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Social Work Educators’ Perceptions Of School Social Work Leadership – What Are The Characteristics That Make A Leader?, Christine Vyshedsky

International Journal of School Social Work

Social workers in school settings are uniquely poised to propose and implement proactive solutions to climate stressors, but they may not capitalize on this opportunity to lead. This study explored the perceptions of Masters’ level social work educators, who set the tone and expectations for school social workers through curricula, towards the inclusion of leadership-related skills within school social work curriculum. A survey of educator administrators (n = 75) at Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) accredited institutions examined leadership as defined through a combination of two proposed definitions for social work leadership, delineated by Holosko, 2009 and Hopson & …

Educating And Advocating: A Professional Responsibility For School Leaders And School Counselors, Jessica Lane, Donna Augustine-Shaw, Melanie Scott

The Advocate

While educators are tasked with many competing professional responsibilities, it is necessary that the focus of advocacy for student well-being stay at the forefront. In particular, for school counselors and school leaders, advocating has never been more important. This article will highlight the role of advocacy found within the professional standards for school counselors and school leaders, and shine light on the need to advocate for social-emotional learning.

Higher Education Leadership Development During The Covid-19 Pandemic: An Exploration Of Online Learner Readiness, Kevan W. Lamm, Alyssa Powell, L. Rochelle Sapp, Alexa Lamm

Journal of International Agricultural and Extension Education

The COVID-19 pandemic precipitated profound disruptions across the higher education sector as institutions were forced to restructure entire systems and operate with significantly reduced resources. Most notably, many institutions were forced to transition to fully virtual instruction. The present study examined adult leadership development program participants’ perceptions of online learning readiness during the transition to a fully virtual training environment precipitated by the COVID-19 pandemic. A census of the 2020 LEAD21 class was taken, and perceptions of online learning readiness were collected via a retrospective pre- and post-test. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used. Respondents had the highest levels of …

Facilitating Racial Equity: Evaluating A Leadership Workshop Series For School Social Workers, Summer G. Woodside, Veronica Hardy

International Journal of School Social Work

This article provides an overview of a leadership training workshop series designed to provide professional development to Pre-K through 12th grade school social workers about racial equity and leadership. The series' objectives included promoting social workers’ understanding of and obligation to facilitating racial equity in schools, analyzing educational data through a racial equity lens, conceptualizing school social workers as influencers in addressing racial inequities in schools, and collaborating with school professionals of various disciplines to practice and implement evidence-based approaches for facilitating racial equity in schools. The authors conducted five workshops that were developed based on state school social work …

Collaborative Autonomy: Exploring The Professional Freedom Of Three Science Teachers, Michael Ralph, Darian Robbins, Stephen Young, Laurence Woodruff

Educational Considerations

Education reform efforts must support and protect professional autonomy for classroom teachers. When policymakers attempt to make systemic change in ways that reduce the professional autonomy of educators, student learning suffers. Teachers need the freedom to identify their professional goals, seek resources and collaboration opportunities in pursuit of those goals, and act on feedback regarding their progress in meeting those goals. We present three stories from teachers who share a department engaged in collaborative autonomy. These accounts provide guidance for how professional autonomy can be defended by those pursuing systemic change.

Leadership During Change, Mischel Miller

Educational Considerations

The national education system, similar to the Kansas education system, has seen little change since the 1800s(Throckmorton, 1967). In fact, over 50 years later, there have been few changes. Children come to school around the age of five to enter kindergarten and then move through the current system by age and grade level. These children sit in rows, are addressed by the expert teacher, are given information, and are expected to memorize and regurgitate the material in a standardized testing process. Schools in Kansas predominately open their doors in August and close in May (KSDE, 2018), perpetuating the long history …

What Does A Successful 24 Year Old Look Like?: Reflections From The State Board Of Education, Jim Porter

Educational Considerations

“What does a successful 24 year old look like?” This is a critical question that must be successfully addressed if Kansas is to “Lead the World in the Success of EACH Student.”

For many decades we have attempted to fit the student in to the system and many students have been successful, however, many have not. What would happen if the system were built around the individual student? What would happen if student’s interests, passions and talents were controlling when determining the best educational plan for each student?

By developing Individual Plans of Study based on student interests, abilities and …

The Influence Of Gender On Rural Honduran Women’S Participation And Leadership In Community Groups, Jera Niewoehner-Green, Nicole Stedman, Sebastian Galindo, Sandra Russo, Hannah Carter, Kathy Colverson

Journal of International Agricultural and Extension Education

Throughout Latin America, increasing women’s leadership has been part of many development efforts. However, extensive research on this topic, especially with rural indigenous women, is limited in the literature. Barriers and opportunities for women to participate in leadership within their communities and local organizations may be related to economic, psychological, and social factors that influence their personal empowerment. This study used mixed methods to explore multiple perspectives of community participation and leadership of two Lenca villages in the western department of Lempira, Honduras. The findings from this study provide insight into structural constraints on women’s leadership in the community, and …

The Leadership Gap: What Gets Between You And Your Greatness, Stacey F. Stearns

Journal of Applied Communications

A review of The Leadership Gap: What Gets Between You and Your Greatness, by Lolly Daskal.

