College of Education, and president of UCEA from 2019-2020, about the layers of challenges that hit scholars and practitioners unexpectedly with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, testing many in the field on their ability to master crisis management. Gerardo provides a compassionate lens on the collective trauma endured by students, families, and educators, advocating for schools to morph into bastions of healing. Mónica and Gerardo tackle the impact of the pandemic on disrupted research methodologies, highlighting the critical pivot our leadership must make to thrive in a world forever changed. Gerardo explains the essence of 'Fourth Wave Leadership', a philosophy he champions as critical for steering through the complexities of our interwoven global existence. This episode casts a spotlight on the necessity for systemic, holistic leadership that can pivot with challenges. Join us in this commemorative episode that not only honors UCEA's storied past but also forges a path for the future of educational leadership.In the Lead with UCEA is produced by University FMEpisode Quotes:The essence of ‘Fourth Wave’ leadershipI do think that we're in this, kind of, fourth wave, if you will, this, kind of, apertura, this fourth wave of us, you know, like, that I don't know what it's called yet, but it really is about, like, leadership for, like, an interconnected world that is dealing with the unpredictable, that deals with things that are more complex, challenges that are more complex. And I think we're also, kind of, like, re-examining things where I think, whereas, in the past, we used to want to opt for things that had, like, facile solutions to really complex problems. Now, we're really trying to deal with the complexity of these problems, right? And so, I do think that it's leadership that thinks deeply about some of these issues. And really, you know, that in order for them to solve them, it's going to require a different type of thinking. It's going to require much more systemic, much more holistic thinking, much more innovative and creative solutions in order for us to solve some of these perennial problems that are plaguing education.How the pandemic isolated the UCEA community & the scholarsI think that lots of things changed during the pandemic. And, you know, and having to work in isolation, research opportunities were lost because we couldn't collect data in the traditional ways that we did, especially if you were doing qualitative research. We couldn't go out and do interviews. We were disconnected from our colleagues. So, there was this, kind of, loss of colleagueship and having to work in a different space. There was loss of learning that students were experiencing with. And of course, that's the one we're most familiar with. But I think that we were forcing ourselves to deal with loss on so many multiple levels and loss that was compounded by the issue of isolation. And so, I think what ended up happening with the pandemic is that it really taught us the importance of and the need for connectionEven the field wasn’t prepared for the pandemic I think the pandemic taught us so many different things. I think it taught us that we were largely unprepared for things like crises, when crises happen — not just unprepared as individuals, but unprepared, I think, as a field. And you think about, like, how did we as a community, how do we as scholars, how do we as academics prepare our administrators. How do we prepare our future principals? How do we prepare our leaders for that? I mean, I think that there was not, really, a lot of work that's been done on how to do that kind of work. And so, I think we were all learning. Practitioners were trying to learn. As administrators, as a field, as professors, I think we were also trying to, kind of, figure it out.Show Links:Faculty Profile at Michigan State University College of EducationGerardo López Google Scholar Page

