Resources for Leaders
The Resources for Leaders webpage includes research and methods for leaders to implement in their school and district communities. We welcome feedback and suggestions for this webpage.
​
Centering Black Children in Education Conference
Why center Black children? This question has been posed to me in different ways for the past two years. My response is always, “Why not?” I answer this question with a question to compel self-reflection. Why ask that question? What’s behind the inquiry? What do you really want to know?
Most often, the questioner has no good reason to NOT center Black children’s education as a topic for analysis and discussion. My question back to them usually causes dissonance as they perform the mental gymnastics required to justify their question, grapple with the hows and whys of their feelings about Black children, race and racism, and the unapologetic bass in my voice. I watch and wait patiently as they arrive, with my guidance, to the fact that the question itself is predicated on an unstated, unconscious focus on whiteness; rooted in anti-Blackness. The question is coincidentally emblematic of the very reason we need to center Black children and representative of the schooling spaces Black children navigate.
Centering Black Children in Education website and conference information
​​
The Minnesota Principals Survey: Policy and Practice Briefs
The Minnesota Principals Survey (MnPS) was developed to “elevate principal voice” in Minnesota education policy and better
understand the working conditions, concerns, and needs of Minnesota school leaders. The Center for Applied Research and
Educational Improvement (CAREI) at the University of Minnesota conducted the second biennial MnPS in Fall 2023, with nearly 1,000 responses from school leaders across the state.
​
CAREI conducted a series of follow-up focus groups in Summer 2024 to better understand school leaders’ experiences and ideas. A total of 36 school leaders participated in one of seven focus groups on the following topics: 1) Addressing student mental health challenges; 2) Addressing staff mental health challenges; 3) Communicating about race, gender, and culture with families and community; 4) Engaging families in school-level decision-making; 5) Establishing a robust Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS); 6) Leaders of color perceptions and experiences; and 7) Recent state policy changes.
​
Our Policy & Practice Briefs summarize survey and focus group findings on these topics, with an emphasis on what school leaders tell us they need. Please reference the companion Policy & Practice Guides, where we translate findings into research-aligned recommendations for three audiences: 1) state policymakers and leaders, 2) district leaders and school boards, and 3) principal preparation and professional development providers. The MnPS is made possible with the generous support of the Joyce Foundation and the Minneapolis Foundation. Please contact mnps@umn.edu with questions. Read the Policy & Practice Briefs below and online at the University of Minnesota College of Education and Human Development.
​
Culturally Responsive School Leadership, January 2025
Authors: Regina Seabrook, Sara Kemper, Katie Pekel
About This Brief
This brief summarizes MnPS and follow-up focus group findings on Culturally Responsive School Leadership (CRSL). First, it offers a definition of CRSL from research and explains why it matters. Second, it presents key findings from the MnPS about declines from 2021 to 2023 in both principals’ self-efficacy in practicing select CRSL activities, and the frequency with which they enact CRSL practices. Lastly, the brief summarizes what we learned from focus group participants related to CRSL and what they need to more regularly enact it.
​
What is CRSL and Why Does It Matter?
This brief draws on the Culturally Responsive School Leadership (CRSL) framework developed by Khalifa, Gooden, and Davis (2016). The CRSL framework resulted from an extensive synthesis of literature on “leadership, social justice, culturally relevant schooling, and students/communities of color” (Khalifa et al., 2016, p. 1272), and includes four key components: (1) critical self-reflection, (2) developing culturally responsive teachers, (3) promoting culturally responsive/inclusive school environments, and (4) engaging students, families, and communities. CRSL matters because it bridges the goal of student equity (or the elimination of racially disparate and predictable outcomes) with concrete, actionable, and interrelated leadership practices. Leadership practices that illustrate these four components can be found on page 42 of the 2023 MnPS report.
Read the complete CRSL Policy and Practice Brief.
Supporting and Sustaining Leaders of Color in Minnesota, January 2025
Authors: Regina Seabrook, Sara Kemper, Katie Pekel​
About This Brief
This brief summarizes MnPS and follow-up focus group findings about the professional experiences of leaders of color. First, it offers a summary of research affirming the importance of leaders of color. Second, it provides a snapshot of Minnesota’s leaders of color and the unique challenges they face using demographic and MnPS survey data. Lastly, it summarizes what was learned from focus group participants related to the specific challenges and needs of leaders of color.
​
Who are Leaders of Color and Why Do They Matter?
In Minnesota, about 12% of school leaders are of color (Minnesota Professional Educator Licensing and Standards Board, 2024) compared to 39% of students (Minnesota Department of Education, 2024). Of 2023 MnPS respondents who reported their race and/or ethnicity, 10% identified as Black, Hispanic or Latino, Asian, American Indian or Alaska Native, or Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander, or selected two or more racial/ethnic categories—suggesting that MnPS data is highly representative of the statewide population of school leaders in terms of race/ethnicity. In this brief, we use the term “leaders of color” to refer to this group of respondents.
​
Research suggests that leaders of color have a positive impact on both teachers of color and students of color (Perrone, 2022). Schools with leaders of color are likely to have more teachers of color (Bartanen & Grissom, 2023; Perrone, 2022). Their leadership is associated with increased teacher of color recruitment and retention (Perrone, 2022). Having more teachers of color increases the likelihood that a student of color is taught by a same-race teacher. This matters because empirical evidence suggests that same-race student teacher matches lead to better academic outcomes for students (Egalite, 2024; Gerhenson et al., 2022; Egalite et al., 2015), including increased graduation and college attendance rates (Gerhenson et al., 2022). In Minnesota, where students of color are far less likely to have a school leader who looks like them than their White peers, sustaining and growing the population of leaders of color is a key equity lever.
