Div A Fall2008

School Leadership News
The Newsletter of AERA Division A: Administration, Organization, & Leadership
Issue 22 Fall 2008
The American Educational Vice President’s Column

Research Association (AERA), Linda C. Tillman, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
a professional membership
organization, strives to
improve the educational “Bringing the gifts that my ancestors gave, I am the dream
process by encouraging and the hope of the slave.”
scholarly inquiry related to Greetings and I hope that you are all are
education. AERA offers a
having a productive fall semester!
comprehensive program of
scholarly publications,
training, fellowships, and UCEA Annual Meeting…
meetings to advance
educational research, to It hardly seems possible, but many of us will
disseminate knowledge, and
to improve the capacity of be attending the University Council for
the profession to enhance Educational Administration Annual
the public good. Division A of Conference in Orlando, FLconference
very soon. The
AERA is devoted to furthering
Convention in Orlando, FL very soon. The will
the aims of the organization
conference will feature many informative
feature many informative sessions including a graduate
through scholarly contributions sessions
student poster session including
and severalatown
graduate
hall student poster
meetings.
in the areas of educational session and several town hall meetings.
administration, organization,
As I mentioned in the last newsletter, Division A will collaborate
and leadership.
with the UCEA Diversity Committee
As I mentioned in thetolast
hold an Early Career
newsletter, Division
In this Issue: Mentoring workshop
A willforcollaborate
pre-tenure faculty
with of color
the UCEA at this
Diversity
Vice President’s year’s meeting. Committee
Pre-tenure to scholars
hold anofEarly
colorCareer
interested in
Mentoring
Column.............................1 attending this workshop should bookmark the following
Special Feature: Interview
workshop for pre-tenure faculty of color at this
session: year’s meeting. Pre-tenure scholars of color
with Thomas
Sergiovanni……...............3 interested in attending this workshop should
AERA Division A *Scholars of Color: Early Career Mentoring Seminar, Session
bookmark the following session:
#35, Friday October 30, 8 a.m.- 9:20 a.m., Ireland B.
Outstanding Dissertation
Award…………………......7
Listening to Leaders: *Scholars
Division A Graduate of Color: Early Career Mentoring
Students…
Interview with Gerald Seminar, Session #35, Friday October 30,
Zahorchak…..…...............8 8 a.m.- 9:20 a.m., Ireland B. the work of our
Graduate Students at
I would like to take this opportunity highlight
UCEA...............…………..11 Division A graduate student leaders. As you know, graduate
AERA Division A Graduate students make up a significant
Division segment
A Graduate of the membership of
Students…
Student Scholarship……12 AERA and Division A and have full voting privileges. Division A
Knock Down Old Walls by graduate students are making significant leadership
I would like to take this opportunity highlight
John Hoyle………………13
contributions to the
the work
organization and to the Division.
of our Division A graduate student
Announcements……….15
IJLE Emerging Scholar leaders. As you know, graduate students make
Competition…………….17 John Oliver (Michigan State University)
up a significant segmentisofchair of the AERAof
the membership
Globalization and Graduate Student Council and is also a member of the AERA
AERA and Division A and have full voting
Leadership………………18 Council. In his dual roles John coordinates the policies and
From the Editorial privileges. Division A graduate students are
procedures of the Graduate Student Council, works with the
Team...............................26 making significant leadership contributions to
Graduate Student Representatives in all twelve of the AERA
Division A Officers..........27 the organization andon
to the
the Division.
divisions, represents these students AERA Council, and
School Leadership News, Fall 2008 John

participates in the Oliver (Michigan
governance of AERA.State University)
John has beenis an1
effective leaderchair
in representing
of the AERAtheGraduate
interestsStudent
of all graduate
Council
students. I am especially proud that he is member of Division
and is also a member of the AERA Council. In
A! his dual roles John coordinates the policies and
Vice President’s Column (continued)
participates in the governance of AERA. John has been an effective leader in

representing the interests of all graduate students. I am especially proud that he is
member of Division A!
Danielle Hayes (University of Texas-Austin) is the Division A Senior Graduate Student

Council Representative. Danielle attends the AERA Coordinated Committee
Meeting, sits on the AERA Graduate Student Council, and confers with other Council
representatives about graduate student programming. Danielle also plans the
Division A graduate student activities. She is assisted by the Division A Junior
Graduate Student Representative, Tirza White (Emory University). Tirza is responsible
for coordinating the Division A graduate student scholarship selection process and
assists with the planning of the AERA Division A Fireside Chat. She will become the
Senior Representative at the end of the 2009 AERA Annual Meeting. Danielle and
Tirza have been very instrumental in planning Division A activities at the UCEA Annual
Meeting. I especially proud that Danielle and Tirza are also members of Division A!
I would also like to acknowledge the leadership of the Division L Graduate Student
Representatives Maria Mendiburo (Senior Representative, Vanderbilt University) and
Bradley Carpenter (Junior Representative, University of Texas-Austin). Maria and
Bradley have worked collaboratively with Danielle and Tirza to make sure that
graduate students in Divisions A and L feel welcome at the UCEA and AERA
meetings, and to plan graduate student activities at the UCEA conference. Each of
these students, as well as other graduate students in Division A who serve on
standing and ad hoc committees, have exhibited the kind of leadership that we
hope will help to shape the leadership skills they will need as professors and
practitioners.
The leadership efforts and enthusiasm of our graduate students reminds us that we
must continue to nurture and encourage them during their graduate work. We must
be sure to provide graduate students with quality and consistent advising, provide
them with opportunities for collaboration (research and writing, conference
presentations) and networking, assist them with career preparation, and be
committed to their success regardless of their race, class, gender, sexual orientation,
disability, or theoretical or methodological orientations. Our graduate students are
the future of educational leadership. Please encourage your graduate students to
become active in Division A.
Closing notes….
Please be sure to consult the AERA website and Educational Researcher for news
and updates on policies, procedures, and happenings in the organization. If you
have any questions, comments or concerns, feel free to email me.
Finally, please let us know what is happening with you and about any innovative
programs or research projects. You can always post your announcement on the
Division A listserve at aera.net.
School Leadership News, Fall 2008 2

Thomas Sergiovanni
An Interview with an Exceptional Scholar in Education: Part 4
Carol A. Mullen, The University of North Carolina at Greensboro

camullen@uncg.edu
The subject of this leadership portrait is Thomas Sergiovanni of Trinity University, San
Antonio, Texas. Sergiovanni is the Lillian Radford Distinguished Professor of Education
and Administration at Trinity; senior fellow, Center for Educational Leadership; and
founding director, Trinity Principals’ Center. His educational and supervisory focus is
theories of schooling, moral leadership, and the learning community. He earned an
EdD in educational administration from the University of Rochester in 1966 and has
been at Trinity University since 1984. During the 1960s he also taught elementary
school. Notable awards include the Distinguished Research Award in Instructional
Supervision, AERA, 1993, and the Outstanding Leadership Award, 1975–2000, Council
of Professors of Instructional Supervision. Since 1969 he has published numerous
scholarly books.
His scholarly work and life habits, direction and aspirations, assessment of
trends in the profession, and advice for aspiring leaders and academics are the
structural elements of this report. Democratic concepts and agendas for education
emerged from the interview. Verbatim quotes reflect the words of Sergiovanni in the
first section and of his referral colleagues in the one that follows. In spring 2005 I
interviewed Sergiovanni and his colleagues who corroborated the accounts, without
knowledge of the scholar’s reactions. This interview is part of a biographical
portraiture study of exceptional scholars in education. Past issues of this newsletter
have featured interviews with other top scholars.1 Specifics regarding issues of
research design, protocols, procedures, and analysis can be found in the formative
(Mullen, 2004) and summative (Mullen, in press2) publications.
Thomas Sergiovanni—Shepherd
Sergiovanni, described as a shepherd by educational leadership professors
nationwide, exercises spiritual care over a community.”3 His concepts of school
community, moral leadership, and school improvement have been adopted
worldwide.

