An Exploration of the Relationship Between Leaders’ Cultural Competence and Academic Outcomes in Texas Public Schools

This study explored the cultural knowledge (CK) and cultural skills (CS) levels of Texas school leaders to determine if there was a relationship between cultural knowledge and cultural skill as well as between principals’ CK and CS levels and school academic outcomes. In comparing within-group scores, the results indicated CK scores were higher than CS scores in all participant groups. Between-group analysis revealed participants in non-Title I schools scored higher in CK, but Title I school leaders scored higher in CS. Results further indicated school leaders who identified as a member of a marginalized group scored higher in CS but slightly lower in CK than leaders who did not identify as a member of a marginalized group. There was a statistically significant, positive correlation between CK and CS scores; however, CK scores were negatively correlated with proficiency levels in marginalized student groups and CS scores were positively correlated with proficiency levels in marginalized student groups

A Case Study for the Leadership Initiative for Supporting (Bilingual) Teacher Acquisition (LISTA)

This paper presents a qualitative pilot study program evaluation of the Leadership Initiative for Strategic (Bilingual) Teacher Acquisition (LISTA) program in a rural region of Texas. The LISTA program aimed to empower bilingual leaders in education by addressing the limited availability of leadership coaching, particularly tailored to recognize and affirm the cultural capital of Hispanic/Latino leaders. The sessions were organized and developed by an experienced leadership coach with a strong focus on equity and social justice in the education and nonprofit sectors. Through a methodology encompassing open-ended survey questions, focus groups, and reflective journals, this evaluation assesses the program\u27s impact on the participants and explores their experiences and perspectives within the LISTA program. The findings shed light on the effectiveness and potential improvements of the program, providing valuable insights for future iterations

Courageous Conversations: Understanding and Facilitating Difficult Dialogues on Racial and Gender Realities for Educators and Administrators

This session will explore the clash of racial and gender realities in our schools and the negative impacts on students and staff. Participants will understand the three types of microaggressions and examine the harmful impacts of each on the school community. Participants will also explore strategies for handling microaggressions when they occur, facilitating difficult dialogues, and the principles of racism reduction to foster a culturally inclusive and anti-racist school community

Courageous Conversations: Addressing Cultural Awareness and Implicit Bias to Create a Culturally Inclusive School Environment

This session will examine implicit bias and its impact on decision-making in schools and classroom settings. Participants will participate in cultural awareness activities, understand implicit bias and microaggressions that affect teaching and learning and explore the facilitation of culturally inclusive school environments

Moving Beyond Diversity: Fostering an Inclusive School Community

Enough talk about diversity! It is time we extend the conversation to include actionable steps to inclusivity because diversity without inclusivity just doesn’t work. This presentation will explore power and privilege in today’s society and discuss ideological factors related to unconscious bias. Participants will walk away with strategies to help them become more inclusive educators to ensure success for all students

Using Neuro-Linguistic Programming to Influence Mindset and Behavior and Increase Resiliency

Neuro-Linguistic Programming focuses on how you communicate with yourself and others, and how this communication affects your behaviors and behavior outcomes. This empowering use of language helps change unwanted habits and limiting beliefs, improve relationships, and meet goals. In this session, participants will learn NLP strategies to help improve their confidence, self-awareness, communication skills, and resiliency

Shifting the Paradigm: Changing School Climate with a School-wide Restorative Discipline Approach

This instructional and experiential workshop presents the tools for implementing a successful restorative discipline model that places the importance of relationships at the heart of the educational experience in order to build healthy school communities, support students and teachers, and address discipline issues. Participants will learn steps to assess the readiness of their schools for this approach and the action steps they can begin to take to convey and implement Restorative Discipline concepts in ways that ensure necessary buy-in from a variety of stakeholder groups

Disruptive Leadership: Challenging the Status Quo to Become an Inclusive Leader and a Disruptor of Inequity

This session will explore the inequities and biases present in today’s schools and examine the elements of inclusion that can assist a leader in bridging these equity gaps. Further, this session will explore the thoughts and actions inclusive leaders avoid in building an inclusive team. Participants will explore the three dimensions of leadership as they relate to inclusivity and walk away with strategies to align their mindset and behaviors with the foundational elements of inclusive leadership

School Leaders’ Perceptions of Preparation for Rural Southern Schools

The role of today’s school leader has expanded far beyond managerial tasks, and an emphasis has been placed on both managerial and instructional leadership tasks (Jackson et al., 2021; McBrayer et al., 2018b). Inadequate preparation for this changing role has created gaps in the knowledge, skills, and dispositions necessary to effectively lead 21st-century schools. Closing this leadership gap is critical to preparing school leaders ready to effectively lead schools and supporting practicing principals to lead for continuous school improvement (Pannell & McBrayer, 2020). Further, closing the leadership gap could be critical in reducing leader attrition which Pannell et al. (2022) found to negatively impact every category of Georgia\u27s College and Career Ready Performance Index (CCRPI). This qualitative study explored the lived experiences of school leaders in a rural Southern region of the United States to better understand their educational leadership preparation program experiences and how training shaped their current leadership knowledge, skills, and dispositions. This phenomenological analysis discovered three overarching research themes that were expressed: (1) practical leadership lessons, (2) meaningful leadership mentorship, and (3) community-centered education needed. Implications for practice will lead to a better understanding of the successes and challenges of current educational leadership preparation to improve programs to ensure school leaders are prepared for today’s educational arena

The Relationship Between Gender and Academic Success Online

Distance learning may pose challenges to students in terms of satisfaction and academic success. This study examined the relationship between the final grade received in a distance learning course and the student characteristic of gender. Examined were differences in online course achievement between male and female students through the lens of identity theory. The sample included 959 education majors at a regional university. Simple main effect tests were conducted after assumption tests for the planned analysis of covariance were not met. Findings indicated that for students with lower overall GPAs, there were differences in online course achievement between male and female education majors. For students with mid-level and higher overall GPAs, no differences existed