Giftedness as property: Troubling whiteness, wealth, and gifted education in the US

The purposes of this article are to illumine the racist genealogy of gifted education policies and practices in the United States, to demonstrate how deficit discourses continue today, and to provide personal examples from the field of how educators can begin to question the status quo, resist taken-for-granted assumptions, and alternatively make substantive changes at the local level. I also aim to demonstrate how giftedness is an example of whiteness as property, or unearned white privilege, that, unintentionally or not, maintains a social caste system in school

A critical policy analysis of Texas’ Closing the Gaps 2015

This critical policy analysis uses critical race theory to provide a counter narrative to the P-16 initiative in Texas known as Closing the Gaps 2015. Findings indicate that while these reforms aim to increase educational access and achievement for people of color, they fall short of addressing systemic inequities such as enduring segregation and unconstitutional school finance policy. Using Texas as a case study illumines the ways the growing number of P-16 councils throughout the US might adapt and improve policy development and implementation to more adequately address educational inequities across racial, ethnic, and linguistic groups. The article closes with recommendations for Texas’ reiteration of Closing the Gaps 2015, titled 60x30TX, currently in revision to guide state education goals in 2016-2030

Uma análise crítica da política de Texas fechando a brecha de 2015

This critical policy analysis uses critical race theory to provide a counter narrative to the P-16 initiative in Texas known as Closing the Gaps 2015. Findings indicate that while these reforms aim to increase educational access and achievement for people of color, they fall short of addressing systemic inequities such as enduring segregation and unconstitutional school finance policy. Using Texas as a case study illumines the ways the growing number of P-16 councils throughout the US might adapt and improve policy development and implementation to more adequately address educational inequities across racial, ethnic, and linguistic groups. The article closes with recommendations for Texas’ reiteration of Closing the Gaps 2015, titled 60x30TX, currently in revision to guide state education goals in 2016-2030.Este análisis de crítico de políticas utiliza la teoría racial-crítica para proporcionar una narrativa en contra de la iniciativa de P-16 en Texas conocida como cerrando las brechas 2015. Los resultados indican que, si bien estas reformas tienen como objetivo aumentar el acceso y logros educativos para minorías raciales y étnicas, no consiguen  abordar las desigualdades sistémicas y duraderas como la segregación y la política inconstitucionales de financiamiento educativo. El uso de Texas como un caso de estudio ilumina los caminos del creciente número consejos escolares en todos los EE.UU. podría adaptar y mejorar el desarrollo y aplicación de políticas para abordar de manera más adecuada las desigualdades educativas entre los grupos raciales, étnicos y lingüísticos. El artículo concluye con recomendaciones para el nuevo programa en Texas cerrar las brechas 2015 titulado, 60x30TX, actualmente en revisión para guiar a las metas educativas 2016-2030.Esta análise crítica de políticas usa teoria racial-crítica para fornecer uma narrativa contra a iniciativa P-16 no Texas conhecida como fechando as brechas de 2015. Os resultados indicam que, enquanto estas reformas visam aumentar a acesso e logros educativos para minorias raciais e étnicas, não conseguem resolver desigualdades sistêmicas e duráveis  como segregação e políticas inconstitucionais de financiamento da educação. Usando Texas como um estudo de caso ilumina os caminhos que um grande número de escolas em todo os EUA poderia adaptar para melhorar o desenvolvimento e implementação de políticas para tratar de forma mais adequada as desigualdades educacionais entre os grupos raciais, étnicos e linguísticos. O artigo conclui com recomendações para o novo programa no Texas fechando as brechas de 2015 intitulado, 60x30TX, atualmente em revisão para orientar os objetivos educacionais 2016-2030

A study of Career Pathways policy with implications for educational leaders

This explanatory mixed-methods study began with a quantitative survey to investigate counselor beliefs and implementation behaviors related to providing college and career planning services to high school students. Survey results informed the development and implementation of interview protocol designed to provide deeper insight into counselors’ decision-making and implementation fidelity. Findings revealed that while counselors place substantial value in state and district policies, and believe their implementation decisions connect student interests and postsecondary goals to appropriate high school programs of study, they spend more time assisting students of higher socioeconomic status with college planning, resulting in less time for supporting students more likely to need their specialized assistance. Implications for educational leaders are discussed