Engagement: Project 17 Revitalizing Southeast Kansas, Beth Bohn

Seek

Pervasive poverty. High unemployment. Lack of skilled workers. A deficit of civic leadership. The state’s poorest public health indicators. With these challenges and more facing a 17-county region in southeast Kansas, state lawmakers and community leaders and members have turned to Kansas State University for solutions. The result is an awardwinning economic development effort. Project 17 is an innovation-based economic development initiative spearheaded by K-State’s Advanced Manufacturing Institute.

Building Social Capital And Leadership Skills For Sustainable Farmer Associations In Morocco, Catherine M. Rasmussen, Renee M. Pardello, John R. Vreyens, Scott Chazdon, Somongkol Teng, Michael Liepold

Journal of International Agricultural and Extension Education

Agricultural development in Morocco relies on the economic strength of the country’s rural regions. Recently, government programs have focused special attention on actions encouraging farmer associations and strengthening value-chains for agricultural commodities. Small rural producers, however, lack the leadership skills and strategic planning capabilities to accomplish this initiative. The Morocco Rural Leadership Program connects University of Minnesota Extension staff with faculty at the National School of Agriculture, Meknès (ENA) in Morocco to co-design and teach a leadership cohort program for farmers. Its intent is to build social capital for sustainable value-chain development. Program evaluation revealed that the program not only …

Introduction To The Special Issue: Leadership In Kansas For The 21st Century, Randy Watson

Educational Considerations

Kansas is currently experiencing a leadership challenge. This is evident both in the number of leaders new to their positions in K-12 school districts and in the methods our state must implement to effectively train those leaders for Kansas’ education to prosper into the 21st century.

North Dakota’S Experience With The Academy Model: A Successful Replication, Tom Hall, Ann Clappe

Educational Considerations

Leadership is a key factor in improving schools and ensuring academic success for all students. At the building level, the leadership role has traditionally been assigned to the principal, but principals cannot be expected to be the sole leaders in their buildings.

Inspiring Confidence And Professional Growth In Leadership: Student Perspectives On University-District Partnership Master's Academies, Pilar Mejía, Samrie Devin, Heather Calvert

Educational Considerations

School leadership matters when discussing teacher effectiveness and student performance, and preparation programs need to graduate principals with the skills necessary to lead schools for tomorrow. The traditional approach to preparing educational leaders is no longer getting the job done. It is going to take everyone working together to better prepare those who will lead the schools we need.

Stitching A New Pattern In Educational Leadership: Reinterpreting A University Partnership Academy Model For Native Nations, Alex Redcorn

Educational Considerations

With this themed issue of Educational Considerations focused on using university-district partnership academies to prepare leaders for educational settings, it is important to consider the value of this model in socially diverse environments and especially the potential for native nations to use this approach for training emerging educational leaders.

Comparing Critical Thinkingdispositions Of Students Enrolled In A College Levelglobal Seminarcourse, Dennis W. Duncan, Rainer Haas, John C. Ricketts

Journal of International Agricultural and Extension Education

In recent years, the discussion concerning critical thinking and problem solving among college graduates and new industry hires has increased dramatically. A plethora of research has discovered that college graduates entering the workforce are lacking in their ability to problem solve and think critically. These attributes have been called some of the most necessary for an individuals’ success in the 21stcentury. The purpose of this study was to identify the variance in critical thinking dispositionof students (undergraduate and graduate) enrolled in an International course (Global Seminar) using the UF-EMI Critical Thinking Disposition Assessment. Students representing the US, Italy, and Austria …

Foreword: [Introduction To The Special Issue Preparing And Developing Educational Leaders In International Context], Haijun Kang, Donna Augustine-Shaw

Educational Considerations

In the context of globalization and education internationalization, preparing educational leaders for today’s schools and other educational settings has never been more important.

Adaptations Of International Standards On Educational Leadership Preparation In Egypt, Ted Purinton, Dalia Khalil

Educational Considerations

This paper is a case study of one leadership preparation program, utilizing US school leadership standards and practices, offered in Egypt. This case study illuminates how cultural and policy distinctions impact differing necessities of educational leadership, and how those necessities conflict or concur with the international standards and assumed best practices. In particular, it serves as an exploration of policy borrowing, considering that leadership preparation in developed countries has been, on some levels, an issue of occupational field professionalization.

