This mixed-method phenomenological study reports findings of 144 urban California educational leaders' and teachers' views about the identified effects Academic Optimism has on supporting equitable growth in student learning within ten low SES schools. Hoy, Tartar and Woolfolk-Hoy (2006) examined how Academic Optimism was a general demonstrable…

Minority youth are a complex and diverse population in America who are often misunderstood, misclassified and misrepresented. These youth face a school system that has been teaching an inaccurate and negative narrative about who they are and a system that does not understand their unique needs. Using the findings from studies on Arab American…

This study uses an explanatory sequential mixed-methods approach to examine principals'responses to their schools' disproportionate discipline data in five schools located in the ruralsoutheastern United States. Semi-structured interviews were analyzed for principals' insight intotheir school discipline data. Results indicated that Black students…

Self-efficacy is considered a key component for successful leadership; however, educational leadership doctoral programs do not often focus on leader self-efficacy (LSE) for principals. The purpose of this study was to understand perceptions of Ed.D. alumni who are currently principals regarding what contributed to the development of leader…

This article is a response to the clarion call for leadership preparation programs to ground their work in social justice pedagogies and policies in light of the current sociopolitical context of multiple pandemics. It includes four distinct sections. We begin with an analysis of the state of leadership preparation in California. Next, we…

Critical reflection and self-awareness are two of the most crucial components in developing equity-centered leaders (Dugan and Humbles, 2018; Madsen, 2020; Patti, Madrazo, Senge, and Stern, 2015). Leading for equity requires the leader to face both personal bias and professional challenges (Boske, 2014). Many leaders are willing to engage in the…

School climate is important for continuous improvement. California's LCFF requires districts to report on school climate and use data to inform decision making. Qualitative data, derived from an explanatory sequential mixed-methods study, explored three belief constructs and sub-groups by response patterns. Education leaders have a range of…

This report shows the impact that a two-year, coaching based, job-embedded administrator credentialing program is having on the leadership development of new administrators. The Clear Administrative Services Credential (CASC) program is centered on a conceptual framework founded on six professional learning standards combined with real life…

Many educators view school climate and student achievement as separate considerations. For some, the idea of promoting a high quality climate can seem like a luxury in the face of the current high stakes assessment climate in which student achievement gains are the paramount consideration. However, the results of this study suggest that climate…

This study surveys educators who have completed, or are in their second year of, an administrative coaching program that results in a California Clear Administrative Credential, also known as Tier II. The purpose of the study is to determine the perceptions of these educators regarding whether current practices in administrative coaching programs…

Purpose: With the increasing need for well-­-prepared and leading practitioners in the field of education as well as the renewed efforts to further distinguish the EdD from the PhD in higher education in recent years, the curriculum of EdD programs nationwide has been questioned and criticized for its disconnection from the needs of leading…

It is estimated that 1.6 billion students were displaced from the traditional school building in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic (UN, 2022; IMF, 2020). While the drastic change in how society normally functions was a shock for everyone, children and historically marginalized people suffered disproportionately severe impacts (GHO, 2022; UNESCO,…

This examination emanates from the rise in nativist populism across the United States and Europe. Nativist populism is fueled by charismatic leaders who advocate isolationist, neoliberal policies that ostensibly aim to help the economic fortunes of those left behind by rapid globalization; however, these same policies could very well be creating…

Purpose: The purpose of this article is to explore the leadership practice of two urban elementary school principals through a distributed leadership framework. Methods: The study employed an ethnographic case study and data were collected through semistructured interviews and observations. A case study for each principal was created, followed by…

This article is intended to spark dialogue and debate related to the preparation of inclusive social justice education leaders in a time of colorblindness. Drawing attention to the reductionist construction of the professional standards for educational leaders when it comes to preparing educational leaders who are ready to address and eliminate…