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Curriculum Modules for Leadership Preparation:
Marshaling and Using Resources based on data and students needs

Evidence-based Equity Leadership

Charol Shakeshaft and Whitney Sherman Newcomb

Virginia Commonwealth University

Developer Bios and Contact Information

            Charol Shakeshaft, Ph.D.: Charol Shakeshaft is professor and chair of the Department of Education Leadership , at VCU.  She teaches graduate courses in research design, the economics of education, gender equity, and technology.  Charol is the author of three books and over 200 referred articles and papers, many of which have received national and state awards.  Her research focuses on three strands:  gender and leadership, sexual abuse of students by adults employed in schools, and the effectiveness of technology for learning, particularly for students of color.  She is the author of Women in Educational Administration (5th printing), Women and Educational Leadership with Margaret Grogan,  and Sexual Abuse in Schools, scheduled for publication by Jossey Bass in 2013.  Other publications have addressed race and sex bias in educational practice and research. 

            Dr. Shakeshaft is the recipient of a $5.2 million grant to develop state of the art principal preparation to include the first immersive, interactive and web-enabled computer simulation for school administrators.  She previously completed a three-year national study of the relationships between a school-based risk prevention program and risk behaviors of 6th to 8th grade students.  Dr. Shakeshaft was also the principal investigator on a three-year National Science Foundation project to promote interest in science careers among seventh and eighth grade girls, particularly girls of color from low-income families.

            Whitney Sherman, Ph.D.:  Whitney Sherman Newcomb is an associate professor in the Department of Educational Leadership at Virginia Commonwealth University. Her research interests include: leadership preparation and mentoring; women’s issues in leadership; social justice in leadership; and ethical leadership. Dr. Newcomb's work has been featured in journals including: Educational Administration Quarterly; the Journal of School Leadership; the Journal of Educational Administration; Educational Policy; and the Journal for Research on Leadership Education. She received the 2011 Distinguished Scholarship Award for VCU's School of Education for her contribution to research. She serves on the editorial boards of Educational Administration Quarterly, the Journal of School Leadership, and the Journal for Research on Leadership Education. Dr. Newcomb is also a co-editor for a book series on educational leadership for social justice published by Information Age. She was presented with the Emerald Literati Award for Excellence for the Outstanding Special Issue of 2011 for her work as guest editor of "Globalization: Expanding Horizons in Women's Leadership." Dr. Newcomb also received the 2011 Social Justice Teaching Award from the Leadership for Social Justice SIG of the American Educational Research Association "for work that represents exemplary commitment to teaching that promotes social justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion in the field of educational administration."

Purpose

            This module examines the ways that data are used to make decisions and distribute resources and the ways that race/ethnicity, gender, and SES influence who gets what, when.  It also demonstrates ways to examine differences in achievement and responses to behavior by race/ethnicity, gender, and SES.  Activities will explore the validity of the data we use for all populations; the ways that resources are assigned and who benefits from those decisions; the process by which data-resource decisions are made; the procedures and variables that allow for a closer understanding of student achievement and student experiences in schools.

Theory of Action

            The Theory of Action underlying this model is grounded in a constructivist, problem based context. As participants work on authentic problems of practice, using their own school contexts and their own data, they will gain an understanding of the equity issues in data identification, collection, analysis, and decision-making

Objectives and standards

            Eight objectives are included in this module:

Objective 1

Examine issues of diversity in the classroom and school and their relationship to data collection and use.

Objective 2

 

Build an ethical framework to understand and document educational practices that benefit some students and fail others

Objective 3

Understand the content and purpose of equity audits

Objective 4

Understand how to look critically at student and school level data from an equity framework

Objective 5

Learn to disaggregate data by gender, race/ethnicity, and proxies for SES

Objective 6

Learn to conduct an equity audit

Objective 7

Identify and frame the problem in relation to equity audit data

Objective 8

Learn to use data to inform policy and practice

 

This module addresses ISLCC/ELLC standard

Standard 1:  An education leader promotes the success of every student by facilitating the development, articulation, implementation, and stewardship of a vision of learning that is shared and supported by all stakeholders.

Functions:

             B. Collect and use data to identify goals, assess organizational effectiveness, and promote  organizational learning

Standard  4:  An education leader promotes the success of every student by collaborating with faculty and community members, responding to diverse community interests and needs, and mobilizing community resources.

            A. Collect and analyze data and information pertinent to the educational environment

Standard  5:  An education leader promotes the success of every student by acting with integrity, fairness,and in an ethical manner.

           C.  Safeguard the values of democracy, equity, and diversity

           D.  Consider and evaluate the potential moral and legal consequences of decision-making

           E.  Promote social justice and ensure that individual student needs inform all aspects of schooling

Standard 6:  An education leader promotes the success of every student by understanding, responding to, and influencing the political, social, economic, legal, and cultural context.

           C.  Assess, analyze, and anticipate emerging trends and initiatives in order  to adapt leadership strategies

Content Area

            The content includes issue of diversity, the ethics of data use, and the nuts and bolts of identifying, collecting, analyzing and using the results of data.

Courses for Which Module would be Appropriate

            Parts of this module can be used in any in which data should be considered.  Courses that focus on enhancing instructional leadership, decision-making, human relations, facilities, diversity, and educational change all rely upon the ability to identify, collect, analyze, and make sense of data. 

Components

            The module consists of eight inter-related powerful learning experiences (PLEs). Each PLE is designed to both constructivist—in which participants and instructor generate and synthesize ideas, attributes and criteria for advocacy-related tasks—and reflective, in which participants reflect in small and large groups on what they are learning to surface patterns in examining multiple issues and conditions for advocacy.