Legislative advocacy for high quality leadership preparation: Perspectives and implications for teaching and learning educational leadership

This article interrogates the value of leadership preparation programs connecting academic and political spheres as endorsed in the 2008 revised ISLLC Standards. Specifically, a number of exemplar teaching and learning practices are shared that led to the planning and implementation of legislative advocacy projects for educational leadership professors and students in Washington, DC. Major findings include that although many educators are not adequately prepared nor encouraged to participate in policy making at the state or national levels, purposeful efforts to engage educators in legislative advocacy projects results in positive outcomes for professors, students, and policymakers alike

What constitutes sexual harassment and how should administrators handle it?

Gender discrimination and sexual harassment persist on college campuses across the United States. This seems especially obvious at the beginning of the academic year when many freshman women and their parents are welcomed to campus with sexually explicit signs displayed on all-male residences. But, sometimes, sexual harassment and gender discrimination takes a subtler form, creating unique challenges for administrators. This article presents the true case of a professional fraternity party gone awry, testing the leadership skills of several college administrators. The case provides a platform for educational leadership students to apply the theories they are learning in their preparation programs to real-life situations. This case is important and timely as educational leaders across the p-20 pipeline struggle to navigate the U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights’ 2011 directives concerning defining and responding to allegations of sexual assault and harassment

Negotiating race and gender in marginalized work settings

Building on earlier research and discourse on women in educational leadership, we conducted a qualitative secondary analysis on conceptual and empirical research. A permeating theme throughout literature was women’s ability to negotiate gender and race in a historically marginalizing working environment. A key assertion made by authors is that by incorporating this dimension to their leadership can be helpful for those who search for life-sustaining contexts while simultaneously empowering themselves as agents of transformative change (Shields, 2010) who align everyday practice with core values. Implications and recommendation are offered that capture the impact of how women leadership behaviors interplay with race and gender

Preparing practitioners to conduct educational research and evaluation: What the research says and what our experiences taught us

The purpose of this article is to share the insights gleaned from the literature and our on-the-ground realities teaching practitioners to conduct educational research and evaluation. We focus on four areas we have found most important for teaching practitioner-scholars: (a) giving careful attention to andragogy versus pedagogy, (b) engaging the potency that team teaching affords, (c) addressing challenges associated with the practitioner-scholar model, and (d) building on the strengths of the cohort model. We share the challenges and possibilities of each strategy and close by offering recommendations for the educational leadership field in moving forward

The importance of safe space and student voice in schools that serve minoritized learners

This article is based on an ethnography conducted over a six year period that used participant observation, photography, focus groups, and interviews to discover and describe the emergent school culture and the lived experiences of female secondary students in an all-girls college preparatory school. This article shares the story of a group of women educators who created a novel school culture, and the female students who meet them there, to disrupt and transform the dailiness of sexism, racism, and classism. Through a commitment to building a supportive school culture that includes developing robust relationships and forefronting the voices of women, this community of learners is working in a very socially just way so as to confront the past and interrupt the present, and revolutionize future trajectories of historically minoritized peoples

Negotiating the double mandate: Mapping ethical conflict experienced by practicing educational administrators

The purpose of this study was to capture and describe ethical conflict experienced by seasoned educational administrators. Narrative inquiry via electronic survey was conducted with 42 participants with follow-up interviews conducted with a smaller sample of purposefully-selected participants. Findings suggest that ethical conflict is inherent in the practice of educational leadership and is most often experienced in relation to colleagues when the ethics of justice and care collide. Moreover, leaders’ ability to mitigate conflict, which is exacerbated by institutional and external factors, is improved when coupled by longevity and diversity of leadership experiences. Finally, the role leadership preparation programs and in-service professional development play in building theoretical foundations and competence in applied ethical decision-making cannot be overestimated