Work as Play: Habits and Routines
For years, Sergiovanni’s workweek has had a fluid, even unpredictable
quality. Although he would like to write mornings, he has had to make time when he
can. He has less free time now, as his work responsibilities have increased. Hence, his
writing schedule is somewhat “scattered.” Nonetheless, he was busy completing the
eighth edition of Supervision: A Redefinition (Sergiovanni & Starratt, 2006) and other
more recent projects.
School Community: Energy and Purpose
Sergiovanni detailed several life-changing experiences that occurred years
ago. One resulted from his talk given in the Philippines, where someone’s question
about what he meant by effectiveness touched him emotionally. The de facto
definition of effectiveness (and effective schools) that he held until then “erupted as
a sore spot.” New thinking about the “life world of leadership” started to form. Using
as a compass what successful leaders deem important in their work, he came to
distinguish effective from good schools. Effective schools “get the right rating based
on the state’s accountability tests,” whereas good schools “provide a distinctive
normative structure that supports teaching and learning” (Sergiovanni, 2000, pp. 94–
95).
After the overseas episode, Sergiovanni turned to principals and
superintendents for help with exploring the “gap between what I thought
educational administration was about and what those who work in and around
schools every day think it’s about.” A breakthrough occurred upon realizing that
“school leaders were morally oriented, connected to a sense of purpose and feeling
of responsibility.” Grasping these new ideas put him “on the path—that experience,
that trip to the Philippines, and Moral Leadership [1992] changed my life.”
Another transformational experience occurred during Sergiovanni’s work with
a group of aspiring leaders. An impromptu exercise revealed that not all
organizations are formal and that even families are social organizations. He
recognized the richness of this insight for the field wherein the use of formal
organization as a guide for leadership theory and practice misdirected educators
and their democratic impulses, causing them to “lead with the wrong assumptions.”
Moral Leadership: Sources of Contribution
Moral leadership was “not previously safe” to explore. When Sergiovanni
began writing about this area, it was “not yet acceptable to say ‘moral.’” The
leadership culture of the past was simply not a world wherein “sacred things” or
“moral obligation and other fuzzy concepts that have religious overtones” were
discussed. The goal then was to develop a scientific field but Sergiovanni followed
his own path, seeing the value of schools as social organizations.
Inspired by Etzioni’s (1988) The Moral Dimension, Sergiovanni (1992) infused
the concept of social organization with the new language of morality. Writing about
the value of purposes as “covenant, not contract,” he applied this idea within
schools. In one exercise he devised, adults and children created posters listing
promises to one another. A group that functions according to its own covenants can
transcend the authoritarianism of rule enforcers. Hence, collective promises
“become a source of authority, binding people in moral ways.”
Processes involved in site-based capacity-building fascinate Sergiovanni.
Educators have yet to emphasize the “smart school” and recognize that smarter
teachers are more effective. Building on Elmore’s (2004) distinction between learning
as a private and public good, he argued that “the extent to which teachers share

their new knowledge is unknown.” Teachers in smart schools “develop a community
of practice and share what they know.”
Strengthening the Field: Major Trends
Sergiovanni characterized the educational leadership field as having “several
generative trends that are changing our practices for the better.” He feels that
“there’s hope—some people are expanding themselves and hooking onto
important ideas.” Regarding trends in school leadership, he encourages those who
take his classes to work in the area of social organization.
This scholar urges us to identify what is individually and collectively important,
advising that we become “more deliberate by knowing what we’re about and what
we believe in, and by selecting more carefully from among ideas.” About the
attacks on educational administration from Arthur Levine and others, he thinks we
need to learn from these “pin cushions.”
Students as Inquirers: Advice for Budding Academics
All doctoral students should be introduced to the notion of lines of inquiry: “If
you want to have a research career, your work needs to be coherent.” Academics
shift from one topic to another, making it “hard to build a profession.” In order to
“build piece on piece all the way through,” faculty will need to work differently. One
idea is to replace the traditional supervisory relationship with a multiteam,
collaborative approach wherein faculty join forces to mentor.
Committing to Commitment: Aspiring Leaders and Academics
Sergiovanni believes that while the job of principal is worthwhile, certain
conditions must be met for success. Exemplary leaders “share the principal’s role”
with everyone in the school, understanding that the collective has “a responsibility
for making the principalship work.” A goal for principals, then, is to figure out how to
develop collective responsibility.
For the sake of promotion, junior faculty must develop “a rather narrow
agenda.” Impact, Sergiovanni reflected, is covert; it is difficult to know the extent to
which our efforts change anything. Budding academics will “need to know what’s
important to them” and to successful leaders, so they should “share their work with
them to see if it passes the practitioner test.”
Highlights From Sergiovanni’s Referrals
Sergiovanni’s referrals are distinguished professors, both former school
administrators interested in site-based change who worked with him for about 7
years.4 In fact, the retired superintendent found Sergiovanni to be such an inspiration
that he made a career change.
In contrast with Sergiovanni’s portrayal of his scholarly regimen as
“unpredictable” and “sporadic,” he was appreciated for modeling just the opposite:
“Tom has a laser-like focus” and is “protective of his time.” Not surprisingly, he “keeps
regenerating” as teacher and writer.
Sergiovanni has “established a good balance between his work and life.”
With an engaging, relaxed style, “Tom develops a personal relationship with
students, finding mentoring enormously rewarding.” The belief that social
organizations are a type of family through which moral leadership is expressed
shapes his teaching: “Tom’s the high priest of education,” it was concluded, “with a
lifetime commitment to education and a personal touch.” His students become
“Sergiovannied,” in that “he changes their perspectives,” making a “genuine
impact.”
These professors have themselves internalized Sergiovanni’s teachings: “He
walks his talk, practicing the personal leadership he writes about.” The one who left

the superintendency pursued, under his wing, new learning; the other strove to
capture moral dimensions of school leadership in ways that engaged students.
Central to the scholar’s vision of moral leadership is the notion that people,
relationships, and community are at the center of democratic practice.
While we do not know for sure if Sergiovanni would in fact “define himself as a
teacher first,” he did associate “significance” with high-quality, lasting contributions
to teaching.
Scholarly Ideas and Productivity Tips
Based on the stories narrated by Thomas Sergiovanni and his referral
colleagues, in addition to the other top leaders—John Goodlad, John Hoyle, and
Joseph Murphy and their colleagues about the driving forces behind exceptional
leadership—the following tenets might serve junior faculty in their work.
• Focus on schools and school improvement, and integrate your practical and
theoretical learning in your research, teaching, and service.
• Develop a focused agenda, write routinely, and work hard for a sustained
period—select issues for which you have a passion.
• Collaborate with scholars, practitioners, and students on coauthored works
and shared research programs, and develop your capacity for working
alone.
• Be active in professional associations and on the national and local scene,
but find a way to compensate for the time you spend away from your desk.
Endnotes
1Each of the four interview reports is an adaptation of the larger study (see Mullen, 2006; in press).
2NCPEA Connexions (www.cnx.org) is an online clearinghouse for educational leadership
materials/modules; submitted manuscripts are externally reviewed even though this is not a
journal, meaning that published articles can be submitted elsewhere for review and publication.
3The source of the definitions (i.e., shepherd) provided is http://dictionary.reference.com.
4Non-identifiers are used for the referral colleagues.
References
Mullen, C. A. (in press). Exceptional scholarship and democratic agendas: Interviews
with John Goodlad, John Hoyle, Joseph Murphy, and Thomas Sergiovanni.
Interchange: A Quarterly Review of Education.
Mullen, C. A. (2004). Perceptions within the discipline: Exceptional scholarship in
educational leadership and administration. NCPEA Education Leadership
Review, 5(1), 8-15. [Republished/refereed again. (2006, June). NCPEA
Connexions. Connexions module (m13677) (available at www.cnx.org; search
term “Mullen”).
Sergiovanni, T. J. (1992). Moral leadership: Getting to the heart of school
improvement. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Sergiovanni, T. J. (2000). The lifeworld of leadership: Creating culture, community,
and personal meaning in our schools. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Sergiovanni, T. J., & Starratt, R. J. (2006). Supervision: A redefinition (8th ed.). New
York: McGraw-Hill.
Editor’s note: This interview with Thomas Sergiovanni is the forth (and final) in a series
of interviews with acclaimed educational leaders conducted by Carol Mullen, The
University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Past issues of School Leadership News
have featured the other three interviews.

