This case study engages educational leaders in exploring how district-specific stakeholder perspectives might impact recruitment policy implementation and resource allocation through the lens of the Community Cultural Wealth framework. The case introduces Dr. Sheila Hill, the superintendent of a large district with a significant population of…

Millions of students in our schools live with a parent experiencing substance use disorder. Most people with substance use disorder begin using while they are school-age. School personnel are on the frontlines of this crisis; yet our policies, practices, and social norms create barriers to witnessing and healing for these students and families.…

Ebony Wright was slated to graduate from Claremont High School in the spring. She was on the honor roll, captain of the girls' varsity softball and swim teams, and recently awarded an academic scholarship to attend a highly ranked university in the fall. Ebony was a "model" student. How she found herself sitting in the principal's office…

Despite legal challenges, universities are increasingly using holistic admissions practices to accomplish affirmative action and increased student diversity. The admissions committee of the college of nursing at an elite university grapples with the potential outcomes of adopting a holistic admissions process. The case offers the legal and…

Administrative leadership at School District 7 navigates diverse perspectives on implementing artificial intelligence (AI) in their high schools. Planning for the new school year, the superintendent grapples with AI and how it has impacted her four high schools in the past year. This case is written for k-12 school policy and leadership students…

This teaching case explores the racialized administrative burdens placed on Latinx staff and students as a Latinx campus cultural center becomes institutionalized or more structurally embedded within a Predominantly White Institution. This case leverages the perspective of the center's Assistant Director to demonstrate how Latinx staff navigated…

Over the past few years, the Scott County School Board has experienced a number of interpersonal and procedural issues during the conduct of its business. In addition to incivility of communication, the board has experienced conflict, challenges to its leadership, and questionable actions on the part of the board chairperson. This case raises a…

School systems collect and maintain increasingly significant amounts of data and information on students, faculty, and staff and have a duty of care to ensure that sensitive information remains secure. Therefore, sitting and/or aspiring school leaders need to develop at least a basic understanding of data privacy and information security…

Schools and districts have long grappled with race- and disability-based exclusionary discipline inequities. Research on the topic has uncovered a variety of systems that maintain such disparities, including school policies and practices that exacerbate the problem. Researchers and practitioners have increasingly considered school context and…

This case explores the complex ways unaccompanied Latinx Indigenous minors experience the intersection of immigration policies and U.S. school policies and practices and the implications this has for school leaders. As such, we present three critical incidents that center three students' experience with and through U.S. schooling--from enrollment,…

This case study is designed for use in graduate courses in student affairs and higher education administration. This case presents some of the challenges that higher education professionals face concerning policies and laws as they relate to student mental illness and emotional support animals. Requests for emotional support animals are becoming…

This case illustrates the importance for school leaders and teachers to be knowledgeable about current legal precedent when creating district and school policies. We describe a legal battle that occurred in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, in which a school district instituted a policy affecting English learners that was in violation of two federal laws.…

Amid heightened racial tensions throughout the country regarding law enforcement's use of lethal force against African Americans, the city of Charlotte experienced civil uprising in the aftermath of the shooting of Keith Scott. At the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, reactions to the incident varied widely. This case study explores the…

Nationwide, African American girls have the highest suspension rates among all racial and ethnic groups. Furthermore, they are the most severely, disproportionately affected by school discipline policies and practices when compared with other girls. This case study was developed for use in education leadership programs to critically analyze school…

This case highlights a high school that struggles with inequities perpetuated by a noninclusive environment. To help confront these issues, the school will hire an assistant principal of diversity. Readers are presented with a dilemma concerning the legality of hiring based on race and research that supports the benefits of racial congruency…