Prelims

Half Title Page

Leadership in Turbulent Times

Endorsements

The world’s space in which we find ourselves today sometimes looks like what some of us familiar with the episodes of Stranger Things have seen in the Upside Down. In that discernible space, we see those who wish to hold or maintain power, spewing monstrous and persuasive provocations of unfair advantages, partisan rivalries, exclusive competence, and antagonistic relationships with disregard for diversity, equity, and inclusion. Often we wait on that someone to lead us to a Right-side Up portal, one that is a stable, bright, maintained, and sustained – one in which we can contemplate fair advantages, respectful rivalries, comprehensive excellence, and positive relationships with high regard for diversity, equity, and inclusion. Indeed, Editors Henry Tran and Gaëtane Jean-Marie have captured the turbulent Upside Down within the pages of their latest book. They, and the authors, represent that collective someone who points scholars and practitioners in the education workplace toward the contemplation of the Right-side Up portal.

Beverly J. Irby, EdD Regents Professor Senior Associate Dean for Academic Affairs Marilyn Kent Byrne Endowed Chair for Student Success Director, Education Leadership Research Center College of Education and Human Development Texas A&M University; College Station

This is an exciting text that brings the marginalized experiences to the center where it pivots the conversation and scholarship to become the reality in the field that we need to be teaching and talking about.

Judy A. Alston, PhD Director and Professor Doctoral Program in Leadership Studies Department Doctoral Studies and Advanced Programs Ashland University

Leadership in Turbulent Times is a refreshing volume on P-12 school leadership. Tran and Jean-Marie are keenly aware of the missing voices, understudied experiences, and enduring problems of diversity and inclusion in P-12 leadership studies. Every chapter is enlightening and exemplifies a critical multicultural leadership approach to leading in today’s education workplaces.

Hilton Kelly, PhD Dean, College of Liberal Arts and Education University of Wisconsin-Platteville

Series Title Page

Studies in Educational Administration

Series Editors: Gaëtane Jean-Marie and Ann E. Lopez

Studies in Educational Administration present monographs and edited collections along the broad themes of educational leadership, management and administration. The series presents research conducted across a diverse range of contexts and locations. Proposals are invited for authored or edited books from scholars in all stages of their careers for work that will help us to advance the educational administration field and will be of use to both researchers and school administrators and teachers.

Orly Shapira-Lishchinsky (ed), International Aspects of Organizational Ethics in Educational Systems

Alison Taysum and Khalid Arar (eds), Turbulence, Empowerment and Marginalized Groups in International Education Governance Systems

Izhar Oplatka and Khalid Arar (eds), Emotion Management and Feelings in Teaching and Educational Leadership

Khalid Arar, Jeffrey S. Brooks and Ira Bogotch (eds). Education, Immigration and Migration: Policy, Leadership and Praxis for a Changing World

Eugenie A. Samier, Eman S. Elkaleh and Waheed Hammad (eds). Internationalisation of Educational Administration and Leadership Curriculum: Voices and Experiences from the ‘Peripheries’

Njoki N. Wane, Coly Chau, Kimberly L. Todd and Heather Watts (eds), Decolonizing and Indigenizing Visions of Educational Leadership: Global Perspectives in Charting the Course

Jason R. Swisher (Author), Beyond Refuge: A Framework for the Emancipatory Education of Forcibly-Displaced Youth

Title Page

Leadership in Turbulent Times: Cultivating Diversity and Inclusion in the P-12 Education Workplace

Edited by

Henry Tran

University of South Carolina, USA

And

Gaëtane Jean-Marie

Rowan University, USA

United Kingdom – North America – Japan – India – Malaysia – China

Copyright Page

Emerald Publishing Limited

Howard House, Wagon Lane, Bingley BD16 1WA, UK

First edition 2023

Editorial matter and selection © 2023 Henry Tran and Gaëtane Jean-Marie.

Individual chapters © 2023 The authors.

Published under exclusive licence by Emerald Publishing Limited.

Reprints and permissions service

Contact: permissions@emeraldinsight.com

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, transmitted in any form or by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without either the prior written permission of the publisher or a licence permitting restricted copying issued in the UK by The Copyright Licensing Agency and in the USA by The Copyright Clearance Center. Any opinions expressed in the chapters are those of the authors. Whilst Emerald makes every effort to ensure the quality and accuracy of its content, Emerald makes no representation implied or otherwise, as to the chapters' suitability and application and disclaims any warranties, express or implied, to their use.

