What Does It Mean to be a Leader?

I am half way through this semester and more than half way through my degree program in education policy. I came to Penn looking for answers to very complicated questions. What are the fundamental causes, factors, and variables that facilitate achievement gaps? Why do only 2% of the same people from my economic demographic reach schools like Penn? How can I utilize my training, my education, and my skills to address the above questions, issues, and the multifaceted variables? Moreover, as an African American man, I am seeking answers to explicitly address the problems that plague our community as it relates to educational attainment. I am not simply looking for answers however, rather I am looking to see how those answers can be made generalizable and integrated and through policy.

To this end, here are some of the things that I have learned to be essential to the education of African American children: 1) Parent accountability - involvement, engagement, participation, holding the school accountable; 2) High school standards; high expectations; 3) Attention to youth's relational (social and emotional) needs in school and classroom regarding self concept development; 4) Attention to youth's needs for social justice projects; 5) Sense of school community; 6) Teacher professional development; 7) Ongoing support to teachers; 8) Teacher instructional competence; 9) Attention to youth's cultural context (and culture); 10) Leadership that integrates the elements. For this class, I have been looking at the last item on this list: leadership that integrates elements 1-9. I will return to the list later in the response.

I know that distributive leadership is essential (NCSL, 2006); I know that leadership is a function rather than a role (Leithwood, Harris, & Hopkins, 2008; AERA, 2003); and because I am a student of policy and appreciate the importance of standards, I know there are necessary functions for the standards that that envelop educational leadership (CCSSO, 2008). I also know that theory ought to inform practice. However, what I don’t know is, how does the theory learned in this class translate into practice or into policy?

Contrary to Donaldson (2007), I believe that a certain amount of top-down leverage is necessary to, at the very least, set the standard. Likewise, I think certain policy tools (mandates, inducements, system changing, etc…) are necessary to provide a framework for which institutions can fulfill their organizational goals and missions. In many instances, if more top-down measures were utilized, better results would have occurred – the implementation of the Brown (1954) is one such example. In returning to the list of necessary components to the education of African Americans, I can only see items 2, 6, and 8 as being able to be implemented through policy on a macro level. The rest seem to come from somewhere else.

When I get a job in the fall, how will I know how to translate the theories learned from class and put them into practice? How will I know how to effectively build a community that transcends the walls of the institution that I am working at so as to maximize parental involvement? After I learn from my role as a teacher and want to become an instructional leader, how will I know how to do so? How will I operationalize what I have learned from this class? When I become an educational leader on a district level, state level, and/or even a federal level, how will set my vision? How will I garner support for that vision and then ensure that vision is being implemented? I don’t know if any of the readings that have been assigned to me and will be assigned to me can answer these questions moving beyond a theoretical perspective. I am still searching for answers.

A New Semester and New Beginnings

In my last post, I promised to share with you some of the things that I have learned. I have learned so much since coming to Penn that while sharing all of it would require a book, I will just share a couple of thoughts as I begin a new semester and continue to heed the lessons learned from last semester.

While I do not personally ascribe to a given set of religious beliefs at this point in my life, I do believe all religions have truths. My religious studies minor as an undergraduate student at Buffalo State College provided me with a foundation in religious thought and of the socio-political factors that contribute to such. Because I am naturally inquisitive and seek truth and understanding in nearly everything that I see and do (This can be both a gift and a curse.), I seek out conversations with those who do ascribe to a set of religious beliefs. I do so hoping to gain an understanding of something that defies my sense of reason and logic - faith. It was within this context that I came across a Bible scripture that explains the emotional state of mind I found myself last semester. Ecclesiastes Chapter 1 and Verse 18 reads as follows; "For in much wisdom is much grief; and he that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow."

I must admit, I am not the kind of person to give credence to emotions such as sorrow and grief. Yet, many of the conceptual relationships to which I studied, read, learned, and in some cases observed last semester have caused me much grief and sorrow. I enrolled into graduate school looking for answers, answers as to why certain things are the way they are and for corresponding solutions. Rather than answers, I found more questions which led to even more questions which continue to lead more questions.

My life experiences until last semester have all taught me that I can do anything I put my head to; that if I dream or think it, I can achieve it. Education reform, I thought, would be the same. In reaching this conclusion about education reform, I overlooked the complexity of the many relationships that contribute to the current state of education and just how large of a beast education truly is. For example, while funding is not, in and of itself, an equalizer for academic achievement, the academic literature is rich in detailing the disparities of funding in urban school districts when compared to suburban school districts and its correlative effects. Likewise, the literature suggests several reasons for this disparity in funding including the following: centralized vs. decentralized power, housing patterns, Case Law set forth by the Supreme Court in the decisions that followed the Brown v Board of Education(1954) ruling, and property taxes. Very little of the literature however, puts forth plausible solutions in remedying this disparity and it also does little to address the logistics of accomplishing stated remedy.

