College Access and Completion among Boys and Young Men of Color: Literature Review of Promising Practices

This literature review examines challenges and promising practices for increasing college access and completion among boys and young men of color. It moves beyond issues of academic preparation to other factors that appear to mediate college access and success for boys and young men of color

Philanthropic Paths: An Exploratory Study of the Career Pathways of Professionals of Color in Philanthropy

This study, commissioned by the D5 Coalition, provides a nuanced picture of the career experiences of 43 philanthropic professionals of color ranging from Program Officers to CEOs working in an array of foundations. Through an exploration of the perceptions, analyses, and career histories of people of color working in the philanthropic sector, this study aims to advance the field's understanding of the following questions:What are the career pathways of people of color in philanthropy in terms of how they enter the field and advance to higher levels of seniority?What factors do philanthropic professionals of color view as posing the greatest barriers and contributors to career advancement in the sector?What is the perceived value of and challenges to achieving greater leadership diversity in foundations from the perspective of professionals of color in the field? While not generalizable to the broader population of people of color working in the sector, interviews conducted with these individuals surfaced a set of potentially common points of entry and career pathways among professionals of color in philanthropy, as well as the factors that helped shape those pathways

The Mirage: Confronting the Hard Truth About Our Quest for Teacher Development

Two years ago, we embarked on an ambitious effort to identify what works in fostering widespread teacher improvement. Our research spanned three large public school districts and one midsize charter school network. We surveyed more than 10,000 teachers and 500 school leaders and interviewed more than 100 staff members involved in teacher development.Rather than test specific strategies to see if they produced results, we used multiple measures of performance to identify teachers who improved substantially, then looked for any experiences or attributes they had in common -- from the kind and amount of development activities in which they participated to the qualities of their schools and their mindset about growth -- that might distinguish them from teachers who did not improve. We used a broad definition of "professional development" to include efforts carried out by districts, schools and teachers themselves.In the three districts we studied, which we believe are representative of large public school systems nationwide, we expected to find concentrations of schools where teachers were improving at every stage of their careers, or evidence that particular supports were especially helpful in boosting teachers' growth. After an exhaustive search, we were disappointed not to find what we hoped we would. Instead, what we found challenged our assumptions

System leadership through extended headship roles: research associate, full report

Succession planning and the development of system leadership are ‘hot topics’ in education at the start of the 21st century. The widely held concern that we might be about to encounter a loss of ‘baby boomer’ headteachers leaving gaps that would prove difficult to fill has exercised the country’s educationalists for the past decade. At the same time the rapid development of system leadership – experienced headteachers undertaking significant outreach work and often supporting schools who are struggling to raise standards – has become a feature of the educational landscape. This report explores whether one might support the other, namely, whether development of system leadership might also encourage the development of tomorrow’s leaders

Iowa's 1st Five Initiative: Improving Early Childhood Developmental Services Through Public-Private Partnerships

Evaluates the state's initiative to improve early detection of social and emotional developmental delays and other problems with better tools, training for staff and special care coordinators, partnerships with community groups, and timely notification

Managing Transitions: Coping Strategies for New Principals in Colleges of Education, Ghana

Principals’ transition in Colleges of Education in Ghana is critical to quality teacher education and training, but it comes with complexities and challenges to newly appointed principals. However, there is a seeming absence of research on strategies for smooth transitions in Colleges of Education in Ghana. This study was therefore conducted to establish strategies that promoted the College of Education principals’ transition management in Ghana. Phenomenological research design was used for the study. Ten (10) newly appointed principals of public colleges of education were purposively sampled for the study. Interview protocol was the research instrument used. The data collected was analyzed using content analysis method. The study established that capacity building, relationship building, appropriate leadership style and maintenance of discipline were key among the coping strategies for smooth transitions. This study then provides a guide for new principals. It was recommended that this area should be further explored and a model for managing transition designed to support College of Education principals’ in transitio

Execution: the Critical “What’s Next?” in Strategic Human Resource Management

The Human Resource Planning Society’s 1999 State of the Art/Practice (SOTA/P) study was conducted by a virtual team of researchers who interviewed and surveyed 232 human resource and line executives, consultants, and academics worldwide. Looking three to five years ahead, the study probed four basic topics: (1) major emerging trends in external environments, (2) essential organizational capabilities, (3) critical people issues, and (4) the evolving role of the human resource function. This article briefly reports some of the study’s major findings, along with an implied action agenda – the “gotta do’s for the leading edge. Cutting through the complexity, the general tone is one of urgency emanating from the intersection of several underlying themes: the increasing fierceness of competition, the rapid and unrelenting pace of change, the imperatives of marketplace and thus organizational agility, and the corresponding need to buck prevailing trends by attracting and, especially, retaining and capturing the commitment of world-class talent. While it all adds up to a golden opportunity for human resource functions, there is a clear need to get to get on with it – to get better, faster, and smarter – or run the risk of being left in the proverbial dust. Execute or be executed

A Primer on Talent Management

{Excerpt} Critical talent is scarce (and about to become scarcer) because of three trends: the ongoing retirement of the Baby Boom Generation , a widening skills gap, and large-scale social integration (driving rapidly changing lifestyles). Talent management has become one of the most pressing topics in organizations (even if very few have strategies and operational programs in place with which to identify, recruit, develop, deploy, and retain the best). The competition for talent will define organizational milieus for a couple of decades to come. Springing from the three trends, several drivers fuel the emphasis: • Workforce demographics are evolving. • The context in which organizations conduct their operations is increasingly complex and dynamic. • More efficient capital markets have enabled the rise of small and medium-sized organizations that offer opportunities few large organizations can match, exerting a pull across the talent spectrum. • In knowledge economies, talent is a rapidly increasing source of value creation. • A demonstrated correlation between talent and organizational performance exists: talented individuals drive a disproportionate share of organizational effectiveness. (Value creation extends beyond individual performance differentials.) • Financial markets and boards of directors demand more. • The mobility of personnel is quickening on a par with changing expectations. If talent is hard to find, it is becoming harder to keep

Frameworks for Strategic Leadership

I suggest two frameworks that may improve understanding of strategic thinking, strategic decision making, and strategic leadership. The first I call the Epistemology Framework. The second which was described and continues to be promoted by David Snowdon and colleagues is the Cynefin Framework

Including Social Service Clients in the Organizational Decision Making Process

Empowerment of clients is a goal of many social service organizations and yet a concept that is hard to define and often complicated to implement. This professional project looks at the importance and practice of empowering parents in a teenage pregnancy prevention program through a case study. A survey of parents supported the idea of empowering practices leading to parents becoming partners with the organization in the education of the community. In a qualitative study, this researcher offers the practice of taking empowerment a step further in asking participants of the program to take part in the decision of what should be next for the program