British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

ISBN: 978-1-80382-198-6 (Print)

ISBN: 978-1-80382-197-9 (Online)

ISBN: 978-1-80382-199-3 (Epub)

About the Editors

Henry Tran is an Associate Professor at the University of South Carolina's Department of Educational Leadership and Policies who studies issues related to education human resources (HR) and finance. He has published numerous articles on the topics, holds two national HR certifications, and served on the Board of Advisors and Board of Trustees for the National Education Finance Academy. He is also the editor of the Journal of Education Human Resources and the Director of the Talent-Centered Education Leadership Initiative.

Prior to his professorship, Tran served as an HR practitioner in both the private sector and in public education. He draws from both experiences in his research and teaching.

Gaëtane Jean-Marie, PhD, is Dean of the College of Education and Professor of Educational Leadership at Rowan University. Prior to that, she was Dean of the College of Education and Richard 0. Jacobson Endowed Chair of Leadership in Education at the University of Northern Iowa. Jean-Marie's research focuses on educational equity and social justice in P-12 schools, women and leadership in the P-20 system, and leadership development and preparation in a global context. She has over 90 publications and procured over $4 million in grants and contracts. She is the editor of Studies in Educational Administration Series (Emerald Publishing) and serves on numerous boards such as chair-elect of the Carnegie Project on the Education Doctorate board, member on the Council of Academic Deans from Research Education Institutions (CADREI) and Teacher Education Council of State Colleges and Universities (TECSCU), and former at-large member of the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (AACTE).

About the Contributors

Richard “Lennon” Audrain is a PhD candidate in Educational Policy and Evaluation in the Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College at Arizona State University. Prior to pursuing his doctorate, Lennon taught Latin, Spanish, and English in Arizona and Massachusetts. Lennon's research explores teacher recruitment and teacher preparation. In particular, he looks at high school–based grow-your-own teacher programs, more commonly known as Teacher Academies, and community college teacher education programs. He investigates their program designs, credentials received after program completion, and articulation to other programs. In his writing, Lennon employs frameworks and theories from public policy, human resource management, and teacher education. Lennon earned his first Master's Degree in Curriculum and Instruction from Arizona State University and his second Master's Degree in Technology, Innovation, and Education from the Harvard Graduate School of Education.

Carole G. Basile is the Dean of the Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College at Arizona State University (ASU). Prior to joining ASU, Basile was Dean and Professor in the College of Education at the University of Missouri St. Louis (UMSL). As Dean at ASU, her work has centered on redesigning the education workforce and changing practices in teacher and leadership preparation. She is currently working with education organizations nationally and internationally to design new systems for educators and their students and enable organizational change in this area. She is recognized for her work in math and science education, teacher education, and environmental education and has published numerous articles, books, book chapters, and technical papers. Her prior work includes A Good Little School and Intellectual Capital: The Intangible Assets of Professional Development Schools.

Her community work is extensive as she has actively partnered with many schools and school districts, community and youth serving organizations, and businesses to create access and opportunity for all children and youth. She serves on the board of Education Reimagined, American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education, and Teach for America Phoenix. She also has prior experience in the areas of sales, management, corporate training, and human capital development.

Sheryl J. Croft is an Associate Professor of Educational Leadership in Bagwell College of Education of Kennesaw State University, Program Chair of the Doctorate Educational Leadership, and Director of Teaching in the Urban South (TITUS), a multistate affiliation of scholars dedicated to providing and ensuring educational opportunities for marginalized students throughout the Southeast. As a veteran practitioner with over 45 years in education, she has served in every level of leadership from principal to assistant school superintendent. Her work embodies practice and research that seeks to improve educational opportunities for students marginalized by systemic inequities.

Her research focus in practice and scholarship explores the ramifications of national and state educational reform within school settings, authentic collaborations between K-12 and higher education, and the ways in which school leaders using historical paradigms can provide educational opportunities for all students. Her recent works including her coedited work Living the Legacy of African American Education: A Model for University and School Engagement exemplify how contemporary educators may use historic educational paradigms and models to mitigate and inform contemporary leadership practices. She is also recipient of several school leadership and a lifetime educational achievement award. She is a member of Divisions A, G of AERA. Croft earned her PhD in 2013 from Emory University's Division of Educational Studies with a focus on the intersectionality between educational reform policy and its implementation in an African American school district.

