Contents
- Welcome From the ED
- 70 Years of UCEA
- New Member
- Letter From the President
- UCEA Leadership
- UCEA 2024 Convention
- UCEA Faculty & Leadership Awards
- Graduate Student Programs
- Communications
- Financials
From the Executive Director
In June of 2019, I became UCEA Executive Director. I took it as an amazing opportunity to bring together my experiences as a bilingual educator in NYC public schools with the many years as an academic in Boston, New York, and Indiana. As a public school educator turned scholar, I am the first Executive Director with an EdD, a reality that both reflects shifts in the field and provides an opportunity to further integrate the “practitioner/practice” and the “academy/theory.” This is the beginning of many “firsts” for our organization: first woman of color as Executive Director, first virtual Convention, first hybrid Convention, first move to Michigan State University, first website with new UCEA branding, and now, the first UCEA Annual Report. Here we offer highlights from the previous year. You will find a timeline of all our 70 years, a letter from the current President Karen Beard, introduction to UCEA’s leadership, UCEA 2024 Convention highlights, graduate student programs, research, and more.
Before scrolling through our report, I wanted to share another important organizational first: our multiyear Equity Self-Study (ESS). With new leadership at the helm, it was necessary to closely analyze our bylaws, existing practices, and community norms that might impede our ability to be an equity-oriented, socially just organization. Soon after I became Executive Director, the Executive Committee (EC) and I began planning the ESS. Through this study we sought to amplify our strengths, address our limitations, and grow as a community. After an in-depth review of our by-laws, the EC identified six priority areas for study:
Since then, subsequent ECs developed and implemented an inquiry process that relied on Plenary Session Representatives (PSRs)—one from each member institutions—to give discussions, input, and survey responses. In Phase I of the ESS, we focused on governance, culture and climate, and leadership preparation and development. Based on those data, the EC and I made decisions about organizational responses, both short and long term.
1. We revised our Bylaws in the areas of (a) PSR roles to focus their work on their linkage responsibilities, (b) awards to clarify the nomination and award committee process, and (c) sabbatical review to replace the review with periodic program and student/alumni surveys as determined by HQ.
2. We revised our Vision, Mission, Aims, and Values to reflect the current context and strengthen member commitments to the work of UCEA.
3. We created our first Equity Statement to ensure that we provide access to programs, opportunities, resources, and information within the organization.
4. We developed a series of Work Groups to hear from and include underrepresented members of our community and to support UCEA’s ongoing work, including: (a) Clinical Faculty, who will develop a questionnaire for clinical faculty, design programming to address clinical faculty professional trajectories, and initiate research projects; (b) an Equity Learning Group, to create a “listening sessions” series to hear from members not represented on the Plenum and EC; (c) an Awards Ad Hoc Committee to develop criteria for existing and new awards; (d) a State Policy Engagement team to identify ways to support PSRs in their work with local educational and policy leaders; and (e) an Equity-Focused Preparation team who will disseminate best practices from member programs.
We have begun Phase II on scholarship and faculty preparation and development. I look forward to sharing what we have learned and responses we have developed in next year’s Annual Report.
Lastly, in 2024 we launched the Leadership & Educational Administration Preparation Program (LEAPP) Survey. Our new survey—which currently includes students, graduates, and program information—is aligned with the NELP Standards and has an increased emphasis on equity-focused leadership in program development and preparation. The UCEA HQ team guiding the survey provides a detailed report on program alignment to the NELP Standards and shares survey data directly with programs. We expect all members to participate in the survey over the next few years. The LEAPP Survey is free to all members.
I am proud to work with the EC and Plenum to lead UCEA through these efforts. From the beginning, I have focused on strengthening the organization and ensuring that we live up to our highest ideals. UCEA stands at the unique intersection of research, preparation, and policy for and with educational leaders and school communities across the country. Leading our community is both a privilege and a responsibility—I know none of us take that lightly. I will continue to lead with my sleeves rolled up, a sincere heart, and a hopeful eye to the year to come.