AERA Division A
2009 Outstanding Dissertation Competition
Nominations are invited for the annual American Educational Research Association
(AERA) Division A competition for the best doctoral dissertation in the field of educational
administration. This award is intended to recognize outstanding dissertation research
appropriate to the field, including the organization and administration of schools and the
work and preparation of school leaders. Studies embracing both traditional and
alternative conceptualizations and methodologies are welcomed. The Committee will
consider work completed and accepted by the entrant’s dissertation committee
between Jan. 1, 2008 and Dec. 31, 2008.
This year, a $200 honorarium will be given to the recipient of this award in addition to
formal recognition at the 2009 AERA Division A Business Meeting. In the event that two (or
more) recipients are selected for this award, the honorarium will be divided equally.
Evaluation Criteria
1. Significance and clarity of problem and/or investigation.
2. Effective conceptualization and development of research questions.
3. Quality of review pertaining to relevant theoretical and research literatures.
4. Appropriateness and rigor of research design and methodology.
5. Clarity of findings/results.
6. Appropriate explanation of research impact for theory, policy, practice, and further
research.
7. Quality and clarity of writing.
Submission and Selection Procedures
All submissions must be made by active, dues-paying, members of AERA. In addition,
nominees must also be members of AERA—both at the time of nomination and when the
award is announced at the 2009 Division A Business meeting (please visit the AERA
website, www.aera.net, for membership information). All submissions must be sent via e-
mail by 8pm (EST) on December 1, 2008. Incomplete or late submissions will not be
reviewed. No faxes or paper submissions will be accepted.
The following information should be in separate—but attached—files:
1. A copy of the complete dissertation, in Word or PDF format, using 12 point font. This
must be double spaced.
2. A seven-page double-spaced abstract (in MS Word or PDF format, 12-point font) that
provides a concise overview of the problem, design, findings, and interpretations.
Abstracts longer than seven pages will not be reviewed.
3. Complete mailing address, e-mail address, and telephone number of author.
4. A letter from the dissertation chair confirming the date of the author’s successful
defense.
5. An endorsement letter from a Division A member (this can be but does not have to
be the dissertation chair) familiar with the entrant’s work.
After reviewing and scoring the abstracts and supporting materials, the Committee will
select no more than four finalists. The dissertations that accompany these abstracts then
will be forwarded to the Committee for full review. The Committee expects to complete
its selection of one award and two honorable mentions by the end of January 2009. The
Committee reserves the right to award to more than one recipient, and conversely, not
to select a recipient for this award.
Send submissions to:

George Theoharis, AERA Division A Awards Committee Chair
gtheohar@syr.edu
Phone: 315-443-5271

Listening to Leaders:
Gerald L. Zahorchak on Research-Proven Educational Programs
Interviewed by Theresa C. Norton, Beth Buckheit, Johns Hopkins University, School of
Education, Center for Data-Driven Reform in Education
thebee@bestevidence.org
Dr. Gerald L. Zahorchak has served as Secretary of

Education for the State of Pennsylvania since 2006. Prior
to his nomination, Dr. Zahorchak served as Deputy
Secretary for Elementary and Secondary Education
where he was responsible for the education of more
than 1.8 million school children in the Commonwealth.
The Best Evidence Encyclopedia (BEE)
(www.bestevidence.org) (developed by Johns Hopkins
University) interviewed Dr. Zahorchak about his
experience with using research-proven approaches to
improving student achievement. Following is an
excerpt from that interview. The full interview transcript
can be found on the BEE website.
Certainly educators are always trying to improve student achievement. Would you
talk about some examples where there have been activities to improve efforts in
your state using real evidence?
What we’re doing falls into three categories: we’re investing, we’re building, and
we’re supporting those people who are building. First of all, we’re investing. We now
have in this year’s legislative under the school code, a law that includes the targets
per district. We have the unique dollar amounts per student, per district. We know
how much of the money is due from the state for that district to get to its full
capacity. For us, capacity is defined simply as having enough personnel (especially
teachers), having enough resources and materials, and having enough funds to
employ research-proven programs that are sustainable and based on proven
practices through good, professional development.
In addition to investing, what building are you doing to increase student

achievement?
To get the student results, we’re building a standards aligned system. From the state
level on down, we want our standards to be clearly and vertically aligned from pre-
kindergarten to 12th grade. We want to identify the standards and the vital few
things that should make up the curriculum framework. So, standards are aligned to
a curriculum framework, aligned to assessment systems, aligned to best teaching
practices pedagogy and emotional support practices, aligned to proven research
materials and resources, aligned to best interventions for accommodations for
children who struggle. Those are the six component parts.
One statewide practice that’s research proven for mathematics, that is also in the
President’s Advisory Panel and the National Council of Teachers, is cooperative
learning. Cooperative learning teaching strategies lead to best results when they’re
done with great fidelity. In mathematics, we’re systematically rolling out some of the

macro teaching strategies for formative assessment as part of what we’re calling
Pennsylvania’s Power Math approach. We’ve developed the Power Math approach
in partnership with the Johns Hopkins University School of Education based on the
Best Evidence Encyclopedia’s best evidence on what yields effective math results.
Would you talk more about your approach to assessments?

We’re doing assessments at three levels. First, we’re doing assessments at the
formative level. For example, I may have five hinge questions that make sure I know
that every kid is getting the competency or concept that we’re dwelling on in
today’s lesson. I’ve engineered the questions against the state’s framework.
Above that is a second layer. The school needs to have teacher, diagnostic, and
benchmark assessments (benchmarked against the summit of assessments from the
state). We use something that again came out of our partnership with Johns Hopkins
University. We use the 4Sight Assessments that are congruently valid here in
Pennsylvania against our Pennsylvania System of School Assessment (PSSA). Three
hundred and ten districts collect data and compare their end results with these
benchmarks.
To help us analyze the data, we’re partnering with Johns Hopkins University School of
Education’s Center for Data-Driven Reform in Education, the Pennsylvania Value-
Added Assessment System (PVAAS), and a Tennessee value-added model
organization.
We’re using those partners with our regional service provider’s intermediate units.
We’re teaching principals, teachers, intermediate units, and each other to use the
data. There are ways to really analyze this data to find a system’s weaknesses or
individual student problems. For example, we can use the data to perform root
cause analysis to really find out if it’s a system problem with one of those six
component parts at the three levels (school, classroom, or state) or if it’s a problem
just unique to that individual child.
Would you talk about what this all means at the classroom level?
All parts of a standards aligned system are important and equal, but the biggest
part, in my view, is what goes on at the classroom level. For instance, what
pedagogical tools, emotional support tools, and formative assessment tools does the
teacher have? Rolling that out in a very coherent way is what we’re trying to do.
We want to pick the vital few strategies for helping kids know how to think positively
(emotional support), how to have responsive classrooms and routines in the building
(emotional social context), and how to do the motivation of engagement with the
power teaching cooperative learning kind of work (the pedagogy). When we do
those kinds of things, we’re giving teachers the capacity inside their classrooms for
every child to win.
As you have implemented your research-proven approach, where have you seen
real improvement in student achievement?
We’ve seen it across the board. When we started, we had somewhere around 50%
of the kids reach proficiency in all third grades. We’re about to announce in August
that this year [2008], 80% of our third grades are proficient. In the eighth grade, we
have proficiency in the mid-to-high 70’s in math.