Dessynie Edwards, PhD, is a scholar-practitioner who shares her more than 25 years of P-12 district and school leadership experience to inform her scholarship, cultivate P-20 scholar-practitioners, and bridge P-12 and higher education. During her years in public education, she served as an assistant superintendent in Dallas ISD and Austin ISD, Executive Director in Judson ISD, and principal in various San Antonio schools. Additionally, Dr Edwards' tenure in higher education included faculty appointments at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi and Texas State University. Her research agenda includes the school district superintendency, race and gender intersectionality, mentoring and educational leadership development.

Tina Garcia, PhD candidate, is the principal at Jose Cardenas Center. Her career at Edgewood ISD started 23 years ago as a classroom teacher at Alonso Perales Elementary. She was given the opportunity to advance as an Instructional Facilitator, Instructional Officer, Assistant Principal, and then Elementary Principal. Most recently she served as an assistant principal at Memorial High School. Tina brings to Cardenas Center experience at both the elementary and secondary levels. She has worked with students from early childhood years through graduation from high school. As a lifelong learner, Tina enjoys learning about everything from how to landscape a yard, to how to play the guitar, and to how to nurture plants. She has valued the opportunities to learn about other cultures through her time spent in Asia and the Middle East. She is proud to continue her learning as she works to complete her PhD at the University of Texas at San Antonio. She advocates for the well-being of both the students and their families. Through research and best practices, she works to improve the bridge between schools and families in the neighborhoods of Edgewood.

Ain A. Grooms, PhD, is an Assistant Professor in the Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis Department at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She studies educational equity, with a specific focus on Black students and other students of color in K-12 contexts. She uses the intersection of race and place to examine the impact of historical and contemporary educational policies – including school desegregation, school choice, student attendance/absenteeism, and the retention of educators of color – on student achievement.

Zach Jenkins is a doctoral student in the Department of Educational Leadership and Policies at the University of South Carolina, whose research concentrates on (1) demystifying how internships socialize students into hegemonic norms and (2) the role that racial identity plays in these experiences.

Eboneé T. Johnson, PhD, is an Assistant Professor in Counselor Education at The University of Iowa. Utilizing culturally adapted biopsychosocial and socioecological frameworks, her work broadly focuses on improving health outcomes for vulnerable, marginalized, and stigmatized groups. Specifically, her work focuses on African Americans living with or at risk of developing chronic illness or disability. Her work is centered in community-based participatory research and implementation science to improve intervention development and delivery.

Jae Young Kim is currently a doctoral student in the University of Iowa Counseling Psychology Program. She holds a Master's Degree in Mental Health Counseling and International Affairs. Her research interests include vocational psychology, social justice, grief and loss, and positive psychology. Previously, she worked in the financial industry and also in HR for a nonprofit organization that managed 3 international schools.

Francemise S. Kingsberry, EdD, received her Doctorate of Education in Educational Administration and Supervision from North Carolina State University. She also earned an Education Specialist certification (superintendent's licensure). Her research centers on race and equity, women in educational leadership in the K-12 system and higher education, and urban school educational reform. Dr Kingsberry has served as an elementary and middle school teacher and also as an assistant principal of elementary students. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree with a double major in Sociology and Management and Society as well as a Master of Arts degree in School Administration from The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Raymond A. Lauk is an Assistant Professor of Educational Leadership at Eastern Kentucky University (EKU) where he teaches the school superintendency, principalship, and district leadership courses. Lauk's research focus is on school district leadership and policymaking and examining the lives of LGBTQ+ superintendents. Lauk is also studying the radicalization of American school boards and Brazilian education. Lauk retired from Illinois public education in 2019, where he spent most of his career as a school district superintendent, business manager, principal, and elementary school teacher in highly diverse communities. Lauk then joined the faculty at EKU in 2020. He was also the superintendent overseas at the American School of Brasilia, Brazil. Prior to his retirement from Illinois public education, Lauk was an Adjunct Professor of School Finance at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Concordia University Chicago, and in the international master's degree program at The College of New Jersey in Mallorca, Spain, and Bangkok, Thailand.