In this episode of In the Lead with UCEA, Executive Director Dr. Mónica Byrne-Jiménez talks with Dr. Michael Dantley, Dean Emeritus of Miami University College of Education, and president of UCEA from 2005-2006. They discuss his rich experience spanning five decades in Education. Michael talks about the seismic shifts that leadership theories have undergone in that time—from the once-dominant positivist models to today's more critical and inclusive frameworks. Michael's insights shine a spotlight on how critical race theory and feminist perspectives have reshaped our understanding of educational leadership. Michael dives into his focus on the spiritual component of leadership and expounds on these ideas more in his book, Leading with a Critical Spirit: New Strategies for Educational Leaders. Michael and Mónica also look ahead to the exciting potential brought forth by emerging scholars in the field. This is not just a retrospective—it's a glimpse into the future fabric of educational leadership. Don’t miss this excellent conversation.In the Lead with UCEA is produced by University FM.Episode Quotes:Bringing a fresh perspective on educational leadership & UCEA’s impactful contributionWe began to present at UCEA. And there were persons who, you know, still had great allegiance to the way we had been thinking about leadership, who were pushing, you know, and saying, this whole notion of social justice that we were talking about and looking at issues of race and gender and social aspects of leadership, they were like, “No, we don't need to do that, because leadership is leadership, period. That’s something that you guys are trying to put into the field that's not necessary.” So, there was real honest-to-goodness pushback on folks. But we continued to fight by making these presentations at UCEA at the annual conference. Some of us — a lot of us — got elected to be representatives for our organization, for our institution. And so, UCEA then became, really, a space where our ideas could at least gain some footing.What Michael discovered about the role of spirituality in leadershipOne of the areas that I really have enjoyed exploring has been leadership and spirituality. And so, I really did begin to ask a question about, how does one's spirit… one's spiritual acumen, if you will, how does that impact leadership? And so, I did a study of principles through the snowball effect. And I came up with five or six principals across the country who claim that their spirituality impacted the way that they lead.I looked at some principals in Michigan, in Louisiana, and here in Ohio. And you're right. As I explored those interviews, I went to those places and those observations. I thought, yeah, this is true. These people's spirituality is really playing a major role in how they lead their schools.The endless possibilities UCEA has given Michael DantleyI think the camaraderie and the companionship of other scholars in educational leadership was one of the real benefits of UCEA. UCEA gave me opportunities to lead in ways that I had not even dreamed of. I had never thought of being the president of UCEA. I never thought that could be, you know, would be possible. I was editor for JCEL, and, you know, I didn't think I would ever be an editor of a journal. And so, it has given me space. It's given me space to share my thoughts. It's given me space to be a leader. And it's given me space to see other young people come to the fore. That's been a real joy of mine.Passing the torch: Young scholars pursue deeper questions in UCEA's academic landscapeI was thinking about some of the young scholars that I remember presenting with at UCEA and just excited about what they're doing now, you know. And some of them, I was able to see at AERA this past week. And honestly, I don't want to sound paternalistic but I was very proud of these young scholars who have really made phenomenal contributions to our field. And it gave me great, great pleasure to see even younger scholars coming up to them and thanking them for their work. And then they introduced me to them and say, “Well, this is Dr. Dantley, and he da, da, da, da,” all that stuff. But I mean, it's just passing the torch, you know. It's just moving on and on. And that, I was really excited about that.Show Links:Leading with a Critical Spirit: New Strategies for Educational LeadersMichael Dantley LinkedIn

This episode of In the Lead with UCEA kicks off Season 2 and the new UCEA Issues series. UCEA Executive Director Dr. Mónica Byrne-Jiménez talks with Dr. Martha McCarthy, Presidential Professor Emeritus at Loyola Marymount University and Chancellor's Professor Emeritus at Indiana University, about her insights on the evolution of educational leadership and UCEA's role in shaping it. Martha discusses pivotal moments in leadership, the impact of funding on research and practice, and the importance of UCEA conventions in fostering community and advancing the field. The conversation also touches on equity and social justice, the changing demographics of educational leadership faculty, and the personal impact of UCEA on Martha's career. Listen in!In the Lead with UCEA is produced by University FM.Episode Quotes:Broadening UCEA’s reach through conventions06:20: Annual conventions are very important, as far as the development of our field. Really, Mónica, prior to the '80s, UCEA’s reach was not that broad. It didn't impact those that weren't at UCEA programs. And even those programs, the PSR was involved, but maybe some of the faculty didn't know much about what UCEA was doing.And it's interesting now, I know Gerardo said, the lore is… Jay Scribner and I were sitting in a room, and I said, “Hey, let's start UCEA conferences.” I don't have any recollection of that particular conversation. Well, I do remember talking with Pat Forsythe and the executive committee and saying, “Let's think about how we can broaden the reach and conferences will be one way we could do that.”The interrelationship between the development of the field and the development of UCEA10:33 UCEA has really been important at every stage of the development of the field itself. And if you look at the national commission that I mentioned, UCEA was very much involved in that. And Dan Griffiths was completely committed to UCEA, and he was the chair of that group.But in subsequent things, the shift, and some of these shifts have been more gradual, but the shift to focusing on equity and social justice, UCEA has played a critical role there. The Jackson Scholars, I know in the studies we did of the professoriate, and I'd be glad to talk more about them, we saw an increase in the minority representation. But my guess is that last study we did was in 2008, that it's much higher now.How Female Representation in Faculty Has Shifted12:55 One of the major differences are female representation. And there was 2% of the faculty, literally, I was just saying we can meet in a phone booth when I entered the deal, and that was true. But we had four female faculty members already. We truly could meet in a phone booth. But 2% of the faculty were women in ‘72. And then by ‘08, almost at parity. And my guess is now probably more of the faculty are women than men. So, that was huge. And in some of those studies, women were more oriented towards social justice and equity, issues that, by the ‘08 study, the differences in attitudes was not nearly as significant as it had been in the earlier studiesShow Links:Martha McCarthy LMU Profile

