Ximena was sure she would be appointed as the Director of Student Life at Aspirante University, a Hispanic-Serving Institution. As interim director, Ximena strove to enact servingness in her everyday practice. Her efforts to create a culturally responsive, relevant, and affirming campus environment for Latinx students were unparalleled. However,…

In June 2019, the Vatican published its first-ever document on gender theory. This document was directed at Catholic educational institutions and draws on theology and philosophy, while excluding science on gender identity and testimonies from transgender people, to suggest gender theory is an ideology endangering the family. The case of Jane, a…

Principal Wilson is a first-year leader of a virtual high school. Following four years as an assistant principal in the brick-and-mortar school, she encounters unanticipated leadership challenges and policy dilemmas. Although discipline issues are nearly nonexistent, remote testing presents an ethical challenge. Moreover, she discovers that…

During the 2016 to 2017 school year, the Québec Ministry of Education announced the rollout of a new course, "Financial Education," that would take effect the following September. This sparked a curriculum debate over its potential impact on another Grade 11 course, "Contemporary World." Tasked with preparing educators to teach…

In 2022, the state department released new standards and a competency-based education curriculum. Simultaneously, the Toledo Creek School District has experienced an unprecedent shift in the student population demographics. The shift has resulted in two distinct zones, east and west, with income averages on the two extremes of the income spectrum.…

This case describes how, after being hired by a large urban school district in the southern United States, a Black male superintendent's relationship with his stakeholders deteriorated due to disagreements about his equity-based leadership approach. Three incidents occurred during his tenure, which he believed to be racially motivated. Yet, the…

Millions of students in our schools live with a parent experiencing substance use disorder. Most people with substance use disorder begin using while they are school-age. School personnel are on the frontlines of this crisis; yet our policies, practices, and social norms create barriers to witnessing and healing for these students and families.…

The lack of support for transfer students, specifically students with individualized education plans (IEP) into school environments, is problematic. At times, IEP students face additional obstacles and challenges due to their disabilities compared to the regular education population. The authors formulated a case that follows an IEP transfer…

Sam Patrick, a White female superintendent is in her fourth year leading the Douglasville School District, a high-performing, predominantly White suburban district that has a long history of unacknowledged and unchecked racism and racial disparities. Sam is driven to embrace a diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) agenda and move the district in…

Salim is the father of a young girl who attends Small Fortune Preschool located in the suburb of Detroit. Although he would like to regularly participate in his child's school events, his beliefs restrain him from helping in the classrooms headed by female teachers, unless his wife is present. This case demonstrates some of the challenges that…

Ms. Sampson, a White eighth-grade teacher in a predominately White suburban school district in the southern United States, decided to include several books in her lesson plan. Selected books were from the school's library and had been previously approved by stakeholders as instructional resources for the district. One parent, a school board…

Racism, social media, and free speech collide on a high school campus when a student creates an offensive poster that a classmate posts on social media. This case describes a school administrator's conversations and actions with students, teachers, and the community addressing bigotry, race, and free speech on campus. The scenario is presented…

While facilitating a data dialogue concerning racial opportunity gaps in an elementary school, Evelyn Nguyen, a preservice principal candidate, overheard a disturbing and racialized dialogue among third-grade teachers. Evelyn had to decide whether to move an uncomfortable and emotional discussion forward or segue to the next item on the agenda to…

The current tensions around racism in public schooling prompted Dr. Edwards, an assistant professor in educational leadership and policy studies, to teach critical race theory and assign a racism audit for doctoral students to use the theory in practice. Students were to complete their racism audit on their school campus. However, several students…

Following a wave of racial justice activism during the summer of 2020, nearly 40 school districts passed resolutions ending the use of law enforcement in schools. In such districts, school superintendents then faced the challenge of implementing these "police-free schools' resolutions," while sometimes encountering strong resistance,…