Lauk holds three graduate degrees from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign: PhD in Educational Administration, MBA, and a Master's in Education. His Bachelor's Degree in Elementary Education is from the University of Colorado at Boulder. A graduate of Chicago's Second City Theater's Beginning Improv program, Lauk has been an Improv and stand-up comic in Chicago, Rio de Janeiro, and across the United States. A professional speaker and storyteller, Lauk is the founder and curator of the monthly storytelling show at Eastern Kentucky University called “Talking Out of School: Stories that celebrate teaching, learning, and growing.” Lauk is also an entrepreneur and the owner of Dr Ray's Toffee. In October 2022, Lauk will be running his 10th Chicago Marathon in the past 14 years.

Duhita Mahatmya, PhD, received her BS in Psychology from Drake University and her MS and PhD in Human Development and Family Studies from Iowa State University. She is currently an Associate Research Scientist in the College of Education at the University of Iowa. As a research methodologist, Dr Mahatmya provides conceptual and analytical support to projects that examine equity issues in K–12 and higher education. Her own research interests focus on examining how family, school, and community environments shape the attainment of developmental milestones from early childhood to young adulthood.

DorisAnn McGinnis received her BS in Psychology with honors from the University of Iowa. She is currently a third-year doctoral student in the Counseling Psychology program at the University of Iowa. Her research areas of interest include but are not limited to factors that influence marginalized groups especially related to their vocational success.

Monica M. Muñoz, PhD candidate, currently serves as the Head of School at Las Palmas Leadership School for Girls in Edgewood ISD, San Antonio, Texas. She is entering her 26th year as a public school educator, where she has served as an elementary and middle school teacher, academic coordinator, and elementary principal. She holds a BA from St. Mary's University, her MEd from Our Lady of the Lake University, and is currently in her fourth year as a PhD candidate at the University of Texas at San Antonio. She is an equity-focused leader that establishes and maintains positive and productive relationships with students, parents, staff, and community. She is an advocate for all students and works to build systems that foster equity in our schools. It is her purpose and mission to create a learning space for young girls to thrive and be empowered to build a better and more just world.

Juan Manuel Niño, PhD, is an Associate Professor at the University of Texas at San Antonio in the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies. Currently, he serves as the Graduate Advisor of Record and co-coordinator of the Urban School Leaders Collaborative programs. As a first-gen, Juan received his PhD in School Improvement from Texas State University. Before joining academia, Juan Manuel served as a teacher and administrator in several urban school districts across Texas. His experiences as a scholar-practitioner are closely supported by a philosophy of preparing aspiring school leaders for social justice. Dr Niño's research takes a critical perspective on the practice of education and leadership in multiple contexts, addresses issues of access, equity, and excellence in education for diverse communities, and the Latin@ experiences that influence identity and advocacy. Some of his recent work has been published in the Journal of Educational Administration, Journal of Research in Rural Education, Beijing International Review of Education, and The SoJo Journal: Educational Foundations and Social Justice Education. Additionally, Dr Niño is an editor, University Council of Educational Administration Review and section editor for the international journal, Research on Educational Administration and Leadership.

Sarah Margaret Odell is a feminist scholar, researcher, and educator who has extensive experience working with influential women and creating gender-focused programming. Sarah currently serves as the inaugural Director of Learning and Innovation Research at the Hewitt School, a K-12 girls' school in New York City. Sarah's award-winning dissertation on how gender identity of K-12 educational leaders impacts their career trajectories was advised by feminist psychologist Carol Gilligan. Sarah teaches leadership courses, focused on gender identity and listening at the Klingenstein Center for Independent School Leadership at Teacher's College, Columbia University, and at the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education. A 2022 David L. Clark Scholar, Sarah has presented at the American Educational Research Association conference and the University Council on Educational Administration conference. Sarah is currently part of a grant at the University of Pennsylvania to study Justice Oriented Reflective Practice in teacher education. She previously taught high school English, coached varsity squash, and served as a dorm parent. Sarah has a BA in Creative Writing from Wellesley College, a MSeD in school leadership from the University of Pennsylvania, and just completed her PhD in Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She is currently working on a book about how the feminized nature of K–12 teaching in the United States mimics the ways women are structurally marginalized in the United States, based in part on her dissertation research.