70 Years of UCEA
The University Council for Educational Administration (UCEA) is a consortium of higher education institutions committed to advancing the preparation and practice of educational leaders for the benefit of schools and children. UCEA fulfills its mission by:
- Promoting, sponsoring, and disseminating research on the essential problems of schooling and leadership practice;
- Improving the preparation and professional development of educational leaders and professors; and
- Positively influencing local, state, and national educational policy.
Although our member faculty and deans come from different states and regions, we all share the same goals of building knowledge for the field and providing quality preparation and lifelong learning experiences for school and school system leaders. Our collective wisdom, expertise, and research create the body of knowledge for our profession. In UCEA you will always find resources and colleagues who are committed to providing the learning experiences, professional knowledge and research that leaders need. Together, UCEA members shape the future of our profession.
UCEA Welcomes a New Member
The University of Central Florida's College of Community Innovation and Education offers an Educational Leadership EdD program designed to prepare educators for leadership positions at all levels of educational administration from PK-12 to higher education, as well as leadership positions in various educational agencies or organizations. https://www.ucf.edu/degree/education-phd-2/
Open Letter From the President
It was an honor and privilege to serve as the 2024 Convention Planning Committee Chair. I owe a debt of gratitude to Matt Militello (East Carolina University), Nathaniel Stewart (University of Minnesota), and Rebecca Cheung (University of California, Berkeley) for their dedication, genius, and positive energy. As we moved forward from the 2023 Convention Reset theme, we wanted to tap back into the passion and renew the hopefulness we all had when we began working in education. We were also cognizant of the fact that 2024 marked both the 70th year of the Brown v. Board of Education decision and UCEA’s 70th anniversary celebration. Thus, we landed on the theme of Justice and Joy.
The artistic representation selection captured the cultural gifts and history of place and the wisdom of her people. The National Medal of Arts recipient, Dr. Judith F Bacca’s La Memoria de la Tierra: UCLA, 2022 triptych (https://sparcinla.org/projects/la-memoria-de-la-tierra-ucla-2022/) represented activism, resistance, and forgotten histories. We evoked Martin Luther King in our call, so when I saw this work with Angela Davis, Dolores Huerta, Cesar Chavez, John Lewis, and Martin Luther King, in harmony, it seemed to perfectly depict our vision. The first panel is a tribute to the land, detailing where the Los Angeles River had once flowed and where the Gabrielino/Tongva tribes and native flora and fauna thrived. The second segment pays homage to the many men and women who have impacted UCLA and its Bruin community, leading into the third panel, which is an imaginative depiction of the future in which the university is ever-changing and in harmony with the original land. Fittingly the last panel reconciles the history of the land with the promise and hope of a future guided by knowledge work, our work.
While our collective research streams guided the Convention call, the theme and call profoundly guided our planning as we experienced the 2024 election year. With his astute insight, Matt noticed that the convening would be 2 weeks postelection. He suggested we reorder our focus to prioritize Joy, as the election would necessitate space for hope and healing. The call had already gone out, but we knew we needed to start the convention with Joy to set the tone for our community to engage in learning, research dissemination, and the Justice conversation to follow.
Once we had our theme, call, and artistic representation, we undertook the charge to create an atmosphere of joy. In our discussions, we were led back to what collectively brought us joy in our work and personal lives: students, community, and the arts. With the vibrant, diverse, and beautiful City of Angels as our context, we began engaging various LA communities to imagine how to infuse and deliver expressions of joy. Rebecca had great familiarity with the resources available to us. She led organizing student performances for each General Session, which helped refocus our attention on our work and impact on K-12 students. Nate engaged student groups in research forums and had the genius to engage our scholar community in a night of carefree singing at the Karaoke & Beats Jam.
My contribution was to conceptualize and organize two general sessions in support of Joy and Justice, where we could be more intentional about creating an engaging and timely learning space for our community. For two decades, beginning with my doctoral studies, I’ve worked to expose and bring clarity to inequity-producing practices and situate problems of practice in positive psychology. The joy session was designed to bring forward what works to position our students for greater academic achievement opportunities and well-being in our schools. That conversation was entitled Leading What Works: Positive Schooling Strategies to Engage Students, Faculty, and Administrators in Deep Learning and Well-Being While Sustaining Joy. Panelists discussed using Positive Psychology and Positive Schooling Strategies to realize the joy in student, faculty, and administrator success. The invited panelists, practitioners and scholars who have engaged in this work, were Drs. Adam Clark, Francisco Escobedo, Marco Nava, Pamela Maddox, and Dean Pedro Noguera.
