Prelims

Reimagining School Leadership

ISBN: 978-1-83797-411-5, eISBN: 978-1-83797-410-8

Publication date: 30 October 2024

Citation

(2024), "Prelims", DeMatthews, D.E. and Kruse, S.D. (Ed.) Reimagining School Leadership (Transforming Education Through Critical Leadership, Policy and Practice), Emerald Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. i-xiii. https://doi.org/10.1108/978-1-83797-410-820241010

Publisher

:

Emerald Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2024 David E. DeMatthews and Sharon D. Kruse. Published under exclusive licence by Emerald Publishing Limited


Half Title Page

Reimagining School Leadership

Series Title Page

Transforming Education Through Critical Leadership, Policy and Practice

Series editors: Stephanie Chitpin, Sharon D. Kruse and Howard Stevenson

Transforming Education Through Critical Leadership, Policy and Practice is based on the belief that those in educational leadership and policy-constructing roles have an obligation to educate for a robust critical and democratic polity in which citizens can contribute to an open and socially just society. Advocating for a critical, socially just democracy goes beyond individual and procedural concerns characteristic of liberalism and seeks to raise and address fundamental questions pertaining to power, privilege, and oppression. It recognizes that much of what has gone under the name of “transformational leadership” in education seeks to transform very little, but rather it serves to reproduce systems that generate structural inequalities based on class, gender, race, (dis)ability, and sexual orientation.

This series seeks to explore how genuinely transformative approaches to educational leadership, policy, and practice can disrupt the neoliberal hegemony that has dominated education systems globally for several decades, but which now looks increasingly vulnerable. The series will publish high-quality books, both of a theoretical and empirical nature, that explicitly address the challenges and critiques of the current neoliberal conditions, while steering leadership and policy discourse and practices away from neoliberal orthodoxy toward a more transformative perspective of education leadership. The series is particularly keen to “think beyond” traditional notions of educational leadership to include those who lead in educative ways – in social movements and civil society organizations as well as in educational institutions.

Title Page

Reimagining School Leadership: Sustaining Improvement Through and Beyond Uncertainty

Edited by

David E. DeMatthews

University of Texas at Austin, USA

And

Sharon D. Kruse

Washington State University Vancouver

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

Copyright Page

Emerald Publishing Limited

Emerald Publishing, Floor 5, Northspring, 21-23 Wellington Street, Leeds LS1 4DL

First edition 2024

Editorial matter and selection © 2024 David E. DeMatthews and Sharon D. Kruse.

Individual chapters © 2024 The authors.

Published under exclusive licence by Emerald Publishing Limited.

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Contact: www.copyright.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: 978-1-83797-411-5 (Print)

ISBN: 978-1-83797-410-8 (Online)

ISBN: 978-1-83797-412-2 (Epub)

List of Figures and Tables

Chapter 4
Figure 4.1. A Framework for Examining Interactions Between Schools and Mutual Respect in Classrooms. 52
Chapter 7
Figure 7.1. Practical Steps to Lead Through Disaster. 125

Chapter 4
Table 4.1. Definitions and Examples of Mutual Respect in Practice. 53
Table 4.2. Interrelated Priorities When Leading for Symmetry. 59
Chapter 7
Table 7.1. Scholarship on the Student Outcomes Following a Natural Disaster. 107
Table 7.2. Scholarship on the Role of School Leadership Following a Natural Disaster. 113
Chapter 8
Table 8.1. Burnout and Mindfulness Contrasted. 137

