Joanne M. Marshall

I would not consider myself a homophobe: Learning and teaching about sexual orientation in a principal preparation program

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to analyze the written reflections of aspiring principals in two principal-preparation courses where social justice is at the core of the content and which address sexual orientation as part of the responsibility of a social justice leader. Data Collection: Two instructors in a leadership-preparation program incorporated reflection assignments into their respective social-justice-related courses. One course was offered at the beginning of the program; the other offered at the end. Aspiring principals from two different cohorts of students participated in the study. The students’ reflections were coded to identify themes and patterns that were found in their reflections and to see if any of their reflections changed over time. Findings: The authors found that students had varied experiences with people who identified as LGBTQ. Second, we found that discussion of sexual orientation was complicated by students’ Christian beliefs. Third, we found that there was some change in the way in which students responded to sexual orientation, from a more passionate to a more analytical stance. We discuss these findings in light of the need for better assessment of future leaders’ attitudes and actions and of our own heteronormativity and heterosexism. We discuss implications for our own teaching as well as for other teachers in preparation programs.

Nothing New Under the Sun: A Historical Overview of Religion in U.S. Public Schools

As we think about current religious diversity and conflict in U.S. schools, it is important to note that religious conflict is not a new phenomenon in the history of U.S. schooling. This article briefly outlines the current and historical connections among religion, ethnicity, and K-12 education in the U.S. in order to note its persistence as well as possible directions for change so that schools can be more equitable for all students.

Navigating the Religious Landscape in Schools: Towards Inclusive Leadership

This article identifies historical and contemporary influences of religion in US public schooling. It provides analytical questions that social justice leaders can use to evaluate the practices embedded in their own schools, including an equity audit.

Grassroots Philanthropy on the Prairie

A group of teachers leads a community to band together to provide for the urgent needs of its least fortunate students.

Principal Considerations: Super Parent or Super Pain?.

This case highlights teacher and family conflict about how best to meet the needs of a 9th-grade student with a disability. The student’s teachers view his highly involved mother as interfering with their work. The student’s mother views her involvement as advocating for her child. Aspiring administrators are invited to consider how best to resolve these competing tensions, especially given their status as a new principal in the school and the long history of educational inequity toward students with disabilities and students of color. Key questions are asked about social justice and social capital as well as ISLCC standards of establishing vision, culture, and community. A brief review of relevant literature introduces discussion questions on these topics.

The Leaders of Leadership Preparation Programs: A Study of Program Coordinators at UCEA-Member Institutions:

Using a cross-sectional survey, we collected data from program coordinators at UCEA-member institutions to understand the various roles, time investments, and cost commitments associated with program coordination, including incentives institutions provide (or do not provide) for assuming such responsibilities. We seek to improve our understanding of the work and role(s) program coordinators play, the time commitments they report, and the types of incentives provided for assuming the role of program coordination of educational leadership programs. Understanding these roles help us understand how best to support these leaders in administering quality preparation programs.

Auditing Inequity Teaching Aspiring Administrators to Be Social Justice Leaders

While much has been written about preparing educational leaders to lead for social justice, much less has been written about how to do so. This study is one of the first to analyze the reflections and written assignments of aspiring administrators to determine what they are currently thinking about poverty, race/ethnicity, and social justice leadership and how that thinking is shaped throughout one course. Results indicate that students were variable in their individual reflections, but that assignments, which required them to analyze the inequities in their schools and develop an implementation plan, led all of these aspiring administrators to seek to redress those inequities. The article discusses implications for other programs, which prepare educational leaders.

The "Affirmative Action Hire": Leading Inclusively in Diverse Religious Communities.

This case tells the story of a new principal who wants to lead inclusively by including people of all religious and non-religious beliefs. When she questions some of the existing practices in her school, she faces resistance from school members and from the community, who question her identity, her intentions, and her authority. The case is intended for use in leadership courses and highlights some dilemmas of inclusive leadership around religion, as well as those found in the intersectionality of religion, race, and gender.

Hope for the Future

After a successful RCN congress, childrens nursing has a lot to celebrate. A resolution at congress was passed to stop the erosion of specialist nurse posts (news, page 5 ) and, of special note, is the quality of todays student activists. They steered through a successful resolution on providing education for parents about the potential dangers of allowing children to play adult-rated video games. (news, page 4 ).

Grassroots Philanthropy on the Prairie.

A group of teachers leads a community to band together to provide for the urgent needs of its least fortunate students.