The second conversation focused on the efforts practitioners and researchers should undertake to push forward equity and excellence in public education. The panelists, Drs. Linda Darling-Hammond, Kofi Lomotey, and Sheneka Williams, discussed challenges, solutions, strategic efforts, and the research we should undertake to forward equity and excellence in public education. That session was entitled Engaging in Justice: A Discussion of Policies, Practice, and the Kind of Leadership Needed to Realize the Promise of Brown.
We concluded the conference with a night out in LA. The annual banquet began with a fantastic and fun trip to Universal Studies that took me right back to my childhood bedroom nightmares of Jaws! It truly was an amazing event we were able to enjoy before we attended the Sneaker Ball (banquet). It was with great intention that we planned to both satisfy our theme and call while renewing the research community’s engagement in our essential work.
At the Plenary Session, I was installed as the 65th President of UCEA. Shelby Cosner became President-Elect, charged with planning next year’s conference in Puerto Rico. We also welcomed two new Executive Committee members, Érica Fernández (Miami University of Ohio) and Jennie Weiner (University of Connecticut) and 22 new Plenum Representatives.
I close by commending the inspiring efforts, leadership, and passion of this incredible planning committee. I also want to express my sincere appreciation to our sponsors, all the general session panelists, and my personal gratitude for the generous and gracious encouragement of Tyrone Howard, Pedro Noguera, and Linda Darling-Hammond specifically. Finally, I thank the student artists, Nancy Parachini, and the instructors from the Ramone C. Cortines School of the Arts, who brought tremendous joy throughout the week to the entire UCEA community. On behalf of the 2024 planning committee, I submit this open letter.
Best Always, Karen Stansberry Beard, Ph.D.
President, University Council of Educational Administration /Licensed Superintendent and Principal /Associate Professor, Educational Administration /The Ohio State University
UCEA Leadership
Jackson Scholars Network
The UCEA Barbara L. Jackson Scholars Network is a 2-year program providing formal networking, mentoring, and professional development for graduate students of color who intend to become professors of educational leadership. Through this significant effort, UCEA has facilitated the development of a robust pipeline of faculty and graduate students of color in the field of educational leadership. As a result, Jackson Scholars and Alumni enhance the field of educational leadership and UCEA with their scholarship and expertise.
2023–2025 Jackson Scholars: Kelly Berry, Kansas State University; Esther Bothwell, Sam Houston State University; Jesse Bullock, Texas Tech University; Brandon Cheeks, Kansas State University; Amber Clark, Sam Houston State University; Margaret Dawson-Amoah, University of Southern California; Darren “Dee” Dubose, Michigan State University; Kristen Elliott, University of Southern California; Avery Hartwell, Sam Houston State University; Camille Austin Henderson, Texas Christian University; Joanna Joaquin, Rutgers University; Xiaonan Jiang, Florida State University; Debra Jones, Ohio State University; Alvin Makori, University of Southern California; Analisa Martinez-Morris, University of Denver; Yaribel Mercedes, Teachers College, Columbia University; Gisele Morgan, Rutgers University; Isaiah Moore, Virginia Commonwealth University; Diego Mureno, University of North Carolina at Greensboro; Kaitlin Ogden, University of Texas at Austin; Soon-young Oh, Michigan State University; Melissa Ann Olivarez-Metzger, University of Texas at San Antonio; Sophia Piral, University