Where we see individual successes, we can pull out schools that started to employ
the effective strategies. I can pull out a school in western Pennsylvania that had 9%
of their children with disabilities make proficiency and now they’re at 45%. The Power
Teaching experience for Furness High School is a story all unto itself. They have Power
Teaching as a math experience and are having success. It’s really a project that
was designed for middle school, but as we’re testing it, we’re finding that high
schools need to understand more pedagogy and emotional support strategies, as
well as engagement strategies, for kids. We went with Furness High School in
Philadelphia and the environmental turnaround was incredible. There are pockets of
schools all over PA that are doing Power Teaching, and they’re all showing evidence
of turnaround.
If you look at our progress in closing the achievement gap, we’ve tripled the number
of kids with disabilities in PA who are making proficient scores and we’ve doubled
just about every other group. That number grows every year.
Do you have any advice for other states that would want to take a similar approach
with blueprinting new architecture and creating a standards aligned system?
First of all, understand it. It may take multiple repetitions before you have an “aha”
moment. Understand the thinking of a standards-based system and understand that
it is an antithesis of a bell curve world. Once you have that value, you can embrace
the idea that all kids can get to a level of proficiency. We’re not talking about
everybody slam dunking or bowling 300 games, we’re talking about levels of
proficiency in math, science, social studies, and communicative skills across the 21st
century dimensions.
When we understand that all kids can get to a level that we would say is
competitive, a level that can take them to high cognitive skills jobs or even expert
jobs, we’ve placed our values first. If any, I think my advice would be to those
around the country, if you find someone without those values, think about who’s
driving your bus.
Announcing publication of the

SAGE Handbook of African American Education
Edited by Dr. Linda C. Tillman, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
The Handbook of African American Education reflects historical and current perspectives
on African Americans in secondary and post-secondary education. Its content promotes
inquiry and development of questions, ideas and dialogue about critical practice,
theory, and research about African Americans in the United States educational system.
The Handbook serves as a comprehensive collection of scholarship that presents

theoretical and empirical work on historical perspectives, teaching and learning,
secondary school leadership, higher education, current issues, and education policy. This
comprehensive body of work will also make significant contributions to the scholarship
on African Americans in the broad context of United States education and society.
Learn more about this title at:
http://www.sagepub.co.uk/refbooksProdDesc.nav?level1=300&currTree=Subjects&prodI
d=Book229131

Graduate Student events at UCEA
Graduate Student Orientation- Thursday, October 30th at 1:00pm

Graduate Student Job Search Seminar – Thursday, October 30th at
3:00 pm. Both sessions will be held in Scotland suite B.
Graduate Student Reception: An Evening with the Scholars- Friday,

October 31st at 6:30pm in Scotland B/C. Co-sponsored by UCEA,
and AERA Divisions A and L. This event will afford graduate students
an opportunity to hear from outstanding scholars in educational
leadership.
Saturday morning’s AERA Division A and L Graduate Breakfast is in

its third year and continues to serve as a networking event for
graduate students interested in learning about the American
Educational Research Association (AERA), the largest, most
recognized association in the field of education research. At over
15,000 in annual attendance, graduate students will learn about
various leadership and research affiliated positions in addition to
receiving useful strategies for making the most out of attending the
conference. We thank the University of Texas’ Department of
Educational Administration, chaired by Dr. Walter Bumphus for co-
sponsorship of this event.
For more detailed information on these and other graduate related

event at UCEA, please see the convention program online at:
http://www.ucea.org/convention/convention2008/program.html
AERA Division A member on the move!
Recent moves for members during the 2007-2008 academic year include:
Pauline Stonehouse, Ph.D., joins the Department of Educational
Leadership at the University of North Dakota. Prior to completing her
doctorate and making the career shift to higher education, Dr.
Stonehouse served as an Assistant Head-Teacher at The Priory School in
Dorking, Surrey. Her research interests and teaching responsibilities are in
the area of teacher evaluation and curriculum.

AERA Division A Graduate Student Scholarship
All applications must be received electronically by January 30, 2009.
Email completed applications to Tirza Wilbon White at twwhite@emory.edu.
Purpose
The purpose of this scholarship is to recognize and promote scholarly excellence in
aspiring doctoral students who are members of Division A and who are enrolled in an
educational administration/school leadership program.
Award
Awardees will receive $300 to assist with expenses related to attending the AERA
annual meeting in April 2009 in San Diego, CA.
Criteria for Eligibility

• Applicants must be members of AERA Division A at the time of submission.
• Applicants must be current graduate students.
• Annual dues for membership to AERA and Division A must be current.
• Paper must be single authorship and accepted for presentation in any
section of Division A at the AERA annual meeting in April 2009 (San Diego,
CA).
• Awardees are expected to attend the Division A Business Meeting to receive
the award.
Application should include:

• A letter of support from your graduate advisor (this can be signed with an
electronic signature or submitted as a PDF)
• Completed application form
• Electronic copy of accepted proposal (not to exceed 6 pages)
• Electronic copy of notification of acceptance from AERA
NOTE: No incomplete application packages will be reviewed.
Evaluation Criteria
• Contribution to the Field - Importance of the problem studied to the field of
educational administration/school leadership
• Theoretical Framework - How well the theoretical framework is supported and
explained in the paper
• Research Design – How appropriate and sound are the design and its
execution in the paper
• Quality of Literature Review- How well the paper is grounded in relevant
literature
• Originality of the Topic of Investigation
Scholarship Review Process

• A panel of individuals on the Division A Graduate Student Committee will
review the scholarship applications.
• Applicants will be notified of the award recipients via email by February 27,
2009.
Questions? Contact Tirza Wilbon White, Division A Junior Graduate Student

Representative

It is Time Knock down Old Walls and Create a Single Education System
John R. Hoyle
Professor of Educational Administration and Future Studies
Texas A&M University
Our education system has been the foundation for America’s greatness, but in 2008
it is failing to educate millions of our children and youth. Patchwork reforms without
financial backing including No Child Left Behind (NCLB), have constructed walls that
confine over one-half of our urban youth who become dropouts.
According to the Wall Street Journal “The profound failure of inner-city public schools
to teach children may be the nation’s greatest scandal.” Presidential candidates
John McCain and Barack Obama offer widely differing solutions to the urban school
problems. Senator McCain wants more alternatives for the failing system, while
Barack Obama calls for more money to help the “kids at the bottom” in the public
schools. Both positions are short sighted to solve this urban school “scandal.”
America is far beyond the time when band-aid or patchwork solutions of the past
appeared feasible. Thus, the problem requires a radical solution—unify the American
education system! Unless radical solutions are initiated the future of the public school
system may implode within 20 years under the weight of its layers of patching.
While greater numbers of students are graduating from high schools in middle to
high income neighborhoods, the numbers surviving urban schools has been 50%
since 1970 and is likely to increase through 2020. Urban dropouts make up more than
50% of prison population; they earn thousands less per year than high school
graduates and one million less than college graduates over a lifetime. The
implications for this growing loss of human capital loom large when China, India, and
other nations are vying for global economic supremacy. In addition, approximately
one-half of urban high school graduates who enter higher education require costly
remedial education to compete with classmates from upper income, second
generation degree holding parents.
Well-intentioned credit-based programs such as Advanced Placement, Dual Credit,
and International Baccalaureate are designed to help close the gap between high
school and higher education curriculum. Education policy makers are attempting to
increase student financial aid and create bridges between high schools and
colleges to close the achievement gaps between economic and ethnic groups. In
addition most states are requiring more rigorous high school standards in English,
mathematics, science, and social studies. However, under our outdated, walled and
disjointed school system less than one-half of urban students will survive these more
demanding steps. The greatest hurdle for students living in poverty is progressing
beyond the 9th grade. They lack the skills in math, and language to pass the high
stakes examinations for promotion to the 10th grade. Thus, they become part of the
growing “bulge” of 9th grade failure. Less than one-half of this bulge will eventually
graduate. Thus, this exodus of school failures will increase the numbers of Americans
who endure grinding poverty, turn to crime and lose hope for the future. Dropouts
rarely vote, participate in community projects, and become economic burdens. The
United States cannot remain competitive or egalitarian by perpetuating disjointed
patchwork reforms that leave behind one-half of our urban and poor children.
It is time for radical changes in America’s education system to focus on the well-