Preparing And Developing Community College International Leaders, Rosalind Latiner Raby, Edward J. Valeau

Educational Considerations

Leadership training for future senior United States (US) community college leaders is an ongoing focus of US community college education. Leadership training is also a focus of US university international educators. Community college literature has assumed that full-time positions at community colleges devoted to overseeing and implementing internationalization do not exist and thus have not addressed succession opportunities. Based on a survey of 91 individuals who self-define their positions as ones in community college international leadership, this article examines what influences shaped the professional paths of these individuals and depicts criteria that can support future preparation for community college international …

Policies And Practices Of School Leaderships In Japan: A Case Of Leadership Development Strategies In Akita, Yukiko Yamamoto, Naoko Enomoto, Shinobu Yamaguchi

Educational Considerations

Reflecting the social and economic change, Japanese education has shifted to decentralization since the 1980s. With an increased autonomy and responsibility, the local government plays an important role to develop competent school leaders. This descriptive study employs case study approach to illustrate current status of leadership development at the local level in Japan. Through the analysis of current policies and practices, it lays out the strategies of leadership development in Akita prefecture. In addition, semi-structured interviews with 17 education leaders were conducted in 2014 and 2015 to explore their perceptions on the leadership development.

The study found that the leadership …

At K-State Research Focuses On Food Safety, Health For All, Nancy Peterson

Seek

Oh no, not more news about E. coli …

Most people are aware of the efforts to reduce health risks from E. coli O157:H7 linked to undercooked ground beef and fresh produce, including spinach and lettuce.

Leadership Education And Development For Justice Using The Canonical Framework Of John Rawls's A Theory Of Justice, Brandon W. Kliewer, Jeff Zacharakis

Educational Considerations

Higher education that presupposes a specific conception of justice do well in preparing students to make claims of justice from specific perspectives or positions. However, civic leadership students with a strong background in specific conceptions of justice are often not equipped with necessary skills, dispositions, and habits to exercise leadership in ways that can manage political contestation associated with competing claims of justice.

Implementing A Dominican Model Of Leadership, Suzanne Otte

Educational Considerations

Effective and ethical leadership, as practiced by scientists, statisticians, businesspeople, doctors, and politicians, is necessary to solving today’s vexing and knotty crises.

Leading The Newly Merged High School: Exciting Opportunity Or Overwhelming Challenge?, Lance E. Thurman, Donald G. Hackmann

Educational Considerations

In the current economic times, school personnel are regularly challenged to reduce the costs of operating the nation’s school systems. School district consolidations often are proposed as a mechanism to realize fiscal savings for local communities; indeed, the number of U.S. school districts has declined dramatically over the past 70 years, decreasing from 117,108 in 1939-40 to 13,809 in 2008-2009.

Lean In: Women, Work, And The Will To Lead, Amanda Blanco

Journal of Financial Therapy

Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead is a self-proclaimed “sort of feminist manifesto” written to empower women and men. Sandberg gives insight into how to overcome and help others overcome the internal and external obstacles that may hinder success. This book is recommended for women in the financial services field, as women are underrepresented in certain segments of financial services.

Theory Into Practice: A Cry From The Field For Innovative Leadership Development, Debbie K. Mercer, Scott Myers

Educational Considerations

Leaders make the difference. This is uniquely evidenced in school districts where a single superintendent impacts the lives of so many children, teachers, staff, and community members every day. With so much responsibility, the need to mentor the ongoing professional learning and development of this key leader is critical.

The Influence Of Mentoring On Developing Leaders: Participants Share Their Perspectives, Donna Augustine-Shaw, Elizabeth Funk

Educational Considerations

In an age of continuous and rapid change, today’s school superintendents face a litany of unique challenges as they lead individuals and organizations through tumultuous and unpredictable times.

Case Study In The Power Of Collaboration: Planning Process For The Kansas Educational Leadership Institute, Mary Devin, Debbie Mercer, Mike Mathes, Tom Trigg, Sharon Zoellner

Educational Considerations

Systematic statewide support for the recruitment, development, and retention of quality leaders in schools and school districts was not a new idea in Kansas in late 2010, but at best it was at an elusive concept. Diverse groups had considered it among components of a long-range commitment to move Kansas education quality from good to great, but no plan for creating such a system was in place.

Doctoral Programs In Educational Leadership: A Duality Framework Of Commonality And Differences, Perry A. Zirkel

Educational Considerations

In recent years, doctoral programs in education leadership have been subject to notable criticism and proposals for reform.

Beginning With The End In Mind: The District Office Leadership Role In Closing The Graduation Gap For At-Risk Students, Martha Abele Mac Iver

Educational Considerations

We need to begin with the end in mind as Stephen Covey (1989) reminds us. Graduating all students ready for college or career is the ultimate goal of the K-12 educational system.