Teresa Silva, PhD candidate, is the Director of Teaching and Learning in Edgewood ISD. Previous appointments include teacher, assistant principal, and principal in Edgewood. Teresa is a third-generation Mexican American raised on the Southside and Westside of San Antonio, Texas, in predominantly Hispanic communities where she attended public schools K-12. She has taught and led in schools for over 24 years in a predominantly Hispanic school district rich in history and culture. Serving the same feeder pattern her entire career has allowed her to serve the second generation of students with the community. Teresa strives to design a school model through a social justice lens. She is a doctoral candidate in the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies at the University of Texas at San Antonio. Her research interests include Latina principalship in urban schools, transformational leadership in urban schools, and ethics of love, care, and community.

Nancy J. Smith, PhD, is faculty emeritus at Millersville University of PA. She taught English at the high school level in Florida and at the middle school level in Georgia. She taught at the University of Georgia while completing her doctorate in Reading Education and served as assistant to the Department Head. At Kansas State University, she taught and was Associate Department Head. She moved to Millersville University as the university's first woman academic dean, serving as Dean of the School of Education. She joined the faculty after filing a sexual harassment claim due to the creation of a hostile environment by the provost. She taught Leadership Theory and Organizational Behavior, Psychological Foundations of Teaching, Research Methods in Education, Introduction to Women's Studies, Senior Seminar in Women's Studies, and Introduction to Queer Studies. She chaired the faculty committee that developed a new Leadership for Teaching and Learning masters' degree and principal certification program. She served as first coordinator of the Leadership Program. Her publications appear in The Reading Teacher, Women's Studies in Communication, Journal of Educational Studies, Educational Considerations, Pennsylvania Administrator, Journal of Reading, School Science and Mathematics, Cultural Exchanges, KASCD RECORD, and a chapter in proceedings of various educational organizations.

Noa Tal-Alon, PhD, is a researcher in the Education Department, in the Faculty of Humanities and Social sciences of Ono Academic College, Israel. Dr Tal-Alon is a specialist in inclusive education and disability studies. Her research focuses primarily on the experiences of students and teachers with disabilities in the Israeli education system. Her professional experience as a school counselor as well as her personal experience as a woman with a chronic illness has contributed to her research and allowed her a better understanding of the issues. She also works as a coordinator in the forum for qualitative research at Bar Ilan University and assists PhD students using qualitative methods. In addition, as a faculty member of Ono Academic College, she coordinates an internship program in the field of disability and accessibility for female students from the ultra-orthodox society in Israel. She also teaches several courses such as: Disability and the Life Cycle, Invisible Disabilities, and Inclusion and Integration seminar. Dr Tal-Alon's goal is to bring the concept of disability studies into the Israeli education system and to promote more inclusive education, both for students with disabilities and for teachers with disabilities. She recently finished her postdoctorate at the Hebrew University, which overviewed six decades of inclusion of children with physical disabilities in schools in Israel. Noa enjoys collaborating with colleagues from other countries. She presented her research at international conferences in Netherlands, Denmark, the United States, and Israel. Noa, lives in Nes-Ziona, Israel, is married to David, and is mother to her two daughters, Leah and Tamar.

Tiffany Wright, EdD, a Professor in the Educational Foundations Department at Millersville University for 11 years, has served as an educator and school leader in various settings for 25 years. She is the founder and former Co-Director of the EdD Program in Educational Leadership jointly offered between Millersville and Shippensburg Universities. In addition, she co-coordinates the Graduate Program in Leadership for Teaching and Learning which leads to principals' certification, which also has included developing partnerships with urban schools through grant money from the Pennsylvania Department of Education. Dr Wright currently chairs the Graduate Course and Program Review Committee, where she facilitates a group of strong and experienced faculty in reviewing policies and curriculum at the graduate level. She conducts research on the workplace climate for LGBT educators, equity in leadership preparation, and principals' evaluations of teachers, and she has given countless professional development sessions to educators and service professionals on LGBT issues in schools.

Prologue

The macrosocietal movements and events that many have orchestrated against social injustice in recent years have brought increasing attention to the problems of inequality in our society. Specifically, social movements and events such as the Black Lives Matter and Stop Asian Hate, the Supreme Court's ruling against the legality of employment discrimination against the LGBTQ population, the revelation of how deeply entrenched in inequity we are as a society during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the ever growing diversity of the workforce serve as impetus for more diverse and engaging work contexts. Within the field of education, racial diversity issues such as the paucity of educators of color in the field, workload disparity across teachers and educational leaders' demographics, the handling of student discipline, and employment discrimination have been frequently noted as warranting attention (Brown, 2014; D'amico et al., 2017; Krull & Robicheau, 2020; Metze, 2012) if the goal is to truly create more diverse and inclusive work spaces. Other marginalized backgrounds also warrant attention. As Shapiro and Gross (2013) contend, educational leaders not only face moral and ethical decisions regarding their classrooms, schools, districts, and education institutions in their handling of these sensitive issues, but they also must consider the complexities and threats that impact their communities.

