Minority youth are a complex and diverse population in America who are often misunderstood, misclassified and misrepresented. These youth face a school system that has been teaching an inaccurate and negative narrative about who they are and a system that does not understand their unique needs. Using the findings from studies on Arab American…

This study uses an explanatory sequential mixed-methods approach to examine principals'responses to their schools' disproportionate discipline data in five schools located in the ruralsoutheastern United States. Semi-structured interviews were analyzed for principals' insight intotheir school discipline data. Results indicated that Black students…

It is estimated that 1.6 billion students were displaced from the traditional school building in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic (UN, 2022; IMF, 2020). While the drastic change in how society normally functions was a shock for everyone, children and historically marginalized people suffered disproportionately severe impacts (GHO, 2022; UNESCO,…

Self-efficacy is considered a key component for successful leadership; however, educational leadership doctoral programs do not often focus on leader self-efficacy (LSE) for principals. The purpose of this study was to understand perceptions of Ed.D. alumni who are currently principals regarding what contributed to the development of leader…

How do we ensure that all students have the tools and resources they need to succeed in today's educational context? In this article, we explore how the right to education generally and to specific educational tools and resources in California have been protected through litigation in the past; how the COVID-19 pandemic revealed technology-based…

American schools have been dealt a blow that included a pandemic, economic crisis, as well as racial unrest, initiating an energized charge for social justice advocacy. Our superintendents are currently facing an unprecedented challenge in ensuring that the campus community lives in a fair, inclusive, and opportunity-rich society. However, school…

Today's educational leadership candidates are subjects-in-process, as they learn and develop in response to rapidly changing social justice contexts with new potentials and new constraints. To prepare these candidates to lead social justice change, Educational Leadership Programs need to explore instructional approaches that grasp cultural…

This article is a response to the clarion call for leadership preparation programs to ground their work in social justice pedagogies and policies in light of the current sociopolitical context of multiple pandemics. It includes four distinct sections. We begin with an analysis of the state of leadership preparation in California. Next, we…

There are multiple theoretical frameworks for systematic equity and leadership development, each providing a different perspective towards a systemic approach to equity and inclusive education for marginalized populations. Although we recognize that there is no single framework or solution to build equitable and inclusive education systems, we…

This article chronicles CAPEA's efforts to collectively advocate for equity-centered leadership preparation. The 2013 CAPEA journal featured an article by members' describing the organization's commitment to equity and cultural competency in leadership preparation. This article reports on efforts since 2013, a time of substantial changes in…

Historically, the inclusive education movement has primarily focused on the inclusion of students with disabilities in the general education setting, along with their participation in school activities and interaction with other peer groups. Gradually, scholars have begun to look at inclusion as more than just a focus on students with…

This article discusses the issue of inequities in educational leadership, of which we attribute largely to social capital and how educators interpret this capital. This concept is presented along with a range of leadership styles commonly accepted in education. An argument is made for using Funds of Knowledge as a lens for understanding leadership…

This mixed-method phenomenological study reports findings of 144 urban California educational leaders' and teachers' views about the identified effects Academic Optimism has on supporting equitable growth in student learning within ten low SES schools. Hoy, Tartar and Woolfolk-Hoy (2006) examined how Academic Optimism was a general demonstrable…

This qualitative case study explored ways innovation is practiced in a PK-12 special education school, including the antecedents and outcomes to innovation, and how innovation was supported. Findings concluded that specific elements within the school's staff, leadership, and environment fostered high levels of innovative practice. Individual's…

School climate is important for continuous improvement. California's LCFF requires districts to report on school climate and use data to inform decision making. Qualitative data, derived from an explanatory sequential mixed-methods study, explored three belief constructs and sub-groups by response patterns. Education leaders have a range of…