Welcome to Season 2 of In the Lead with UCEA. I'm your host, Mónica Byrne-Jiménez, Executive Director of the University Council for Educational Administration.In this podcast, UCEA presents pivotal conversations with people making an impact on educational leadership, preparation, practice, and policy. Learn about the latest happenings and cutting-edge research from UCEA community of scholars.Check out our previous season on the University Principal Preparation Initiative and stay tuned for new episodes and interviews every other week celebrating UCEA's 70th anniversary and exploring insights with some of UCEA's past presidents. In the Lead with UCEA is produced by University FM.

How has a culture of openness among academia has led to a fertile ground of collaboration? How did the pandemic change everything from methods of education to the percentages of principals staying on or leaving the job?On this episode of In the Lead with UCEA’s podcast series on the University Principal Preparation Initiative (UPPI), UCEA Executive Director Dr. Mónica Byrne-Jiménez talks with Susan Gates, a senior economist at RAND who applies economic theory and methods to help policymakers identify effective practices and make better decisions on a wide range of topics.In the Lead with UCEA is produced by University FM.Episode Quotes:The importance of understanding the principal preparation09:54: Another surprise was to see the development of models for universities to collaborate with districts other than the state's large urban school districts. One of the challenges we've observed through our earlier research in this space of principal preparation is that everybody understands that principal preparation relies on access to authentic learning environments in schools and districts. And that these principals are being prepared to work in school districts. Therefore, universities need to partner with school districts to stay up-to-date on what's going on in the school districts and what it means to be a principal today to provide those hands-on learning opportunities.On changing the traditional principal selection criteria13:36: The UPPI programs all shifted their selection criteria to rely more heavily on district input and focused explicitly on whether, based on a person's work in the district, they were a good candidate for a principal preparation program at this time. So, it was less academic and based on things like test scores and grades and more oriented toward the authentic work of a principal and a person's ability to succeed not only in an academic program but also on the job as a principal.On navigating trust and roles 04:09: One challenge from a research perspective was just building that trust: What would we be documenting? What would we be saying? Another challenge that I hadn't really run up against in prior research studies, which in the education field had typically focused on efforts within school districts because this initiative was bringing representatives from universities and specifically university faculty to the table; they are researchers. And so they wanted to be involved in the research. I was sort of like, "Well, wait a minute, we're the researchers here." So, I would say that was one of the biggest unexpected challenges that we had to navigate as we went along.Show Links:Professional Profile at RANDSusan Gates PublicationsLinkedIn ProfileResearchGate Page

How can inquiry questions and illustrations serve as catalysts for inspiring fresh perspectives and encouraging further thought? What if you had the power not only to identify but also to rectify problems within a program?On this episode of In the Lead with UCEA’s podcast series on the University Principal Preparation Initiative (UPPI), UCEA Executive Director Dr. Mónica Byrne-Jiménez talks with Dr. Shelby Cosner, Professor of Educational Organization and Leadership in the Department of Educational Policy Studies and the Director of the UIC Center for Urban Education Leadership (CUEL).  In the Lead with UCEA is a production of University FM via a grant from The Wallace Foundation.Chapter Timestamps:UIC’s History of Program Improvement | 1:11Developing a Cycle of Inquiry | 4:42Attitudes and Relationships Evolving Over Time | 12:22Guiding Other Programs Through Redesigns | 18:12Navigating the Bigger Picture | 26:15Mentor Programs and Mentor Coaches | 29:06Summary & Closing | 32:12Episode Quotes:On mentoring for growth through data use10:44: As the process went along, my mentoring role, in particular, leaned heavily into teaching about impact logics, teaching about the kinds of data that you would need to collect, and helping them to actually design data collection instruments and collect those data, teaching them about a cycle of inquiry and guiding them through the cycle.On leveraging cycles of inquiryWhen I can start to see something that's an opportunity, oftentimes, it allows me to step back for a moment, and even a day or two or three, to really think about, what would be the really powerful inquiry questions that will allow somebody to ponder this in a way that I'm pondering it on my own right now?Show Links:UIC HomepageCenter for Urban Education Leadership HomepageFaculty Profile at UICProfile at the Center for Urban Education Leadership  LinkedIn Profile