Educational organizations and scholars across the field have embraced the challenge to interrogate these critical issues more broadly. For example, in the recent 2021 AERA Presidential session on workplace inclusion titled, “Creating More Inclusive Education Work Spaces through Talent-Centered Education Leadership,” the lead coeditor of this book, Henry Tran, convened a panel of scholars and practitioners that included: Michelle Young, Vincent, Gregory, Wardell Hunter, Bridget T. Kelly, Michele Dow, Mario Suarez, Tiffany Wright and Douglas Smith, as well as presenters that included Kathleen Cunningham, Simone Gause, Suzie Hardie, and Spencer Platt, as they dialogue about how education employers across the P-20 continuum can create more inclusive work spaces, particularly salient given the theme of “Educational Responsibility” for the 2021 AERA conference that year. Please scan the following QR-code for more information about the session.

Opens in a new window.

In addition, both coeditors of the current book collaborated to provide a space and outlet for education diversity and inclusion scholarship, specifically on the intersection of gender and race in the education workplace in two special issues of the Journal of Education Human Resources entitled: Gender and Race in the P-12 and Higher Education Workplace Volume 40(1) and Volume 40(3). The culmination of the AERA presidential conference and special issues have led to a deeper exploration of the workplace diversity and inclusion across a spectrum of related topics ranging from exploring the history of education workplace discrimination experienced by marginalized groups (e.g., people of color, with disabilities, who identify as LGBTQ, gender, and intersectionalities of the aforementioned identities), the present challenges they face, to recommendations for P-20 employers concerning how to cultivate an environment of workplace inclusion.

In response to turbulent times in society and schools (i.e., social unrest, inequitable access to healthcare, police brutality), employers are challenged to meet the evolving and growing needs of an increasingly diverse society. This edited book provides an in-depth exploration of education workplace diversity and inclusion in response to those needs. The chapters in the edited book draw upon cutting-edge theories and evidence-based strategies and integrate autoethnography and autobiographical of lived experiences. Particular emphasis will be placed on how education leaders can employ inclusive approaches to make positive changes to their work environments that foster a sense of belonging for people of all backgrounds in the P-12 setting. We follow this discourse with a second volume of this book, Leadership in Turbulent Times: Cultivating Diversity and Inclusion in the Higher Education Workplace that addresses the higher education context.

In Chapter 1, LGBT Educators' Perceptions of School Climate Across a Decade and Implications for School and District Leaders, Wright and Smith argue that LGBT educators have historically experienced various challenges in their schools, while school leaders have needed to balance the rights and needs of LGBT educators with sometimes unwelcoming community norms. In their chapter, they examine three iterations of a previous study that spanned across a decade aimed to gain an understanding of the ongoing climate for LGBT educators so that administrators utilize best practices related to policy enactment, advocacy, and enforcement – and in the case of this chapter, relating specifically to creating an LGBT-inclusive climate in schools. Overall, the school climate for many LGBT educators continues to vary. In some respects, it has not changed dramatically from 2007 to 2017. Many participants over the three studies readily described positive and negative consequences of being “out.” Additionally, LGBT educators working with younger students consistently feel the most unsafe being out to students to any degree, and they have experienced an intense dichotomy of more policy and administrative support all the while facing vehement opposition to being “out” as teachers. While there are still places for principals and other administrators to demonstrate stronger support for LGBT educators, these results show that their level of support is moving in the right direction.

In Chapter 2, Did You Feel You Needed to Tell Us? Looking for Leadership in All the Queer Places, Lauk asserts that the increasing numbers of educational leaders who identify as LGBTQ+ are assuming the school superintendency. The chapter shares the findings from interviews with eight current or retired school superintendents who identify as a member of the LGBTQ+ community and addresses issues of how these superintendents identify themselves professionally. The chapter explores the issues of lifestyle accommodations, their professional coming out process, work life implications, discrimination they experienced, and how their sexual orientation impacts their leadership capacity. While some superintendents identify themselves as “gay superintendents,” others perceive themselves as superintendents who happen to be gay. Regardless of their perspective, they all attribute some of their success as a superintendent to their experiences as a member of the LGBTQ+ community. Drawing on Queer Theory and Identity Theory, Lauk explores the intersection of sexual identity and leadership in a relatively understudied area.