of Missouri; Zainab Qaabid, North Carolina State University; Rashaun Reid, Duquesne University; Jarell Routt, Texas State University; Kiana Smith, University of Washington; Tiffany Tan, University of Florida; Erik Torres, Sam Houston State University; Eric Uriegas, University of Texas at San Antonio; Melissa Virrueta, University of California, Berkeley; April Wade, Duquesne University; Janikka Winfree, Eastern Michigan University; Munube Zeynep Yilmaz, Texas State University; Huaiyue (Lavender) Zhang, University of Alabama; Rong Zhang, University of Alabama; Xinyi Zhong, University of Washington
2024–2026 Jackson Scholars:Camille Austin, Texas Christian University; Malibu Barron, Texas State University; Jasmine Bates, Virginia Commonwealth University; Yikealo Beyene, University of Washington; Carolyn Burke, University at Buffalo, SUNY; Amura Cameron, Old Dominion University; Monika Cantu, University of Texas at San Antonio; Maria Castillo, Vanderbilt University; Cassandra Cooper, University of Kentucky; Bhushan Dahal, Florida State University; Amelia D’Costa, Florida Atlantic University; Tony DelaRosa, University of Wisconsin–Madison; Kendall Fujioka, University of Washington; Aanchal Gidra, Michigan State University; Tanya Gilliam, Texas Tech University; Xinyu Guan, University of Wisconsin–Madison; Guy Halcón, University of Wisconsin–Madison; Jessica Harris, Purdue University; Jabreon Jackson, Texas A&M University; Shareyna James, Rutgers University; Keena Jones, University of Southern California; Rebekah Kang, Loyola Marymount University; Aashna Khurana, Boston College; Lydia Manchery, New York University; Sandile Manzini, Rutgers University; Alexis Miller, University of North Texas; Sangmin Park, University of Missouri; Cheyenne Phillips, Southern Methodist University; Angelica Ramirez, Wayne State University; Gia Roberts, Florida Atlantic University; Regina Seabrook, University of Minnesota; Vandana Sharma, University at Buffalo, SUNY; Tyaira Smith, Miami University of Ohio; Tonya Taylor, Loyola Marymount University; Gaby Torres, University of Southern California; Cecilia Vaugh-Guy, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; Pinyi Wang, University of Florida; Ruishi Wang, Texas State University; Crystal Watson, Miami University of Ohio; De’Ja Wood, Vanderbilt University; Xinghua (Toby) Wu, New York University; Zhamilya Yessirkepova, Michigan State University; Zobaria Zulfiqar, University of Texas at San Antonio
Graduate Student Programs
Graduate Student Council
2022–2025 Representatives: Caroline Bartlett, Michigan State University; Dave Osworth, University of North Carolina at Greensboro; Jeffrey Wooten, Virginia Commonwealth University
2023–2026 Representatives: Annie Gensterblum, Michigan State University; Johnathan Jerman, University of Tennessee–Knoxville; Benjamin Lebowitz, University of Wisconsin–Madison; Dayna Muñiz, University of Pennsylvania
2024–2027 Representatives: Debbie Jones, Ohio State University; Kathryn James McGraw, Vanderbilt University; Cheyenne Phillips, Southern Methodist University; Qurrat ul Ain Rasheed, Georgia State University; Rosita Tantao, University of Denver
David L. Clark Scholars & Mentors (background photo)
The David L. Clark Graduate Research Seminar in Educational Administration and Policy was held April 10, 2024, right before the meeting of the American Educational Research Association (AERA) in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Sponsored by UCEA, Divisions A & L of the AERA, and SAGE Publications, the David L. Clark National Graduate Student Research Seminar in Educational Administration & Policy brings emerging educational administration and policy scholars and noted researchers together for presentations, generative discussion, and professional growth.
