Published in ConnectED Newsletter - Volume 6 - Issue 3 - March 2023
Associate Professor Hazel Carter’s most recent publication, a chapter entitled “Developing a leadership platform through community engagement,” recently appeared in Ian Marshall, Grace-Anne Jackman, and Denise E. Armstrong’s edited book The early years of leadership: The journey begins (Informational Age Publishing).
The chapter’s premise is that community engagement is central to an effective 21st century school leader and crucial in improving student performance. Professor Carter argues that schools of education need to produce strong instructional school leaders committed to the success of every child, willing to be held accountable for the school’s achievement, and able to build capacity through partnerships with organizations that will share and support the school’s goals and vision. However, she claims that traditional educational administration programs and certification procedures are not producing enough of this type of leader. “Developing a leadership platform, particularly one that focuses on community engagement, does not occur in seclusion. It is often influenced by a school leader’s governing agencies and other external forces,” she says.
Using case study analysis of three programs developed by a higher education institution, and the accompanying assessments, this chapter looks at the program’s efforts to assist aspiring school leaders develop a leadership platform that embraces the community through curricular reconfigurations of innovative collaborative practices in several public schools in New York. The chapter challenges readers to rethink traditional thinking and make meaning in what is needed to prepare school leaders. Additionally, it highlights the unprecedented use of grant writing as an important tool for convening community stakeholders to address gaps in school and student needs.
Most of Professor Carter’s scholarship focuses on community engagement and collaboration because she believes that schools alone cannot equip students for success in work or post-secondary education. She explains that, by engaging community stakeholders in the workings of a school, educators challenge the traditional thinking behind what is needed to successfully progress through each grade level and beyond. “Higher education institutions that value the power of community partnering are central to effective collaboration and can operate as brokers between the school systems and other stakeholders.”
As Educational Leadership Program Director, Professor Carter strives to ensure that graduates see collaboration as a key element in developing a “toolkit” of effective and innovative leadership practices. With current educational policy makers calling for school building leaders to be better equipped to work with community stakeholders, the program underscores the important perspective that schools cannot accomplish their goals alone.
Last Updated: 03/31/2023 14:38