This article examines social justice as a vehicle for equity for all children. It focuses on the training of school leaders who can promote democratic schools and address inequality in K-12 schools. It outlines the needs assessment, consensus building, curriculum, and faculty voice in establishing a doctorate in educational justice. (Contains 1…

This study reports on lessons learned from pre-service principals as they completed the Instructional Leadership Work Sample project and became instructional leaders. Data were collected from 150 participants over a four-semester time period. Teacher partners for the study were recruited from a variety of subject areas and from three…

This essay reviews the powerful influence of professional identity in shaping how school leaders perceive their work. I review factors that mold teacher professional identity, implications for educational leadership pedagogy, and supports and barriers for teacher leaders to consider in their quest to more fully enact bold, socially responsible…

It is imperative that educational administrators continually examine the issues that confront teachers on a day-to-day basis, keeping in mind how they can best assist their faculty in maintaining the focus on their students and the overall instructional process. The issues presented in the following discussion are provided as a sampling of…

To enter a future that waits to be born, educational leaders must continually assess their own ethical stance as well as that of the organizations they serve. Three frames form a model for examining the ethics of both individual and organization, with internal monologue and engaged conversation as the means for reflection and action.

This invited paper explores challenges involved in developing an equity agenda that will create school and district cultures that can effectively address issues of race that are reflected by the achievement gap. Based on a presentation at the Fall 2005 CAPEA conference, the authors explore issues that influence how school systems work and do not…

Both socioeconomic and school factors contribute to the underachievement of poor children and children of color. This article explores factors that contribute to the underachievement of students of color and offers practices that culturally proficient school leaders can use to build a school culture that may positively impact the academic…

This article addresses the failure of sustainability of reform efforts in public school systems by reconceptualizing the perplexing notion of sustainability through a case study to discern the skill sets needed of principals to sustain reforms in urban settings. This study draws on perceptual data gathered from principals in 36 schools in one…

Studies suggest that three and four-year old children who are exposed to preschool have a greater chance of academic success throughout their schooling. This article highlights a five-year case study of children of poverty who attended a structured preschool in Salinas, California. The longitudinal study exposed various components of a successful…

Increasingly, the viability of university programs to develop in school leaders the knowledge, skills and dispositions needed to bring about reform are being questioned. This article uses case study methodology for looking at how an increasing emphasis on collaborative inquiry in one university's program influenced a school principal several years…

The purpose of this study was to validate the instrument, Administrator Dispositions Index (ADI), that measures the dispositions of effective school leaders. The ADI could be used to assess administrator candidate dispositions and to integrate dispositions of effective school leaders into the curricula of administrator preparation programs.…

With the advent of recent standards for educational leadership and the increasing complexity of a principal's job, there is a dire need for assistant principals to participate in clearly defined and consistent professional development growth activities. This study examines professional development needs of assistant principals, including their…

The goal of this comparative study was to explore the online interactions among members of two learning communities. The two cases examined two different cohorts in the same professional preparation program for school principals and administrators: a distance-learning cohort and an onsite university-district partnership cohort in which online…

This article offers a conceptual model for a school of education that depicts the collegiate ideology, academic culture, mission statement, managerial climate, and organizational structure. It is designed to help administrators and faculty envision their school/college more holistically when dealing with issues and changes rather than forcing…

To engage in the goal of equity requires a certain amount of rage in one's belly. Understanding the context in which we are presently situated regarding our successes and challenges to achieve equity and social justice can serve to inform our future actions as educational leaders.