About the Editors

David E. DeMatthews, PhD, is an Professor in the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy at the University of Texas at Austin and holds a courtesy appointment in the Department of Special Education. Prior to arriving at UT-Austin, DeMatthews was an Assistant Professor at the University of Texas at El Paso. He began his career in education working as a teacher, campus leader, and district administrator in Baltimore City Public Schools and the District of Columbia Public Schools. DeMatthews' research focuses on equitable and inclusive school improvement, with an emphasis on leadership and policy. More specifically, he aims to understand how districts and schools create equitable and inclusive schools at the intersections of race, social class, language, and other markers of identity. Given the importance of stable school leadership to school improvement processes, he has also cultivated a stream of research focused on principal career pathways, job-related stress and burnout, and turnover. He has published over 150 research articles in academic journals, book chapters, research reports, and editorials in media outlets. DeMatthews' research has been published in Educational Researcher, Educational Administration Quarterly, AERA Open, Teachers College Record, Educational Policy, Journal of Educational Administration, Urban Education, Journal of School Leadership, Journal of Research on Leadership Education, and Leadership and Policy in Schools. DeMatthews authored several books, including, Community Engaged Leadership for Social Justice: A Critical Approach in Urban Schools with Routledge. He regularly appears as a commentator on education policy issues in national and regional media outlets. DeMatthews' work and ideas have been featured in prominent media outlets including The New York Times, Washington Post, USA Today, Associated Press, ABC News, Education Week, The Hill, The Dallas Morning News, Houston Chronicle, and other regional outlets.

Sharon D. Kruse, PhD, is an Academic Director and Professor of Educational Leadership at Washington State University. Her scholarship broadly addresses two concerns: (1) to help teachers and school leaders better understand the key role leadership plays in schools and (2) to explore how education is currently structured and influenced by social and organizational complexity. Kruse's interests in education and organizational change are an extension of her desire to encourage district and school improvement, the development of communal leadership, and social justice through institutional and systemic reform. Her recent books include Mindful Educational Leadership: Contemplative, Cognitive, and Organizational Systems and Practices (Routledge); Educational Leadership, Organizational Learning, and the Ideas of Karl Weick: Perspectives on Theory and Practice (with Bob Johnson, Routledge); and A Case Study Approach to Educational Leadership (with Julie Gray, Routledge). Kruse is past editor of the Journal of Research on Leadership Education and past Director of the UCEA Center for the Study of Academic Leadership.

About the Contributors

Michalis Constantinides, PhD, is a Lecturer (Assistant Professor) in Educational Leadership and Management and the program leader for the MEd Educational Leadership at the School of Education, University of Glasgow. He received his Doctorate in Educational Leadership from University College London, Institute of Education. His research, teaching, and outreach focus on the organization and management of education systems and educational change with a particular focus on network-based continuous improvement. He has been working with schools and communities of schools at cross-national levels (England, Scotland, and New Zealand) promoting school-university partnerships and collaborations within a framework of shared values and aspirations. Michalis is also a member of the lead design team of US-based scholars in developing a new series of massive open online courses on Transforming Education in an Interconnected World. The aim is to create an “on-ramp” for teachers, leaders, parents, and community members as collaborators in improvement research.

Diamond Ebanks, PhD, earned her Doctorate from the Environment, Ecology and Energy Program at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Her community-based research focuses on the intersection of race, social vulnerability, and the movement of water, including both excess water (flooding) and the lack thereof (drought). Her areas of focus in research, teaching, and service are: environmental justice, race and disasters, qualitative methods, and diversity and equity. In her research, she seeks to understand the different ways marginalized communities advocate against vulnerability-making processes from outside influences and top-down “solutions.” In the environmental classes she teaches, she asks students to identify the ways their identities – visible or invisible – contribute to how they understand and respond to different environmental issues. In her advocacy, she leverages the resources and privileges she has so they can be best used by others in their community struggles.

Megan Rauch Griffard, PhD, is an Assistant Professor in the Educational Policy and Leadership program at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. She is delighted to be returning to her alma mater (MEd, 2014). Her research focuses on the role of school leaders in personnel working conditions, retention, and turnover. She is also interested in disruptions to schooling, such as natural disasters and pandemics. Griffard earned her Doctorate in Education from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. In addition to her master's in education from UNLV, Griffard holds a BA from Boston College and an MS from Northwestern University. Dr Griffard is also a former Clark County School District teacher.