Ever wondered how institutions can tangibly incorporate diversity and equity into their educational programs? How is NC State striding towards equity in the education sector through initiatives like public conversations on race? On this episode of In the Lead with UCEA’s podcast series on the University Principal Preparation Initiative (UPPI), UCEA Executive Director Dr. Mónica Byrne-Jiménez talks with Dr. Bonnie Fusarelli, Professor of Educational Leadership and Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis at NC State University and Director of NC State’s Leadership Academies.  In the Lead with UCEA is a production of University FM via a grant from The Wallace Foundation.Chapter Timestamps:How did NC State decide to pursue this initiative? | 1:13NC State’s process of defining Equity and Diversity | 2:02Diversity, Equity, and NC State’s Legacy | 6:34Making Partners True Equals | 7:48The Impact of this Equity work | 10:46Creating Safe Spaces to Grow Together | 15:06Changes in District Partners | 17:34How Have the Conversations Evolved? | 19:19Summary & Closing | 22:03Episode Quotes:Reflecting on district partners' changes from the integrated learning approach in the redesign07:08: We saw a lot of our district partners start to have more courage to engage in those conversations publicly. One of our proudest examples is Edgecombe County, where they did an entire process where they brought together the community about what do we want for our kids. Let's talk about how racism and all the other isms have impacted their ability to learn at high quality. And they've just done some amazing work to build community and practice.Humility helped develop a shared definition of equity and diversity15:19: We all have bias, but it's about seeing how our bias impacts other people and hurts other people and how can we tap that down and exchange that for ways that we're building up people. And I think really the main way we've done that is really focusing on humility. And so, we are open to the idea that we're all flawed people. And so by focusing on that instead of perfection, that really helps us to recruit the right kind of students.Building a culture of teamwork in education20:09: We work together. Our team was willing to say, "I'm not just teaching my course. I'm a part of this program." And you heard me call them team because we don't refer to our faculty, or I don't think my friends do either, that I work with. We don't go, "Oh, we're the faculty." We say we're the team with educational leadership. And I think by viewing that as teamwork, we really have been able to take it from coursework to program.Show Links:Bonnie Fusarelli Faculty Profile at NC StateBonnie Fusarelli Profile on LinkedIn

Welcome back to In the Lead with UCEA’s podcast series on the University Principal Preparation Initiative (UPPI). Join UCEA Executive Director, Dr. Mónica Byrne-Jiménez as she talks with Dr. Alejandro Gonzalez Ojeda, Assistant Professor at San Diego State University (SDSU) in the Department of Educational Leadership.  How did SDSU iterate their programs to create effective and sustainable school leaders? How did the five types of thinking mindsets and leadership dispositions play a vital role in building a sustainable framework and capacity?In the Lead with UCEA is a production of University FM via a grant from The Wallace Foundation.Chapter Timestamps:How did SDSU decide to pursue this initiative? | 1:15Sustaining momentum in redesign work | 5:45The importance of shared vision in the process | 9:42Making redesign part of the culture of the program | 12:39The challenges around sustainability | 14:24Effective practices to help leaders be responsive | 19:13Creating an adaptable program for a changing world | 22:15Summary & Closing | 25:30Episode Quotes:On the importance of preparing leaders for the redesigning process18:10: We need to prepare our leaders for that perseverance. It's not easy. It's not easy being a teacher. We don't do this job just for ourselves. We do it because we believe that there's much we can offer our communities. And,so, I think that's key in helping not to change the narrative but to be a part of the narrative.The value of shared vision10:21: When we talked about equity, we came to our partners and said, What is your equity statement? What is your district's equity statement? And how does our program reflect that? And in our definition of equity, we were able to create a more holistic and comprehensive definition around five types of thinking that a leader needs to have: data-driven, school climate, achievement, systems, thinking, and learnership. So, we are able to identify thinking mindsets that we want to incorporate in our courses to highlight the type of thinking that leaders should be able to practice.Sustainability is critical, and enrollment numbers are key08:57: When thinking about sustainability, enrollment numbers are critical in order to sustain the program. And so we're able to leverage that high need or area of interest to say, okay, we're not only preparing leaders within our realm, but we're also preparing leaders serving very similar demographics across the state or leaders who are very much in tune with what we believe is required to prepare an effective leader, an equity-driven leader, essentially.Show Links:Alejandro Gonzalez Ojeda Faculty Profile at SDSUAlejandro Gonzalez Ojeda Profile on LinkedIn