​
Research also suggests that leaders of color have a positive impact on teachers and students, regardless of their race. For instance, analysis of national data revealed that high schools with Black women principals, in particular, had significantly higher collective responsibility among teachers for student success and significantly higher standardized math test scores among 9th grade students (Jang & Alexander, 2022). Finally, leaders of color, through their positive impacts on the recruitment and retention of teachers of color, help to diversify the principal pipeline (Perrone, 2022).
Read the complete Leaders of Color Policy and Practice Brief
​
Principal Attitudes About State Policymaking in Minnesota, January 2025
Authors: Regina Seabrook, Sara Kemper, Katie Pekel​
About This Brief​
This brief summarizes MnPS and follow-up focus group findings related to state policy changes made during the 2023 and 2024 legislative sessions that directly affect K-12 schools. First, it offers a rationale for why principal voice matters in state policymaking. Next, it presents key findings and analysis from the MnPS about principal involvement in policy influence. Lastly, it summarizes principals’ reactions to recent state-level policy changes, and closes with what participants told us they need for their perspectives to be included in state policy decisions.
​
Who are Leaders of Color and Why Do They Matter?
Principals are ultimately responsible for implementing much of K-12 education policy designed and enacted by state governments. Principals have school-level knowledge and understanding of the challenges and opportunities facing their schools. Without principal voice (i.e., contextual knowledge and expertise), policies, although well intended, may be less likely to achieve desired education outcomes.
​
Survey Says: Minnesota Principals Seek Policy Influence
The 2023 MnPS revealed that most principals have sought to influence state policy in at least one way over the past two years, but principals desire greater influence. In fact, the percentage of principals indicating they desired greater influence over state policy rose from 70% to 76% from 2021 to 2023.
​
Department of Organizational Leadership, Policy, and Development (OLPD)
University of Minnesota, College of Education and Human Development
At OLPD, we are committed to nurturing the next generation of leaders, policymakers, and changemakers. Our dedicated faculty and staff work tirelessly to provide an educational environment that fosters critical thinking, research, and collaboration. We firmly believe that understanding and addressing the complex challenges facing our society require a multifaceted approach, which is why our department offers a diverse range of programs and opportunities for our students.Whether you aspire to influence education policy, lead organizations towards success, or contribute to the advancement of society, OLPD has a program tailored to your goals. Our academic offerings span across areas such as educational leadership, policy analysis, international development, and human resource development, empowering you to make a tangible impact on your community and the world.
OLPD online at the University of Minnesota
​
At OLPD, we are committed to nurturing the next generation of leaders, policymakers, and changemakers. Our dedicated faculty and staff work tirelessly to provide an educational environment that fosters critical thinking, research, and collaboration. We firmly believe that understanding and addressing the complex challenges facing our society require a multifaceted approach, which is why our department offers a diverse range of programs and opportunities for our students.Whether you aspire to influence education policy, lead organizations towards success, or contribute to the advancement of society, OLPD has a program tailored to your goals. Our academic offerings span across areas such as educational leadership, policy analysis, international development, and human resource development, empowering you to make a tangible impact on your community and the world.
OLPD online at the University of Minnesota
​
Qualitative Research for a Pedagogy Model with Whole Schools
Program Evaluation of High Operational Practices (HOPs)
with Six Osseo Area Elementary Schools
National Urban Alliance
Interviewers and Researchers: Regina Seabrook and Robert Seth Price
Introduction and Overview
The National Urban Alliance evaluated the effectiveness of a schoolwide implementation of High Operational Practices (HOPs) for the 2023-2024 school year. Specifically, we sought to understand the effectiveness and impact of High Operational Practices on student learning and teaching efficiency. This example of qualitative research provides a model involving students and educators in a reflective process of using qualitative research to involve and evolve a staff's pedagogy in support of high intellectual performance for students.
Methodology
Between April 2024 and May 2024, several in-person focus groups were conducted with 100 students, paraprofessionals, and teachers in their respective schools. The focus group method is used to ask about attitudes or feelings towards a service, idea, or project. They are conversational in nature and small (i.e., 3-8 participants at a time). They are often used when there is a need to gain a large of amount of information in a short time span (Johns Hopkins University, 2024). In this program evaluation, students were segregated into focus groups based on their grade levels in the home school, while adults were segregated into focus groups based on their positions (e.g., paraprofessional teachers vs certificated teachers) and place of employment (one of the six schools). Schools. Six schools participated in this program evaluation. They include Birch Grove Elementary, Crest View Elementary, Fair Oaks Elementary, Garden City Elementary, Oak View Elementary, and Rush Creek Elementary.
Findings
Thematic findings from respondents indicate that student voices were supported through collaborative practices, student voices heard in classrooms, students provided support with problem solving, and students supported with confidence and encouragement. Educator themes noted shifting from teacher centered practices to student centered environments. Supporting this shift to student centered practices included stronger classroom relationships, culturally responsive teaching practices, a deeper understanding of better teaching. and giving students more voice in the classroom space.
Recommendations
We recommend that district leaders, school leaders, educators, families, and students continue to further their goals of eliciting student High Intellectual Performance (HIP) through the use of High Operational Practices (HOPs). The meaning they bring to their understanding of this evaluation through shared learning will likely support, sustain, and enhance their pedagogical practices in support of success for each student.
Read the complete evaluation on the NUA website: www.nuatc.org Citation: Price, R.S., Seabrook, R, Cooper, E., & Jackson, Y. (2024, October 24). Program evaluationof High Operational Practices (HOPs) with six Osseo area elementary schools. National Urban Alliance.
​
​​
