CHANGING THE WAY WE PREPARE
SPECIAL EDUCATION LEADERS:
SCHOOL/UNIVERSITY PARTNERSHIPS
Suzanne M. Martin, Ph. D.
Jonathan McIntire, Ph. D.
Tracy McKinney, Doctoral Candidate
Jillian Gourwitz, Doctoral Student
University of Central Florida
LEADERS OF CHANGE
“Management
is
doing things right;
leadership is doing
the right things.”
Peter F. Drucker
NEED FOR CHANGE
“A shortage of any type of leader can
seriously hamper the field’s
infrastructure and hinder improved
results of students with disabilities”
(Smith, Robb, West and Tyler, 2010, p.
26).
NEED
“Special education administrators play a
critical role in the implementation of
successful inclusion in diverse, standardsbased environments. They provide the vision
and leadership necessary to guide educators
in both general and special education as they
deliver instructional programs to meet the
needs of diverse students with disabilities.”
(Voltz and Collins, 2010, p. 70)
NEED
Critical need for school districts and
school leaders to have:

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full access to the best available research and
practical wisdom
receive strong support in transforming that
knowledge into high-quality performance and
serve as an internal advocate with your general
education leadership peers
continuous improvement for themselves and for
those they lead
THE FOCUS OF OUR WORK

to address the critical gaps between the
traditional preparation of urban special
education mid-level administrators

the skills, knowledge and dispositions
needed for full implementation of the
Individuals with Disabilities Education
Improvement Act (IDEIA) of 2004.
ESSENTIAL ELEMENTS
Essential elements for organizing schools:





school leadership,
welcoming attitude toward parents,
quality of teaching staff,
safe learning climate, and
strong instructional guidance as essential elements
for success.
Bryk, Bender Sebring, Allensworth, Luppescu and Easton (2009)
Organizing Schools For Improvement: Lessons from Chicago. The
University of Chicago Press
ESSENTIAL ELEMENTS
 “Leadership
is an essential ingredient
for ensuring that every child in
America gets the education they need
to succeed”
(Wallace Foundation (2007) A Bridge to School Reform. The
Wallace Foundation National Conference. New York, New York,
pp. 1-32.)
CHALLENGES

“Graduates must be adept at addressing
the special challenges of class, race,
ethnicity, and language background, all
concentrated in urban schools”
(Grubb & Tredway (2010)A School Leadership “Crisis” Despite
Remedies. Education Week, January 19, 2010)
LEADERS OF CHANGE
Obstacles are those frightful
things you see when you take
your eyes off the goal.
Henry Ford
CHALLENGES

Most university programs that prepare
school administrators range in quality
from “adequate to poor” (Archer, 2005,
p.1).
 DiPaola
and Walther-Thomas (2002)
found that leadership at the school
level was identified as crucial to
success.
LEADERS OF CHANGE
“Imagination
is more
important than
knowledge.”
Albert Einstein
GOALS

Design and deliver the program-12 doctoral level
special education leaders, 2006-2012; 14
doctoral special education leaders, 2011-2014

Create a cadre of experts in special education to
act as members of a National Faculty for the
model;

Develop and disseminate a model of high-quality
preparation and support for mid-level special
education leaders in urban settings.
KEY COMPONENTS

Quality preparation leading to an Ed.D.
degree

Cohort model

Highly qualified mentors and national faculty
closely supporting participants throughout
program

Travel and support for Harvard institute and
national conferences

Tuition and stipends paid
NATIONAL FACULTY CHARACTERISTICS

Collaboration and problem solving skills;

Instructional leadership in urban special
education settings;

Interpersonal relationship building;

Family involvement;

Verbal and written communication;
NATIONAL FACULTY CHARACTERISTICS




Knowledge of cultural diversity in the global
learning community;
Knowledge of research-based instructional
practices; leadership skills;
Research related to implementing and sustaining
positive change;
Data driven decisions
MENTORS CHARACTERISTICS



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





Understand the process of obtaining a
doctorate
Be Supportive
Show Commitment
Show Respect
Be People oriented
Motivate
Be an effective teacher
Be an achiever
Demonstrate ability to provide visibility
Values education and work
STATUS OF PROJECT

Twelve graduates of 2006-2011
NUSELI project

Project funded for 2011-2014

Eight new participants recruited for
summer 2012

Hosted first NUSELI/CASE Winter
Institute
STATUS OF PROJECT
 Harvard
 Study
 Ten
July 2012
of mentor component
national presentations
 Three
state presentations
 Planning
to resubmit project for
future funding
SUCCESS OF PROJECT




Former mentor/current advisory board member
appointed Superintendent of Orange County
Public Schools (10th largest district in country)
Participant promoted to Exceptional Education
Director for the county (10th largest district in
country)
Participant promoted to one of five Area
Superintendents(10th largest district in country)
Participant promoted to Principal of Multilingual
Pre-K through 5 school
CURRENT RESEARCH

Conducting qualitative review of transcripts from
participants and their mentors

Surveying CASE members on characteristics of
leaders

Videotaping new participants and their mentors


Analyzing survey results from principals in
OCPS to assist in determining profession
development needs of principals concerning
students with disabilities
Searching for National Faculty
REFERENCES
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Archer, A. (2005). Education Week, March 16, 2005.
Bryk, A., Bender-Sebring, P., Allensworth, E.,
Luppescu, S., & Eastom, J. (2009) Organizing schools
for improvement: Lessons fro Chicago. Chicago, IL:
The University of Chicago Press.
Covey, S. (1989). The 7 Habits of Highly effective
People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change. Free
Press: New York
DiPaola and Walther-Thomas (2002).Principals and
special education: The critical role of school leaders.
Council of Chief State School Officers [CCSSO]
Report.
DeVita, C. (2007). Leadership: The Bridge to Better
Learning . A Bridge to School Reform. The Wallace
Foundation National Conference. New York, New
York, pp. 4-7.
REFERENCES



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Grubb & Tredway (2010). A School Leadership “Crisis”
Despite Remedies. Education Week, page
Samuels, C. (2008). Principals group updates standards for
leadership. March 19, 2008.
Smith, D., Robb, S., West, J., & Tyler, N. (2010). The
changing educational landscape: How special education
leadership preparation can make a difference for teachers
and their students with disabilities. Teacher Education and
Special Education. 33(1), 25-43.
Voltz, D. & Collins, L. (2010). Preparing special education
administrators for inclusion in divers, standard-based
contexts: Beyond the council for exceptional children and the
interstate school leaders licensure consortium. 33(1), 70-82.
Wallace Foundation (2007). A Bridge to School Reform. The
Wallace Foundation National Conference. New York, New
York, pp. 1-32.
WHAT THE PARTICIPANTS THINK OF
LEADERSHIP
http://www.urbanspecialeducation.org/