being of all American children and stop their fall into a downward spiral of failure.
The walls must be removed that separate the pre-schools, elementary,
intermediate, middle, junior high, high school, community college and the university.
A new unified system would provide the necessary basic skills and a learning
community for all students to find success.
The Unified System
It is time to stop the urban school “scandal” and create a single unified system
beginning at age three and continuing through graduate and adult education.
Rather than legislators, educators and the public blaming each other for the failures
at lower levels, education and other leaders would share visions of success for every
child and engage business and community members in supporting an egalitarian
system for all students.
Unifying the system would go far beyond current well intentioned collaborations
between higher education and school districts to capture the talents of educators,
university researchers, developers and policy makers. All students would be prepared
to become successful in higher education or to enter a more technologically
advanced job market or a military career. The unified system would begin with
clusters of 150 students beginning at age three (with parental consent) through
seven. Each cluster would consist of five “fully qualified teachers,” one university or
community college professor advisor, three student teachers/tutors, retired teacher
volunteers, and a part-time health care professional. This team would work together
in a family environment for five years. After five years, five new teachers with
different levels of expertise would be responsible for moving the 150 students aged 8
through 12 toward more advanced learning. The final cluster would include ages 13
through 17. At this point, other scholars and specialists, including those from the
community college and university would assist the teaching staff of five in teaching a
wider and more challenging range of classes that rely on the internet for global
research data. This final cluster would prepare students for more advanced
technical and professional degree programs since approximately 50 hours of degree
course work would have been accumulated since the last year of cluster two. The
unified system curriculum is a seamless upward spiral based on knowledge that is
age and experience appropriate as the student progresses to the highest level of
the system. Dropouts would become minimal with a few years in the unified system.
The governance of the unified system would include an elected K-20 State Board of
Education and a K-20 Education Department responsible for coordinating the new
curriculum, instructional systems, quality assessments and funding mechanisms. This
coordination would include numerous Education Centers in the state that would
organize and administer the clusters discussed above. Each Education Center would
include a state university, one or two community colleges, and several public schools
systems within a contiguous area.
A child entering school at age three would not be left behind due to poverty or
other social realities. Let us remove the walls and unify the system. American Poet
Robert Frost expressed the importance of removing unnecessary walls between
people this way; “Something there is about a wall that wants it down.”

Two Announcements!
Karen Crum and Steve Myran, both assistant professors of
educational leadership at Old Dominion University, have been
awarded a United States School Leadership Program grant. The five-
year grant is a collaborative project between ODU and Northampton
Public Schools which is located on the Eastern Shore of Virginia. The
award will support a new generation of school leaders who will obtain
their master's degrees in educational leadership and are prepared for
school administrator certification and the unique demands of rural
school leadership. Crum (PI) and Myran's (Co-PI) initiative features
specially designed courses that meet Interstate School Leaders
Licensure Consortium standards and Virginia accrediting standards,
as well as address the identified needs of the school division. The
project also includes a strong mentoring component, plus a three-
semester internship that provides in-depth, authentic experiences.
This grant is one of twenty-two awarded nationally in 2008. Other
grant recipients are highly encouraged to send in details about their
projects to share with Division A.
Editorial Planning, a refeered journal and the official journal of the

International Society for Educational Planning (ISEP), invites
submission of original manuscripts for publication consideration.
Linda Lemasters, associate professor at The George Washington
University,is editor. The journal serves as a meeting place for both
the scholar-researcher and the practitioner-educator through the
presentation of articles that have practical relevance to current issues
revolving around educational planning. ISEP was founded in 1970
and holds an annual conference that brings together researchers and
practitioners interested in issues surrounding educational planning on
an annual basis. This year's Annual Conference took place in
October 2008 in Istanbul, Turkey. Next year's conference will be held
in Savannah, Georgia. Individuals who are interested in submitting a
manuscript for review to Educational Planning or who would like to
learn more about ISEP should visit http://www.isep.info/ for more
information.

Announcing a New Information Age Publishing Book Series:
Educational Leadership for Social Justice

Series Editor: Jeffrey S. Brooks, Auburn University. Series Editorial Team: Denise
Armstrong, Brock University; Ira Bogotch, Florida Atlantic University; Sandra Harris,
Lamar University; Whitney Sherman, Virginia Commonwealth University; George
Theoharis, Syracuse University
Contact Jeffrey S. Brooks at: jeffreysbrooks@auburn.edu for more information about
this series.
The purpose of this book series is to promote research on educational leadership for
social justice. Specifically, we seek edited volumes, textbooks, and full-length studies
focused on research that explores the ways educational leadership preparation and
practice can be a means of addressing equity concerns throughout P-20 education.
Possible topics include, but are not restricted to the following issues:
• Race and educational leadership
• Class and educational leadership
• Gender and educational leadership
• Ethics and educational leadership
• Ethnicity and educational leadership
• Culture and educational leadership
• LGBTQ issues and educational leadership
• Equity and educational leadership
• Access to educational leadership
• International and Comparative perspectives on leadership for social
justice
• Research methodologies and educational leadership for social justice
And many, many others...please contact us with your ideas and questions!
Proposal and Manuscript Submission Process
We invite you and your colleagues to submit a book proposal of approximately 5-8
pages. All proposals will undergo editorial team and/or blind peer review. Proposals
should include the following sections:
1. Introduction and overview: Explain the scope of the book project and
describe how it is grounded in and extends the extant educational leadership
for social justice research base, broadly conceived. Proposals should be aligned
with the purpose of the Information Age Publishing Educational Leadership for
Social Justice Book Series.
2. Summary of contents: Provide a proposed table of contents, brief synopsis
of each chapter, and an approximate page count for each chapter, including
any references and appendices.
3. Timeline: The timeline should include initial phases of the publication
process that will lead to initial submission of chapters. From that point,
accepted manuscripts will undergo editorial and blind peer review.
Please note that while we encourage many kinds of proposals, including textbooks,
edited volumes, and full-length studies, we expect all proposals to be grounded in
relevant and appropriate inquiry and perspectives. We look forward to hearing
from you!

Globalization and Educational Leadership: International Perspectives
In order to offer a more nuanced international perspective, this Point/Counterpoint

feature includes responses to questions from educators in three countries. Dr.
Esmeralda Cunanan is Executive Director of the Philippine-American Educational
Foundation (PAEF), based in Manila. Dr. Francis Cimene is Dean of the Graduate
School at Capitol University in Cagayan de Oro City, Philippines. Michael F. Watts is
an Associate at the Centre for Educational Research and Development in the Von
Hügel Institute, St. Edmund's College, Cambridge, England and Co-convenor of the
Social Justice Special Interest Group of the British Educational Research Association
(BERA). Dr. Anthony H. Normore is an Associate Professor in the Educational
Administration/Leadership Program in the College of Education, California State
University-Dominguez Hills, United States. Each of these scholars responded to these
questions separately. Questions were posed and answers compiled by Dr. Jeffrey S.
Brooks, Auburn University. An abbreviated version of this interview was previously
published in the UCEA Review (Volume XLIX Number 2, Summer 2008 available at:
www.ucea.org).
From your perspective, what are some of the most pressing educational issues in
your country?
Michael F. Watts: Perhaps the most pressing educational issue in the UK is that there
are pressing educational issues. After all, we have one of the world's richest
economies and, whilst simply throwing money at a problem is unlikely to resolve it,
money nonetheless removes many of the constraints other countries have to
contend with. The economy, though, does frame some of the concerns I have as
someone who researches higher education policy and practice—particularly the on-
going drive to widen participation beyond the historic middle class base of higher
education.
There has always been an economic imperative in making higher education
more accessible to more people. This can be seen at the global level as more and
more countries, including those in the Global South invest more and more money in
their higher education sectors (which, of course, also involves sending increasing
numbers of students to study in countries such as the UK and paying full international
fees to do so). The argument, at its simplest, runs something like this: the greater
earnings potential of university graduates enhances the economy so more university
graduates will enhance the economy further still. Running alongside this argument in
the UK is the government's desire to boost the newer knowledge-based industries to
counter the decline of the old manufacturing industries as jobs are shipped overseas
where production costs are lower. These newer industries supposedly demand the
higher levels of skills and knowledge supposedly provided by a higher education,
which thereby fuels the drive to increase participation. There is a small but increasing
body of research indicating the falsity of the economic argument (after all, whilst it
holds true to an extent, it cannot just run and run until the country is full of graduates
all of whom are busy boosting the economy) and there is not much more evidence
supporting the industry concern for more graduates (although there are now more
graduates trying to pay off their student debts whilst working in non-graduate-level
employment).
There is a second policy imperative for widening participation: to tackle the