Whitney M. Hegseth, PhD, is a Visiting Fellow of educational leadership at Boston College. Her anthropological and comparative research is focused on system-level supports for marginalized youth, so that they are equipped with the necessary confidence and skills to uphold a more just, democratic society. At present, Whitney examines leadership at the meso-level; she conducts comparative studies of educational systems, focusing on interactions between these systems, their environments, and classroom practice. Her publications consider how to (re)build educational systems for equity, antiracist practice, holistic student development, and mutual respect, and are geared toward scholars (e.g., Educational Researcher, Anthropology and Humanism), practitioners (e.g., Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Education), and policymakers (e.g., the Brookings Institution). Two recent awards demonstrate Whitney's rising presence in her field: the Outstanding Graduate Student Research Award from AERA's Educational Change SIG in 2023, and the Outstanding Dissertation Award from AERA's Systems Thinking SIG in 2022. Prior to Boston College, Whitney was trained in Educational Leadership, Policy, and Innovation (University of Michigan, PhD), International and Comparative Educational Policy (Stanford University, MA), and Sociocultural Anthropology (UC Berkeley, BA). She was a Research Analyst at Empirical Education, Inc. in Palo Alto, CA, and a K-12 teacher in France, Singapore, and the United States. Across these varied academic and professional experiences, Whitney has spent the past 15 years working on two interrelated topics: 1) how to improve our assumptions and treatment of young people; and 2) systemic school improvement.

Deidre M. Le Fevre, PhD, is a Professor in educational leadership at the University of Auckland, New Zealand. She began her career teaching in elementary and secondary schools in New Zealand and the United Kingdom before moving into academia. Her Doctorate is from the University of Michigan and she previously held positions at the University of Michigan and Washington State University, USA. Dr Le Fevre is currently the Academic Director for graduate programs in educational leadership at the University of Auckland where she leads a team of international researchers focusing on leadership, policy, and schooling improvement. She has led major international research grants focusing on leadership, equity, professional learning, and organizational improvement and serves on several international journal editorial boards. Dr Le Fevre has had the privilege of supporting many exceptional leaders across sectors and countries. She is committed to improving education. Her current research foci include the development of leaders' interpersonal capabilities, promoting effective process of change, and enabling professional learning that has a positive impact. She has published extensively and enjoys the ongoing challenge of seeking to understand the complexities of learning, teaching, leadership, and organizational improvement.

Melinda M. Mangin, PhD (she/her), is a Professor in the Graduate School of Education at Rutgers University where she teaches and conducts research related to teacher leadership and transgender identities in the context of PreK-12 schools. Mangin's scholarship is informed by her previous experience as a public high school Spanish teacher in New York City and North Carolina. She is a frequent speaker on the topic of teacher leadership and transgender children, presenting at national conferences, local schools, and teacher education preparation programs. Dr Mangin is the author of Transgender Students in Elementary School: Creating an Affirming and Inclusive School Culture (2020) and co-editor with Mario Suárez of Trans Studies in K-12 Education: Creating an Agenda for Research and Practice (2022). Dr Mangin's research and scholarship are supported by the Spencer Foundation.

Conor L. Scott is a practicing school administrator and doctoral candidate in the Graduate School of Education at Rutgers University. His research examines culturally responsive school leadership, the relationship between educational policy and school administration, and the role that school leaders play in alternately reproducing and dismantling inequities in school. Mr Scott has been an educator for more than 12 years. He has held roles as a social studies teacher, learning disabilities teacher-consultant, supervisor of special services, and assistant principal. Mr Scott employs critical race theory as a lens for understanding, critiquing, and improving educational systems, structures, and practices. As a researcher and future professor, Mr Scott aims to mobilize the knowledge needed to build more equitable school environments.

Jacob D. Skousen, EdD, earned his Doctorate from Boise State University in 2015 and joined the UNLV faculty UNLV in 2019. He also has a Master of Arts degree in Curriculum and Instruction with an emphasis in bilingual education, and a Master of Education degree in Educational Leadership and Administration. Dr Skousen is an Assistant Professor in educational policy and leadership in the Department of Educational Psychology, Leadership, and Higher Education. Prior to UNLV, Dr Skousen spent three years as an Assistant Professor in educational leadership and policy studies at the University of Northern Colorado. As a researcher, having had 15 years as a practitioner in P-12 education, as a teacher, instructional coach, and principal, he works to bridge theory and practice. Dr Skousen has a research agenda focused on leadership development and equity.

Patricia M. Virella PhD is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Educational Leadership at Montclair State University. Dr Virella's research focuses on implementing equity-oriented leadership through leader responses, organizational transformation, and preparation. Dr Virella also studies equity-oriented crisis leadership examining how school leaders can respond to crises without further harming marginalized communities.