In Chapter 3, The Way I See It: Segregation, Pre-Brown and Desegregation, Post-Brown in an Atlanta, Croft traces the intersectional experiences of one Black woman through pre-Brown schooling, becoming a teacher under a post-Brown court order, hiring teachers as a school leader in a large metropolitan, southern city, to her current position as a leader-educator at a state university. Informed and contextualized by social, political, and historical events associated with the pre-Brown segregation, desegregation, and post-Brown eras, this chapter uses narrative autoethnographic reflectivity and storytelling to understand and analyze the nuances of educational hiring practices through the prism of one Black woman's educational journey. As asserted by Croft, the story is significant because it not only provides evidence of the subtleties and nuances of racism, but it also describes the changes in teaching, leadership, and hiring practices in southern public education over the last 60 years.

In Chapter 4, A Psychology of Working Perspective on Women of Color K-12 Educational Leaders' Work Experiences, McGinnis and colleagues contend that diversifying the educator pipeline is a well-documented strategy to improve educational outcomes for all students, specifically students of color, and to achieve greater equity and inclusion in public education. However, the retention and promotion of educators of color remains a critical and complex issue. They raise the need to examine the intersection of race and gender in the education workplace and highlight in their experiences and expertise of women K-12 educators of color to identify best practices for career development. Applying Psychology of Working Theory (PWT) and utilizing modified meta-synthesis methodology, the chapter highlights the experiences of Black, Latinx, AAPI, and Indigenous women K-12 principals and superintendents to (1) thematize and conceptualize how women of color define their work in education spaces through a PWT lens and (2) understand how PWT themes can illuminate ways to build more diverse and inclusive career pathways for women of color leaders.

In Chapter 5, Feminist@ Leaders: Testimonios of Aspiring Superintendents in Texas, Edwards and colleagues, in their synthesis of the literature, conclude that the average woman educator spends more time in the classroom than their male counterpart before ascending to an administrator position. However, when they do reach this position, women superintendents lead in a different manner than men. They tend to focus on the well-being of children and families. They bring a strong interest in educating the child as a whole and place those at high risk a priority (Grogan, 2005). Women are finding way(s) to bring women's way(s) of knowing and expertise into this position. Women tend to keep instruction at the forefront and develop relationships with school and wider community members that can help foster the academic and social growth of the student (Grogan, 2005; Robinson, Shakeshaft, Grogan, & Newcomb, 2017; Wilmore, 2008).

Therefore, Feminist@ leaders surface from their feminist and cultural knowledge as a form of traditional resistance. As such, this chapter highlights the voices of four valiant women of color leaders on the path toward the superintendency whose personal and professional pathways intersect to create a Feminist@ leadership identity.

In Chapter 6, Mending Fractured Pieces: Overcoming Recruitment, Hiring, and Retention of Black Women Superintendents, Kingsberry and Jean-Marie provide an analysis of the plight of African American women leaders as they journey to the superintendency.

Although the number of women superintendents has increased over the years, the superintendency remains a male-dominated field and African American women remain in the minority and largely underrepresented. Consequently, African American female superintendents must overcome many obstacles such as racial and gender stereotypes, caustic work environments, and restricted access to opportunities. Critical to dismantling the underrepresentation of women superintendents is the role of mentorship and hiring practices on the recruitment and retention of Black Women Superintendents. Mentorship is an essential strategy in weathering these barriers. African American women also deserve a voice in the hiring practices of school districts. Further, when marginalized groups, such as Black women, are placed at the center of hiring discourses, hidden paradigms and vestiges of discrimination will be unearthed to unify efforts to provide increased opportunity and positive workplace environments. These efforts have implications for research and practice in the area of mentorship and hiring to amplify the voices of African American women superintendents and presence in the superintendency.

Next in Chapter 7, Keeping Patriarchy in Place: Mentoring to Keep the Pipeline Status Quo, Odell pushes the boundaries of past research to advance our understanding of how identity impacts aspiring leaders in their careers. Using Carol Gilligan's (2015) Listening Guide Method, this study of 18 aspiring school leaders of different gender identities, sexual identities, and races focuses on how gender identity and gender performance impact school leaders' career trajectories. A key finding of this study is that women, regardless of race or sexual identity, have difficulty finding mentors while men, regardless of race or sexual identity, are tapped by school leaders and offered mentoring opportunities. This chapter posits a new framework for mentoring that will lead to more liberatory pipeline structures.