social injustices that are sustained and reproduced by access and non-access to
higher education. However—and at the risk of skipping too lightly over a vast
sociological literature—socially-embedded attitudes towards education, and
particularly here higher education, are not always easy to overcome. Moreover, the
rapid expansion of higher education over the past few decades has done little to
open up graduate-level opportunities: those who get 'good' degrees from 'good'
universities are more likely to get 'good' jobs than those do not get to go to the
'good' universities. In short, the same problems of a stratified society exist but a few
more people have been given a higher education fig leaf to cover that
embarrassment. And, as students are required to pay more and more for their higher
education in both direct and indirect costs, those fig leaves are becoming more and
more expensive.
This is certainly not to deny the potential benefits of higher education (and it
certainly is not an argument against widening participation). From my perspective,
though, there are three significant problems here. The first is that those who are least
able to recognise the shortcomings of current higher education policies may well be
those who are least likely to benefit from them: lured into higher education on the
promise of better employment prospects, they may well find themselves paying off
their debts in non-graduate employment. Secondly, partly in order to prime the
higher education pump, government policy is causing schools to become like Fordist
production lines squeezing out teacher initiatives and, with an alarming
predictability, further disengaging far too many of the very students these policies
are intended to help. Yet, having been put off their compulsory education, these
students are expected to aspire towards a higher education. Thirdly, higher
education can provide many benefits (such as second opportunities to engage with
learning, acquire greater literacy and numeracy skills and so on) but it is a very
expensive means of doing so and the resources being pumped into it could,
perhaps, be better spent in other ways—such as providing greater resources for
students to return to part-time study when, older and wiser, they can more readily
appreciate its benefits.
Anthony H. Normore: In broad terms the most pressing educational issues in the U.S
are directly linked to the economy, politics, literacy, health and welfare, social and
cultural understanding, moral responsibilities as global citizens, and issues of social
justice. From my perspective, public education is the government activity with the
most profound and far-reaching effect on the national character. It seems that
attempts to improve American schools and the educational system have garnered
much attention at the national level with far fewer answers than questions and more
conflict than consensus about teaching, learning, schooling and education. In more
specific terms the issues begin with early childhood education to K-12 to
postsecondary education and exist in rural and urban settings. These range from
issues of literacy, social skill development, health and nutritional assets, homelessness,
affordable housing, poverty, accessible and affordable postsecondary education,
preventions and interventions for struggling students, inadequate resources and
funding, overcrowded classrooms, unsafe schools, and schools in need of extensive
repair. Other issues are equally as pressing. For example, throughout the education
system our students have limited understanding of the world, our global role, and
place insufficient importance on basic geographic skills that might enhance their
knowledge. In my opinion many lack relevant and action-oriented learning
experiences that require action and commitment at the individual and collective
levels to everyday life and local and global issues. If this trend continues, surely our
students will be unprepared for the increasingly global future. The same applies to
education for sustainability for balancing today’s needs with future consequences,
environmental degradation, and issues of social justice.
Esmeralda Cunanan: The Philippines needs an educational system that not only
meets the national priorities but are sustainable with the available national
resources, and that lead towards the international objectives of quality education
for all which should start at basic education. The continuing erosion of achievement
in the system, including the dismal performance of Filipino students in the regional
tests in math and sciences, brought about by other problems of a contributing
nature such as population increase, lack of resources, poor management of schools,
lack of proper preparation of teachers in content and teaching methodologies
illumine the downbeat impact of basic education on student performance or
today's problem of underachievement.
Francis Cimene: The most pressing educational issues: (a) many in-coming students
especially in the basic education (due to an ever increasing population) but not
enough teachers, school buildings, and books; (b) Poverty hinders children to go to
school (and the number is increasing every year): they don’t have money for fare,
tuition, school supplies; they have to work to augment the family income to meet the
basic needs; (c) The educational system is faulty. Students perform poorly in national
achievement tests. One reason is pedagogy. Higher order thinking skills are not
mastered.
What are educational leaders (administrators, teachers, community leaders,
researchers, etc.) doing to address these issues, and what more could they do?
Watts: Educational leaders in schools in publicly-funded schools are extremely