Welcome back to In the Lead with UCEA’s podcast series on the University Principal Preparation Initiative (UPPI). Join UCEA Executive Director, Dr. Mónica Byrne-Jiménez as she talks with Dr. Daniel Reyes-Guerra, Associate Professor at Florida Atlantic University’s (FAU) School Leadership Program within the Department of Educational Leadership and Research Methodology of the College of Education.  How did FAU coordinate and evolve partnerships with some of Florida’s largest school districts? And how are they revolutionizing their curriculum and internship programs?In the Lead with UCEA is a production of University FM via a grant from The Wallace Foundation.Chapter Timestamps:How did FAU pursue this initiative? | 0:55Relationships with other school districts | 2:03How did the faculty make power sharing easier? | 9:33Evolving the partnerships with other districts | 13:17The lasting impacts of this process | 16:45Summary & Closing | 22:13Episode Quotes:On creating deep institutional approach to partnerships07:08: This idea of being equal partners and working together towards that common goal is something that's extremely difficult to do, but it's also something very rewarding, and I say difficult because these are two organizations that are very different. The culture within each of these organizations is very different. And so you have to create some really strong personal relationships across the university, the district, and back to really make the partnership work.How did the partnership and relationships between districts evolve over the course of the redesign effort?15:19: Bringing the three districts to the table was really insightful. For the leadership development across all three districts, they started communicating and learning from each other. They're in the same state, and in our state, they all run off the same standards. They all run off the same evaluation platforms, and they basically have the same instructional leadership needs. These districts are very similar in terms of their demographics as well. So, all of a sudden, they were talking to each other, and we were the medium by which they were actually communicating and getting the research scholarship, perhaps even calling it an outside observation of what it was that they were doing. And so this really helped, in terms of strengthening those other partnerships and connecting them much more to the work of each other and to the work of the university.An important fact that we need to take into account when entering into partnerships17:04: Universities are a huge font of not only knowledge but applicable professional learning that they can use not only for a partnership program but that they can use for other professional learning that they do with ed leaders in their district.Show Links:Daniel Reyes-Guerra Faculty Profile at FAUDaniel Reyes-Guerra Profile on LinkedIn

Welcome to the first episode of In the Lead with UCEA’s podcast series on the University Principal Preparation Initiative (UPPI). Join UCEA Executive Director, Dr. Mónica Byrne-Jiménez as she talks with Dr. Richard Gonzales, Director of Educational Leadership Preparation Programs at the University of Connecticut.  How did faculty at UConn decide that it was time to redesign their program? And how did faculty work together to grow trust and strengthen their relationships in order to create an innovative program?In the Lead with UCEA is a production of University FM via a grant from The Wallace Foundation.Chapter Timestamps:Introductions | 0:00How did UCONN pursue this initiative? | 0:49How does the faculty work to overcome challenges? | 5:32Faculty taking leadership during a redesign effort | 10:51Shaping an emphasis on equity | 17:26The lasting impacts of this process | 21:26Summary & Closing | 24:42Episode Quotes:How students are playing active role in shared governance22:50: With the assistance of our students, who now play an active role in shared governance, which was not true prior to UPPI, we realized that they were missing a voice that we wanted to include going forward. With their assistance, and with the assistance and support of the faculty, we are going to change our program of study again and prioritize things like self-care and work-life balance, not just topics, but also make sure that they have tools for time management.On working with Wallace Foundation for UPPI07:10: How did we overcome the challenges? UPPI was a bit structured by the Wallace Foundation in terms of giving us tasks to think about the work to prepare the work—what I think the Institute for Learning out of Pittsburgh calls organizing for effort. So we did a self-study. That was one of the very first things that all participants in UPPI had to do. So we used the quality measures tool for leader preparation programs, and that gave us data that helped us understand where our strengths were, where the areas of potential improvement were going to be.How students are playing active role in shared governance21:54: UCAPP 3.0, the third generation of our program, is completely different. The courses are different. We switched from a traditional supervision model in clinical experience to leadership coaching. And that's not just a change in terms. It is a change in role and function. We have core assessments that are independent projects that had never been done before. Most importantly, with the support of the faculty, we've redesigned again. We've completely changed two of the instructional leadership courses because while they were a good start, they weren't what we thought was right, and we could do better.Show Links:Richard Gonzales Faculty Profile at UCONNRichard Gonzales Profile on LinkedIn