As you welcome students, families, and staff back to school, what kind of culture and climate are you creating in your own building or in ...
When the news about Uvalde broke last week, I was in a meeting with a dozen school leaders of color. We had come together as ...
Read full articleOur hearts are heavy. Over the weekend, violent hate crimes ravaged communities in Buffalo, NY and Dallas, TX. In Buffalo, a white man opened fire ...
Read full articleWhen Aaron Jennings became Chelsea School District’s first ever Equity, Diversity, and Excellence Officer in the fall of 2020, he embarked on a listening and ...
Read full article"It's not possible to learn the long, painful, complicated, beautiful, resilient, and magical history of being Black in the United States in 28 days - ...
Read full articleWishing you a joyful holiday season from our team at The Leadership Academy. Please take a minute to watch a holiday message from our President & CEO ...
Read full articleFor Leahy School Principal Ethel Cruz of Lawrence, MA, the superintendency once seemed like an unattainable goal. Cruz’s perspective shifted, however, thanks to Influence 100, ...
Read full articleThe only time my 15-year-old daughter stepped into her high school in the 2020-21 school year was for her state exams. Every other day of ...
Read full articleDearest educational equity champions & leaders, I wanted to take a moment to congratulate you. You have led your school or school system to the ...
Read full article“Are you teaching our children critical race theory?” “Are you indoctrinating our children?” School and school system leaders are increasingly getting these questions from parents and politicians as schools take on ...
Read full articleAs state and school system leaders consider how to spend the billions of dollars devoted to K-12 education through the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund (ESSER) provisions of the American ...
Read full articleAs we move beyond the details of Adam Toledo’s death and learn more about his life, it's critical to examine how systemic racism and oppression, in particular the ...
Read full articleWhile 2020 has been full of challenges, The Leadership Academy has so much to be thankful for.
Read full articleThe election is over. In about 10 weeks, we will have a new President and Vice President – the first woman and woman of color in that ...
Read full article“The obligation of anyone who thinks of himself as responsible is to examine society and try to change it and to fight it—at no matter ...
Read full articleCOVID-19 has increased racism and xenophobia towards the Asian-American community. COVID-19 has ravaged Native American reservations. COVID-19 has increased unemployment in the Latinx community. COVID-19 ...
Read full articleAs with any pandemic, any crisis, fear is bringing out the worst in people.
Read full articleOver the last two weeks, members of my team and I have taken a deep dive in two school systems we have been partnering with for some time – Des Moines, IA, and Lexington One, SC. It was a humbling and inspiring experience that I will not soon forget.
Read full articleAt the NYC Leadership Academy, we are always looking to learn from other experts in education leadership and equity to inform and sharpen our work. That means we are ...
Read full articleWhat does the data tell us about what’s happening in schools today and has been happening across systems for decades? To help facilitate these conversations, we’ve developed this quiz on the race-based disproportionalities hampering schools and students across the U.S.
Read full articleJust as it is critical to bring together a diverse set of students to enhance learning, it is also imperative to recruit, retain, and properly develop and support a diverse pipeline of effective school and school system leaders.
Read full articleAs someone who has spent years working with schools on South Dakota’s reservations, I believe that this kind of intentional, culturally responsive educational leadership is what we need to disrupt the inequities baked into the Indian education system.
Read full articleWelcome back and congratulations on a new school year! I hope your summer had the right mix of professional learning, planning, and relaxation. While the ...
Read full articleTwo years ago, the Chesterfield County School Board took on the work of developing a new strategic plan, Imagine Tomorrow, which revolved around our district’s core values of equity, ingenuity, integrity, and teamwork.
Read full articleAs educational leaders, we cannot allow our students and their teachers to return to school frightened, or to be too afraid to return at all. Schools, under strong leadership, have a critical role to play in ensuring immigrant children have a safe haven in their schools.
Read full articleYoung people in the juvenile justice system are the most underserved students in the country. When justice jurisdictions design systems, education is rarely top of mind.
Read full articleAs more school districts engage in equity-focused professional learning, we are unsurprisingly seeing some tension and pushback as their teams grapple with this work.
Read full articleWe need to love these kids unconditionally and hold them to high expectations because I know they can do it. We just need to give them the tools.
Read full articleWe must continue to push this work forward. Our young people are counting on us. Together, our leadership has the potential to exponentially decrease the number of inequities facing our students.
Read full articleWe take leaders to the point of discomfort so they can ultimately come out more confident, capable, and conscious of their capacity to make change effectively. Discomfort, in service of equity for all students, can be a catalyst for learning and transformation.
Read full articleTalking with a teacher about whom she is -- and is not -- calling on in class. Discussing the fact that some groups of students ...
Read full articleFear is born from ignorance. The string of hateful acts across the country over the last several weeks and months has been overwhelming: Eleven people ...
Read full articleLeaders like Irma show other women of color that it is possible, that we can be true to our identities while developing and expanding mission-driven organizations that support our communities.
Read full articleFifteen years ago, many of New York City’s schools were struggling with rapid principal turnover. On top of that, the city was expecting to lose half of its principals to retirement in the next few years, creating a system of potentially “leaderless” schools. The Leadership Academy launched in 2003 to fill this gap…
Read full articleThe fear in the town of Morristown, Tennessee, was palpable. A day after immigration agents raided a meatpacking plant there a few weeks ago, more than 500 young people stayed home from school. For many, they thought they would be safer at home than in school.
Read full articleVeteran principal Rodney Moore had an important decision to make. After hearing that English language learners were feeling marginalized and unwelcome, he wondered if he should dedicate a staff meeting to discussing their experiences; provide cultural proficiency training to the entire staff; or reach out to parents for help.
Read full articleBecoming the superintendent of Saint Paul Public Schools several years ago put me on a racial equity journey that forever changed who I am as an educational leader.
Read full articleIt’s Black History Month. 28 short days. We also need to celebrate Groundhog’s Day, Valentine’s Day, President’s Day and Ash Wednesday. It’s a set-up. It’s not possible for anyone to learn the long, painful, complicated, beautiful, resilient and magical history of being Black in the United States in 28 days.
Read full articleIntentionality. Without it, you’ll never make sure every child has access to the resources they need to learn and grow. It is what drives my position as Executive Director of Equity and Access for the Newburgh Enlarged City School District in New York State.
Read full articleIt doesn’t matter where your school is in this country, we can guarantee you that inequities exist. Take a look at your data and classroom practices – are there an equitable number of children of color in your honors and AP classes, do they have access to your best teachers? Who has been identified for special education?
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