Soon after Xavier Botana took over as superintendent of Maine's Portland Public Schools, he realized that, despite the district's professed commitment, efforts to promote equity were embedded in other programs rather than being its own goal. He knew that if he were going to make his vision for equity a reality, he would need to get the community's…

Community schools are an example of a comprehensive education reform initiative that brings communities together to address many of the pressing challenges facing education today. Unlike traditional schools, community schools serve as a hub, engaging educators, families, and community partners. Open to the community during evenings, weekends, and…

Given the current, contested political climate, growing school-community inequities, and a renewed commitment to equity and justice in the National Education Leadership Preparation standards, aspiring educational leaders need practical approaches to leading school communities toward equitable outcomes. This conceptual article offers a…

The Region 15 Comprehensive Center (R15CC) is federally funded to provide high-impact, customized, and responsive capacity-building technical assistance to state educational agencies (SEAs) in Arizona, California, Nevada, and Utah. In 2022, R15CC established a regional Family and Community Engagement (FACE) Collaborative for SEA leaders in…

Dr. McHenry-Sorber's and Dr. Hall Sutherland's study on rural schools in South Carolina, West Virginia, and Vermont is one of the first of its kind to explore the ways rural leaders implement state equity policies in their schools. Drawing on their expertise as rural scholars, they examine strategies, strengths, and challenges for rural community…

Deaf education in the United States began in 1817 with the bilingual co-leadership of Laurent Clerc and Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet. In 2018, Marianne Belsky and Nicole Sutliffe, a bilingual, deaf/hearing team, were officially appointed as co-leaders of the Laurent Clerc National Deaf Education Center. In this article, Belsky and Sutliffe share the…

"Making a Difference for American Indian and Alaska Nave Students: Innovations and Wise Practices" was a three-part webinar series for tribal, state, and federal education leaders. Through panels and breakout sessions, participants shared their knowledge on transforming outcomes for Nave American students, administrators, educators, and…

This document traverses through a series of genealogical stories that span close to a century to provide context to higher learning, education, and development. The stories of elders help us re-member their dreams, re-frame the process for growth, and re-imagine the possibilities for development at the self, organizational, and community levels.…

This article chronicles how the authors, two Indigenous activist-academics, live into their consciousness, privileges, and responsibilities by realizing their roles through genealogical reflection. In particular, they focus on their responsibilities as change agents because of their reciprocal and interdependent roles as community members, as…

University education partners have great potential to facilitate schools' moving from a school led traditional approach for family involvement to an asset based, empowerment approach to partnerships. On this journey, educators grapple with the cognitive dissonance of change as they engage their emerging multilingual families in the lives of their…

Developing and scaling high-quality systems of college and career pathways that help young people successfully transition through education into high-paying, high-demand careers requires strong leadership. This piece highlights key lessons about the structures and commitments that are necessary for effective leadership and governance from JFF's…

Action research approaches reflecting power sharing by academic and community researchers, full engagement of community partners across all study phases, and ongoing commitment to partnership and capacity building have been increasingly embraced, particularly in research affecting marginalized populations. Findings suggest action research…

Excellent schools strive to develop a comprehensive and integrative improvement process for students and their families that integrate best practices of positive school culture, climate, and social and emotional learning; character development skills, enhanced academic achievement strategies, and positive parent engagement. Character.org's…

This executive summary highlights findings from the full report (published separately) that summarizes the accomplishments of SEL in AISD from 2011-2012 through 2015-2016. [For the full report, see ED627077.]

Because researchers know so much more about the brain and development than they did when the 20th-century U.S. education system was designed, this knowledge can now be used to design a system in which all individuals are able to take advantage of high-quality opportunities for transformative learning and development. This playbook suggests a set…