constrained in what they can do by the heavy hand of government regulating what
goes on in the classroom - even down to the minute details of lesson planning.
Greater freedom is given to the new academies which are (very) partly-funded by
private individuals in some awful experiment to encourage philanthropy but that
freedom is typically given to the would-be-philanthropist rather than to the
professional educators. In the higher education sector, government funding is partly
determined by institutional efforts to increase participation. Within these constraints,
educational and community leaders continue to protest against such authoritarian
policies but they are rarely listened to by the highly centralised government we
currently have.
More positively, educational and community leaders continue to lead by
example, encouraging young people to engage with and benefit from the
educational opportunities (including higher education opportunities) available to
them. As is so often the case, though, there is a fine line to tread between raising
people's aspirations and holding out unrealistic expectations. Nonetheless, there is
evidence to show the benefits of such role-modelling and, in much of my own work,
for example, it has been encouraging to see many young people aspiring to higher
education for non-financial reasons.
As for educational researchers, I often find myself at loggerheads with
colleagues in this field. All too often, it seems, many researchers (as well as other
educationalists) are too intent on working towards widening participation without
pausing to query why they should be doing this. There is a lot of good research being
done but not enough of it, to my mind, asks the fundamental question: What are the
real benefits of widening participation in higher education?
Normore: In the U.S. state-level policy and the market force are generally the
linchpins that reinforce university control in the area of teacher education and
leadership development, training and licensure programs. Earlier widespread
complacency about these programs among educational leaders is being
challenged as veteran members of the professoriate retire and new faculty
members begin to assume the reins of the profession. In my opinion, educational
and community leaders continue to battle with top-down policies in efforts to garner
resources and funding to support effective education programs. From my personal
experience as a former public school teacher and administrator I do believe that the
larger majority of educators want children to leave school prepared to contribute to
their communities in a positive and meaningful way. I’ve seen school leaders
engaged in active partnerships with community-based organizations and outreach
services on how to best address the needs of their service areas. On the other hand,
as a professor of educational leadership I’ve witnessed widespread resistance of
partnerships and mini “turf wars” created between school districts and universities.
Cunanan: The Philippine government through congressional allocation has allocated
a higher budget for the Dept of Education. The thrust of the Department of
Education is capacity-building. However, there is no system in place to achieve this.
Cimene: Administrators are trying their best to make use of the limited resources;
teachers give their share of personally helping the students through they are
underpaid; with limited learning materials, teachers try to innovate. Sad to say
innovations are not fast and sufficient enough to create an impact on the kind of
education the Philippines need to move forward. The government is putting in new
secretaries (Deped and CHED) from time to time (say less than 2 years) to
troubleshoot the problems. We are expecting two new secretaries this year. What
more could they do? The constitution spells out clearly that every Filipino should have
access to quality education that will result in improved quality of life for all citizens. If
all stakeholders from government, educational sectors, church, business sectors,
families, and individuals will think critically at this point and think about the value of
education to obtain the quality of life, there is hope in solving these problems. The
government should increase the budget for education; the education sector should
make education relevant to what we really need to obtain that quality of life we are
aiming for; at least someone has to start/initiate and others have to cooperate.
Do you have any particular thoughts about educational administrators' roles, as they
relate to these issues?
Watts: The real problem for educational administrators is that they are hampered by
government constraints. Moreover, given the social justice aspects of widening
participation, it can be all too easy to fall victim to accusations of seeking to
perpetuate social injustice if the bases of widening participation policies are
questioned. It should be remembered, too, that the social justice argument is very
seductive. After all, who does not want to promote greater opportunities for those
who are disadvantaged? Yet this, to me at least, seems to be the real issue: Who are
we (and I take the liberty here of assuming that the audience is educationally
privileged) to determine what opportunities should be promoted for those we may
consider to be disadvantaged? This is a highly complex social arena to enter but I
cannot help feeling that those very people we may consider to be disadvantaged
may have greater opportunities to benefit from their education if we could spend
more time listening to them and their aspirations and a little less time being told by
government what is best for them. But the government seems reluctant to allow
anyone else to have much of a say.
Normore: As teachers of prospective educational leaders we must get involved,
spend time in schools, learning to understand and appreciate the daily routines of
our students,and work as genuine partners to help secure adequate funding to
support effective programs for our students. In my opinion, we need to continue
searching for ways to consistently support increased funding for programs that are
targeted to disadvantaged students, students with disabilities, and other programs
that benefit our children. Adequate funding for education is very important to ensure
that young people have access to effective programs. It’s reasonable to assume
that our programs can only be effective for our students if they are prepared for an
increasingly global future. As educators, policymakers, and members of the local,
national and global community it's only fitting to embrace opportunities and
experiences that provide skill sets to our young people for understanding the
relationships among people and places that provide critical contexts for world
events. I’m sure we’d all agree that “none of us is as smart as all of us”.
Cunanan: Educational administrators must possess the knowledge, skills, and abilities
with respect to effective teaching/pedagogies to successfully empower and support
their teachers. The integrity of educational administrators must be unquestionable.
Administrators at all levels should not allow themselves to be "corrupt," which is a
widespread issue in the Philippines.
Cimene: Educational administrators roles are to influence policy-makers to make the
policies that would address the issues raised. We have many sound laws and they
are even copied by other countries. Administrators should be innovative and
creative in the implementation of these educational laws such as the empowerment
act of the school administrators. Administrators see to it that objectives of the school
have corresponding plan of action, but these should be monitored and evaluated
periodically to check whether we are achieving our objectives. The low
performance of our students should be a wake up call for the school administrators.
Should educators have a local, national, global perspective on their work, or some
combination of these?
Watts: It is something of a commonplace to note that technology and travel are
making the world smaller and that hitherto faraway places are now easier to reach.
Higher education, whether through distance learning programmes or the diasporas
of international students, has a potentially important part to play in this global
phenomenon and in the general sense that intercultural contacts can be beneficial,
this would seem to be a good thing (although see, for example, Rebekah Nathan's
My Freshman Year: what a professor learned by becoming a student for an
anthropological critique of some of the more optimistic claims held out in the name
of international studenthood).
What, though, of those responsible for designing and implementing higher
education programmes? As I suggested above, there is a growing impetus to adapt
higher education to the dynamics of globalisation so that it can prepare students to
take their places in the interconnected local-national-international economies. In
response to the never-ending complaints of industry that students are graduating
from their universities ill-equipped for work, there is a growing trend to develop
courses specifically tailored to certain professions. This, of course, brings us back to
the vocational origins of the university: in medieval times it was a place to train the
doctors, lawyers and priests of the future; at the beginning of the 21st Century it is
now also training people for many more professions. With increasing importance
being attached to workplace learning, many of these courses will have been
designed with at least some consideration of the local economy. Furthermore, as
higher education seeks to engage a wider cross section of society, it must respond
to the needs of students who, for a wide range of reasons, do not wish to study away
from home as young middle class students have historically done. There is, then, a
growing demand for the educational services of the 'local' university in the UK
(similar, say, to the community colleges in the US). Thus, the economic and social
drivers for widening participation demand that higher education have a local
perspective.
This local perspective, though, is just one amongst several: higher education
has to respond to national demands (whether they be from students or government)
and needs to remain located on the global stage. We should not overlook the
economic arguments of widening participation (providing that we do not make
fiscal fetishes of them) because increasing the individual's earning potential not only
satisfies these economic arguments but also the social justice arguments. If the social
justice argument for widening participation is to have any real meaning, those
students who may otherwise drift towards their local universities should be
encouraged to look further afield (after all, excellence - however that may be
defined - cannot always be located locally) even if they eventually conclude that
their local universities offer them their best opportunities. Educators therefore need to
have appropriate perspectives of higher education's various purposes if they are to
negotiate the potential conflicts between the economic and social justice
arguments for widening participation.
Normore: Absolutely—a combination! I cannot stress enough the power of global
knowledge and appreciation. We need to increase global learning in our schools, at
our homes and in our communities. I recently read a study conducted by Roper
Public Affairs in 2007. One statement in particular struck me with great force. It read
“Americans are far from alone in the world, but from the perspective of many young
Americans, we might as well be”. From interviews conducted among a nationwide
representative sample of 510 adults age 18-24 in continental U.S. the results revealed
the following: only 37% of young Americans can find Iraq on a map – even though
the U.S. troops have been there since 2003; 6 in 10 young Americans do not speak a
foreign language fluently; 20% of young Americans think Sudan is in Asia (It’s the
largest country in Africa); 48% of young Americans believe the majority population in
India is Muslim (It’s Hindu – by a landslide); half of young Americans cannot find New
York on a map. In a 2005 speech given in Seattle for the National Association for
Independent Schools, Fareed Zakaria, Editor of Newsweek, garnered much attention
when he stated that the most important thing that schools can do in America is to
make people aware that understanding the world is very much part of the
requirement of being an educated person. He went on to say that if we look at
what's happening in India, China and Brazil, we are seeing the rise of a new world,
where these countries see themselves as equals…But we're a country where very few
people…know much about the world. In my opinion, as educators, public servants
and human beings we all have a responsibility to our students, to our profession, to
our communities, to our nation and to our world. Our schools have a responsibility to
equip students to live in the global community – to teach students global awareness
about the social, political, and cultural issues facing people. Whether identifying
geographic locations, discussing political ideology, culture, or day-to-day life, most
American students do not know how people in other countries live. This is a critical
disadvantage to students who will be joining a job market heavily influenced by
international economics and politics.
Cunanan: To avoid parochial thinking, there should be a combination of local,
international and global perspectives. A contextualized set up with a combination of
these perspectives would be progressive response to the changing times.
Cimene: Although global framework should be appreciated, what we need now is
the local perspective. Once we have stabilized our own issues, that’s the time we
can explore global perspectives. Educators should see to it that students learn how
to think. The best way to teach them how to think is to give them problems to solve.
The process of coming up with the right solutions should be the gauge whether
students learn how to think. This is the kind of perspective we need so that we can
solve our own problems.
Is there any tension between these perspectives or do they co-exist harmoniously?
Watts: Cooperation and competition are often the two sides of the same coin.
Higher education institutions in the UK broadly have local, national and international
significance - although there is some inevitable jostling around these distinctions. The
problem (or, rather, one of many problems) is that the competition for students and
for funding is all too often overshadowed by status. This is, in part, a historical
problem as the newer universities with a greater remit to serve local needs are all too
often seen as the poor cousins of the older universities. Nor is this merely a figure of
speech: the older universities are more likely to be more research intensive and are
therefore considered to be more prestigious and also attract more of the
government funding that is allocated on the basis of research output. In short, until
such time as greater recognition is given to those institutions meeting more local
needs, the stratification of higher education will continue.
Normore: This is certainly a very thought-provoking question. I think we'd all agree
that it's difficult to make sense of what's happening around us unless we are aware
of the impact of the global context on daily events and actions. I can only reiterate
the importance for educators in America - and around the world - to understand
their own situation in a wider context and to appreciate what each other has to
contribute. We all benefit greatly when we can make connections between local
and global events and understand causes of global inequality, justice and solidarity.
If there are indeed tensions among perspective one way to work through these
tensions is to focus on our own personal development by identifying common
interests, and develop solidarity with diverse communities throughout the world. In
this way, we can avoid "myopic" or "hyperopic" views of ourselves and learn to
appreciate that the world is much larger than our immediate context.
Cunanan: for most Filipinos (especially those with no international perspective),
tension could exist amongst these perspectives (especially by nature, humans resist
change). Could they co-exist harmoniously? I believe they could.
Cimene: There are circumstances when these perspectives clashed and there are
circumstances that they co-exist harmoniously.
How can educators, educational communities, researchers and more importantly

