Leading for Educational Justice: Stories, Data, and Practices That Move Us Toward More Equitable & Humanizing Schools

Join us for a virtual symposium presented by leaders in our Leadership for Learning doctoral program

In this series of conversations we'll explore what it means to develop systems that truly center justice and equity for each student and the communities served by our education systems. Leadership for Learning (L4L) is a doctoral program at the University of Washington made up of practicing educational leaders focused on realizing educational equity.  Principle in this endeavor is authentic engagement with students and families, shared vision and collective action, and high quality teaching and learning for students and educators. As part of our ongoing work to reimagine and realize more just school systems, we invite school leaders, community partners, and anyone interested in joining us in these collective endeavors.

Symposium Sessions

Futurity for Edu-Leadership: Centering Community, Love, and Story

Kelly Niccolls (Tacoma Public Schools), Dedy Fauntleroy (Seattle Public Schools), Kurt Hatch (Association of Washington School Principals)

Monday, February 22nd, 4:00-5:30pm

Journey with us into analysis, reflection, and action as we explore the future of education leadership and necessary capacities to move our learning communities into the future.

Solidaridad, Equidad y Comunidad en la Educación

Omar Escalera (Pasco School District), Haydee Lavariega (United Way of King County)

Tuesday, February 23rd, 12:00-1:30pm (presented en Español)

Educational systems like to say they are data driven but what does that really mean? Who decides which data are acceptable? Why are we still using damage-centered data to craft instructional decisions? Solutions to Problems of Practice in our schools must include the voices of those closest to the pain. Parents, community members and educators discuss how qualitative data and stories are used to dream better systems for our children.

Humanizing Data To Lead for Equity: Leveraging Qualitative Data from Community to Impact Learning Environments and Outcomes for Students

William Jackson (Seattle Public Schools), Omar Escalara (Pasco School District), Gregg Brown (Evergreen Public Schools), Ellen Dorr (Renton School District), Cathy Wellington (Bellevue School District) , Nathan Plummer (Sultan School District)

Thursday, February 25th, 4:00-5:30pm

By legitimizing story and narrative data and by centering communities of color as data producers and collectors, educators can influence and advocate for more just and humanizing school systems. In this session, leaders from various systems will engage participants in examining data (both conceptually and through examples) to re-envision data and its use in equitable and ethical decision-making.

Staffing for Student Success: Breaking Down Barriers to Building the Workforce Our Students Need

Christina Larsen (Highline Public Schools), Sara Baker (Highline Public Schools), Sarah Semroc (Highline Public Schools)

Friday, February 26th, 12:00-1:30pm

Some say, “hire the best; train the rest,” meaning hire the most highly qualified, most experienced staff that you can attract. But what attributes constitute “best” for our context? How can we center the experiences of our students in our hiring practices? Join Highline Public Schools HR leaders in examining entry points for utilizing hiring and staffing practices to impact instructional outcomes.

Symposium Details

• Register for access to the Zoom link
• Clock hours available