In Chapter 8, Transforming the Education Workplace for Diversity and Inclusion Through Teaming, Audrain and Basile examine the fundamental structures and systems of classrooms that limit, obstruct, and hinder the ability to create workplaces that are equitable and conducive to real inclusivity. In this chapter, the authors narrate how the Next Education Workforce (NEW) initiative at Arizona State University is cultivating diversity and inclusion in the education workplace by rethinking and redesigning the workplace for educators, especially those from marginalized groups. In partnership with multiple districts across Arizona, NEW is rethinking educator roles and responsibilities in the workplace and their accompanying entry, induction, specialization, and advancement practices and pathways. To mitigate these challenges of the current workplace – where a single educator is responsible for an entire classroom of students – and to work toward a more equitable one, the future workplace must be redesigned so educators operate in teams. By creating teams of educators who work in real time, recognizing educators' unique expertise, and focusing on deepening and personalizing learning – whether content, pedagogical, or lived experiences – we can redesign the workplace, learning environments, and the teaching profession.

In Chapter 9, Toward a More Inclusive Generation: The Employment of Teachers With Physical Disabilities, author Tal-Alon examines an often understudied population, the professional, interpersonal, and functional experiences of teachers with physical disabilities and their employers. To obtain different perspectives on these issues, the author conducted 67 in-depth interviews with teachers with disabilities (motor disabilities, sensory disabilities, and chronic health conditions), their colleagues, principals, disability researchers, and two individuals who hold positions of leadership in the educational system. In addition, the authors analyzed 10 YouTube videos featuring teachers with disabilities. The findings reveal the organizational and personal barriers teachers with disabilities face. Tackling these barriers is important since teachers with disabilities have unique opportunities to contribute both personally and socially.

Finally, in this concluding Chapter (10), entitled Cultivating Humanized and Inclusive Workplaces with Talent-centered Education Leadership, Tran and Jenkins discuss and review the emerging education workforce management approach known as Talent-centered education leadership (TCEL). The approach takes inspiration from progressive and cutting-edge talent management thinking and practices that emphasize employers' intentional focus on humanizing and authentically engaging with their workforce. Pertinent to the theme of the book, the discussion then segues to the importance of diversity and inclusion as a precursor for these efforts and demonstrates how equity and organizational excellence are mutually compatible in the workplace. Relatedly, consideration is given to how traditional perceptions of “professionalism” can exacerbate inequity in the workplace. The chapter concludes by highlighting the seven core principles of TCEL to prepare school employers to embrace the future of education work.

In sum, this edited book is particularly relevant given the turbulent times in society and schools (i.e., social unrest, inequitable access to healthcare, police brutality), where education employers are challenged to meet the evolving and growing needs of an increasingly diverse society. The chapters in the edited book draw upon cutting-edge theories and evidence-based strategies by integrating conceptual and empirical work; with particular emphasis placed on how education leaders can employ inclusive approaches to make positive changes to their work environments.

Given the evidence-based benefits of having a more diverse workforce (Lindsay & Hart, 2017), as well as societal expectations from workers to have more diverse colleagues, creating diverse and inclusive work environments have become salient for many education employers and leaders. Readers interested in this topic will find our book to be a valuable resource to explore this topic in depth. They will also have the opportunity to read about the experiences of different marginalized groups in the education workplace and how to best develop and foster a work environment that engages and includes its workforce. We hope the book sparks the inspiration that will allow readers to apply what they learn from the book in practice to make real change.

Henry Tran, MPA, SHRM-CP, PHR, PhD

Gaëtane Jean-Marie, PhD

Acknowledgment

We extend sincere thanks to each contributor for working diligently developing critical chapters as we could not have developed this book of significance without you and your scholarship. Thank you to our endorsers: Dr Beverly J. Irby, Dr Judy A. Alston, and Dr Hilton Kelly. Thank you to the Series Editors, Studies in Educational Administration and Emerald Publishing team for your encouragement, wisdom, and continuous support. Finally, thanks to our significant others, family members, friends, students, and colleagues who cheered for us as we traveled the path toward the completion of our book.