students benefit from international collaborations?
Watts: It is fairly easy to address this question with the fairly hackneyed statement that
international collaborations not only enable a greater sharing of knowledge but also
promote greater understanding of other countries and cultures. Hackneyed as it
may be, the importance of this point should not be dismissed lightly and higher
education can play an important role in addressing it. However, there is another
aspect that should be considered here: along with understanding more about other
countries and cultures, international collaborations - where they work well - can also
initiate the sort of reflexivity that enables a greater understanding of our own
countries and cultures.
Whether the university student is an eighteen year old leaving home for the
first time, an older student carving out the chance to study part-time at her local
university or an international student travelling to a distant country, engaging with
higher education typically involves leaving behind at least some old certainties and
comforts. The opportunity to enter a new social environment holds out the
opportunity to take stock of who we really are and what we really want to be - to
take a good look at ourselves (even if that can only be done in between all the
rushing around this new environment). At the same time, it typically demands a
different and deeper approach to learning that involves more than the simple
acquisition of knowledge.
Taken together, these aspects of higher education - the opportunity to enter a new
environment and the requirement to engage with new forms of learning - can
combine to form a reflexive catalyst from which a new understanding of our own
selves may emerge. It can be a very unsettling experience but such reflexivity is an
important element of the higher education experience.
Normore: I’d like to respond to this question from the perspective of educational
leadership. It seems reasonable for these research communities to engage in
comparative research studies of leadership preparation and training programs in
diverse countries outside the United State. While several international scholars are
engaged in the international research on leadership programs in other countries I do
not often see the research published in American journals. Instead most of this
research appears in prestigious international journals such as Educational
Management, Administration and Leadership; Canadian Journal of Educational
Administration and Policy; Journal of Educational Administration; European Journal
of Education; International Studies in Educational Administration. I believe that in
order to fully capture the impact of international collaborations, we could benefit
from seeing more of the global research appear in American journals. Our sense of
ourselves, as well as what others think of us, often rests on the extent to which we live
up to our virtues. By engaging our educational communities and our students in
international research, they can harness understanding of responsible leadership
and learn the reflective practices that can filter throughout school system and
connect to local, national, and global awareness. As professional educators, I
believe it is our duty to engage students in meaningful and critical discourse that
focuses on ecological, political, economic, cultural and social issues. In doing this we
harness the energies and imaginations of our students in the reconstruction of life in
our neighborhoods, our communities, and our larger society.
Cunanan: All stakeholders must be open to intenationalization efforts. In general,
Filipinos welcome international collaboration.
Cimene: International collaborations can help us see the big picture. We will be
learning from their best practices. For instance, I believe the Philippines can learn so
much from the Singaporians in terms of how education created an impact on their
political climate, we can also learn entrepreneurship from the Chinese, innovations
from the US, Japan, etc.

From the Editorial Team
Hello all! It is with some regret that I announce this as the final issue of School
Leadership News that I will contribute to as editor. First and foremost I thank
Linda Tillman for her tremendous support of the newsletter. I also thank the
editorial team that has made these last several issues happen: Gaetane Jean-
Marie and Curt Adams of the University of Oklahoma; Whitney Sherman, Virginia
Commonwealth University; Karen Crum, Old Dominion University, and; Danna
Beatty, Tarleton State University. If you have any comments, ideas or
announcements, please contact me at: jeffreysbrooks@mac.com until a new
editor is named.
Thank you for your support!
Jeffrey S. Brooks, Auburn University
Call for Support

Our goal continues to be expanding the content and distribution of the
Division A Newsletter. To make our Newsletter a “must read” for our entire
membership, we are seeking:
• commentaries that focus on topical issues
• perspectives that provide readers with insights about Division A concerns
• critiques and recommendations to improve the newsletter content and
format
• information and announcements to include in future issues
• volunteers to serve as reporters, historians, and so forth
• calls for proposals and papers relevant to Division A members
Submissions or suggestions for improving the newsletter should be sent to Linda

Tillman ltillman@email.unc.edu or to Jeffrey S. Brooks jeffreysbrooks@mac.com.
Please help us keep each other well informed about Division A and our fields of
interest.
Submission Guidelines and Deadlines

In addition to the sections included in this issue, School Leadership News
periodically considers publication of brief articles on issues that are trenchant
and of interest to Division A members. Restrictions for publication will apply
(preferably no more than 1,000 words or 5 to 7 pages of double-spaced text) in
order to meet newsletter page limitations (2-3 pages). The editors reserve the
right to edit for style and length. Suggestions for articles will be accepted from
Division A officers, committee chairs and members, and members of Division A
and related Divisions or SIGs. Please contact Jeffrey S. Brooks at
jeffreysbrooks@mac.com for specific information about specific details and
deadline.
We invite you to browse both the AERA Division A Web Site and the Archives of
the Division A Newsletter, both available at www.aera.net.

Division A Officers and Committee Chairs
Vice President Dissertation Awards Committee

Linda C. Tillman George Theoharis, Syracuse University
University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill
Newsletter Editorial Team
Immediate Past President Jeffrey Brooks, Auburn University
Rodney T. Ogawa Gaetane Jean-Marie and Curt Adams,
University of California-Santa Cruz University of Oklahoma; Whitney
Sherman, Virginia Commonwealth
Secretary (2006-2008) University; Karen Crum, Old Dominion
Michelle D. Young University; Danna Beatty, Tarleton State
University Council for Educational University
Administration
Ad Hoc International Committee
Division A 2009 Program Chair Paula Cordeiro, University of San Diego
Len Foster, Washington State University
Graduate Student Planning Committee
Section I (Leadership) Andrea Evans, Northern Illinois University
Pamela Salazar, University of Nevada,
Las Vegas and Kathleen Jorissen, Graduate Student Representatives
Western Carolina University Danielle Hayes, University of Texas-Austin
Tirza White, Emory University
Section 2 (School Organization & Effects)
Curt Adams, University of Oklahoma Division A Webmaster
Scott McLeod
Section 3 (School Improvement) Iowa State University
Rosusan Bartee, University of Mississippi
Practitioner Committee
Section 4 (Leadership Development) Margaret Terry Orr, Bank Street College
Paul Pitre, Washington State University
Section 5 (Leadership Development)

Mark Gooden, University of Cincinnati
Affirmative Action Chair

Grayson Noley, University of Oklahoma
Membership Committee
Rosemary Papa, Northern Arizona
University
Nominating Committee
James Earl Davis, Temple University,
Chair
Arnold Danzig, Arizona State University
Betty Merchant, University of Texas-San
Antonio

Div A Fall2008

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School Leadership News

The Newsletter of AERA Division A: Administration, Organization, & Leadership

Issue 22 Fall 2008

The American Educational Vice President’s Column

School Leadership News, Fall 2008 John

participates in the governance of AERA. John has been an effective leader in

Danielle Hayes (University of Texas-Austin) is the Division A Senior Graduate Student

School Leadership News, Fall 2008 2

Carol A. Mullen, The University of North Carolina at Greensboro

School Leadership News, Fall 2008 3

School Leadership News, Fall 2008 4

School Leadership News, Fall 2008 5

School Leadership News, Fall 2008 6

Send submissions to:

School Leadership News, Fall 2008 7

Dr. Gerald L. Zahorchak has served as Secretary of

In addition to investing, what building are you doing to increase student

School Leadership News, Fall 2008 8

Would you talk more about your approach to assessments?

School Leadership News, Fall 2008 9

Announcing publication of the

The Handbook serves as a comprehensive collection of scholarship that presents

School Leadership News, Fall 2008 10

Graduate Student Orientation- Thursday, October 30th at 1:00pm

Graduate Student Reception: An Evening with the Scholars- Friday,

Saturday morning’s AERA Division A and L Graduate Breakfast is in

For more detailed information on these and other graduate related

AERA Division A member on the move!

School Leadership News, Fall 2008 11

Criteria for Eligibility

Application should include:

Scholarship Review Process

Questions? Contact Tirza Wilbon White, Division A Junior Graduate Student

School Leadership News, Fall 2008 12

School Leadership News, Fall 2008 13

School Leadership News, Fall 2008 14

Editorial Planning, a refeered journal and the official journal of the

School Leadership News, Fall 2008 15

Educational Leadership for Social Justice

School Leadership News, Fall 2008 16

In order to offer a more nuanced international perspective, this Point/Counterpoint

School Leadership News, Fall 2008 18

Watts: Educational leaders in schools in publicly-funded schools are extremely

Is there any tension between these perspectives or do they co-exist harmoniously?

How can educators, educational communities, researchers and more importantly

School Leadership News, Fall 2008 25

Call for Support

Submissions or suggestions for improving the newsletter should be sent to Linda

Submission Guidelines and Deadlines

School Leadership News, Fall 2008 26

Vice President Dissertation Awards Committee

Section 5 (Leadership Development)

Affirmative Action Chair

School Leadership News, Fall 2008 27

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