Hypothetically, let us say we find that the way to more equitably fund urban school districts is to abandon centralized authorities that govern the delivery of education at both the state and local level (as some scholars do so suggest). We make this change because we find that doing so allows for a diversification of funding streams to urban school districts wherein state and local government decision makers can more efficiently determine the needs of each school and can allocate the funds accordingly. In theory this appears sound, in practice however, this may be just another specious policy that aggravates rather than mitigates.

How will we decide who is making these decisions? Do we vote? How many people actually vote for school board elections? What is the cause of this? Do we allow the state governor to appoint a decision maker? Do we allow a mayor to appoint the school board? Should the mayor even have control of school districts? Pros? Cons? What are the correlative relationships of such? How do we determine what schools are in need of more money? Test scores? Is it fair to measure academic success by standardized tests or is it an example of structural racism and classism? If certain schools/school districts are not meeting previously agreed upon benchmarks for success, do we give them more money? Do we punish them and take away money? What are the causes of not meeting these benchmarks? How do we know one factor is more important than the other? How much money would it take to remedy stated factor?

From this very short illustration, you can see how answers quickly turn into questions and the answers to those questions may only be ascertained by asking more questions. As you continue to embark upon the application process that will ultimately facilitate your graduate school experience, I encourage you to not think of graduate school, and the concepts you learn while here, as a panacea for creating positive change within the educational delivery system. I encourage you to continue to learn your own strengths and weaknesses as you configure your goals and your future career path and understand the limitations to those goals.

My point is this: Life is short. Life is also what we make of it. On one hand, "it means nothing if we gain the world and lose ourselves in the process." On the other hand however, it's like my Pops told me on the way to my first day of kindergarten, "A [wo]man has to do what a [wo]man has to do." Graduate school is a long and arduous grind. For some, me included, we have to work harder than most to understand certain concepts which necessitates an even longer grind. It is normal for me to put in 18-21 hours a day grinding during the week. As I learned last semester however, having been on this grind for as long as I have been before coming here, this is not sustainable. Understanding this, don't forget to take time out of your day to enjoy yourself; to do what it is you enjoy doing; to laugh; to catch up with friends; and to never lose your perspective. It is okay to do what we can and with what we have. In fact, we must. But none of the problems of education formed overnight and as such, none of them will disappear overnight. We have a very long road ahead. Despite all the sound research that we will produce and the ideas we will put into action, some of the problems that plague our education system will still plague our education system when we die. If however, we keep walking down this road and we keep walking, we will eventually make progress. And in the end, progress is what it's all about.

As ambitious as I am, heeding my own advice will not be easy but I am learning that balance is essential. I am looking forward to this new semester and to its new beginnings.

As always, if you have any questions about Penn's GSE, the Ed Policy Program, Penn, Philadelphia, or anything else, do not hesitate to contact me. I will do my best to be of help and to answer your questions and if I cannot help, I will find someone who can be of help.

Peace. Love. Wealth. Health. Blessings.

Penn Pals: Pt. II

Penn Pals: Pt. I

Knowledge is Power

Midterm projects and papers are due shortly and this means that half of the semester at Penn has already passed. How true the saying, "time waits for no person."

It's hard to believe that 4 months have passed since I first moved to Philadelphia. The hot and humid days of summer where I incessantly explored Philadelphia (I love Philly!!) are now long gone. Intense games of Spades at cookouts are now replaced with long days, and even longer nights, in the library where I converse, and sometimes debate, with the words of those whom are shaping my blueprint for improving urban education. While here, I have had the opportunity, vis-à-vis their written words, to converse with people like John Dewey, Geoffrey Canada, Edward Thorndike, Barbara Sizemore, Charles Payne, Kenneth and Mamie Clark, and many other people who have either built the foundation upon which modern urban education rests or those who are currently building upon that foundation.

I have learned a lot since coming here to Penn. I have not only learned from the words of the aforementioned authors, but I have also learned a lot from conversations with my fellow students, and the faculty members here at Penn's GSE whose work is both nationally and internationally respected. I am blessed for having this opportunity to learn from the giants of this field. It is their shoulders, and the shoulders of so many others, upon which I hope to stand while I work towards actualizing the "American Dream" for all our children. While the truth of certain situations may hurt sometimes, it is that truth which facilitates knowledge and knowledge is power, power for the powerless.

My future posts will share some of the things I have learned throughout the week, some of the things that have made me laugh (there have been many and I am sure there will continue to be many), and because I have a platform, maybe some food for thought for the week to follow (why not, right?).

Most importantly though, I remember this time last year trying to figure out what I wanted to do and where I wanted to do it at. I am a firm believer that one's decisions are only as good as the information with which those decisions are made. To this end, it was hard making certain decisions not knowing anyone who was doing what I was curious about doing and I was thus lacking an "insider's perspective," so to say. Because of this, I avail myself to you if you have any questions about the Education Policy program at Penn, or about Penn's Graduate School of Education, or about Penn, or about the application process, or whatever else you may have a question that needs an answer. Feel free to email me at, myersmi@gse.upenn.edu. If I cannot answer your question, I will find someone who can.

Peace, Love, Weatlh, and Blessings.

-MJMII