2024 scholars: Jeffrey William Baumiller, Florida Atlantic University; Ariell Bertrand, Michigan State University; Meghan Buchanan, Texas State University; Charles Carpenter, University of Arkansas; Yi-Chi Chiang, Michigan State University; Isabel Clay, University of Southern California; Tanya DaMommio, Texas State University; Mastano Dzimbiri, Miami University of Ohio; Bonnie Fineman, University of Kentucky; LaShanda Harbin, University of Wisconsin–Madison; SJ Hemmerich, University of Wisconsin–Madison; Lauren Jackson, Virginia Commonwealth University; Jennifer Jarrett, North Carolina State University; Sahar Khawaja, University of Denver; Bethany LePla, Texas Tech University; Alex Moran Florida State University; Pauline Phi Nguyen Dong, California State University, Long Beach; Desiree O’Neal, University of Southern California; Marco Ortigoza, University of Texas at El Paso; Mary Padden, University of Washington; Jamie Richardson, Rutgers University; James Ringer, University of Denver; Tye Ripma, University of Texas; Monique Saastamoinen, University of North Carolina at Greensboro; Kate Schell, Florida State University; Khem Sedhai, University at Albany, SUNY; Kari Smith-Murphy, Auburn University; Andrew Stein, Northwestern University; Karla Thomas, Northwestern University; Honora Tracy, Tulane University; Todtanisha Waters, Rutgers University; Rhonda Wheeler, Auburn University; Elise Wilson, Washington State University; Lu Xu, University of Washington
Communication
UCEA Briefs
UCEA offers in-depth peer-reviewed briefs of public education policy issues (policy briefs), ground-breaking research (research briefs), and analyses of issues related to leadership preparation (knowledge utilization briefs). https://www.ucea.org/ucea_briefs.php
UCEA Podcast
In Season 3 of In The Lead with UCEA, we explore how The Wallace Foundation helps communities build more vibrant and just futures through research in the arts, educational leadership, and youth development. In particular you hear from Wallace Foundation executives and authors of recent research reports on educational leadership by UCEA members.
UCEA-Sponsored Research
UCEA supports the work of graduate students, faculty, and Program Centers through small seed grants. Below are short summaries of research conducted in 2024 as part of UCEA’s efforts to generate new knowledge.
Graduate Research Awards
Michael Paul, University of Kentucky, specializes in applying the science of learning and development in public school virtual academies. His work with the Center for the Advanced Study of Technology Leadership in Education (CASTLE) assessed the extent to which structures, systems, and practices associated with the principles of whole-child design are in place and consistently used throughout a virtual academy. This opportunity allowed him to contribute to the ongoing expansion of virtual academies in Kentucky.
Ruby Pham-Stuart, University of Houston, is interested in the intersectionality of gender and race in educational leadership with a focus on Asian women principals in community-based spaces and secondary schools to imagine an Asian futurism in education. Ruby worked with the Center for Educational Leadership and Social Justice (CELSJ) to build and solidify partnerships with community-based spaces to continue the pursuit of equity for marginalized students in education.
Amanda Roberts, University of Denver, researches the social construction and perpetuation of ableism and racism, highlighting the factors that contribute to educational disparities among marginalized students. Collaborating with the Center for the International Study of Leadership Center, she produced a series of vignettes about inclusion for students with dis/abilities on an international scale.
Lu Xu, University of Washington, applies economic theories and methodologies to examine students’ pathways from high school to postsecondary education. With the National Center for the Evaluation of Educational Leadership Preparation and Practice, Lu worked on the evaluation of the Initiative for Systemic Program Improvement through Research in Educational (INSPIRE) Leadership Collaborative, which provides leadership development and evaluation resources to preparation programs, states, districts, and schools.
Program Center Research Award
The UCEA Center for Urban School Leadership (USL) at Georgia State University received the UCEA Program Center Research Award for the study of leadership challenges facing urban school principals and assistant principals. This research explored what urban school principals and assistant principals see as the top leadership issues they face. To answer this question, Drs. Rumbaugh, Brezicha, and Sauers created and administered a national survey for urban school leaders based on the ten Professional Standards for Educational Leaders (PSEL). The publicized survey results will help leader preparation programs as they consider program content and redesign, assist urban school district leaders in their efforts to support and develop the leaders in their schools, serve as the basis for the 5-year strategic plan for USL and provide for further research for USL and other like-minded programs and scholars in the field.
Voices From the Field 5
Voices From the Field is a longitudinal UCEA research project comprised of four studies beginning in 1996. The purpose of this study is to understand how to educational preparation improvement responds to existing contexts for the betterment of programs and students of educational leadership. The Voices 5 project brings together faculty from eight UCEA member institutions to examine how leadership preparation programs engage in topics related to race, racism, and racial inequities, with implications for both research and practice.
Financials
UCEA's fiscal year began on July 1, 2023 and ended on June 30, 2024. In 2023-2024, UCEA continued its efforts to upgrade our financial systems and processes in order to keep the organization running efficiently. Dues from our institutional members, along with revenue from our journals and funding from grants generation allows us to provide programming for both UCEA and non-UCEA members through the Convention and other efforts.