1
CNN USA
Dealing with schools in the pandemic made him lose 50 pounds and collapse... so this superintendent got out.
“I just love education so much. That’s all I’ve ever really done professionally,” he said. “To me, our entire economy is predicated on what we produce in terms of our education system. It plays such a critical role in our country. And I just like contributing to that.”
He knew it would be difficult and he would likely never please everybody, but he never imagined how abruptly his role would change with the chaos of Covid-19.
2
ASCD
Giving Black Male Leaders the Mentoring They Most Need
"Despite my initial trepidation, my experience as a mentee—which lasted two years and continues informally to this day—was transformative. It shattered my misconceptions and had a profound impact on my life. The benefits I've found that make me a believer in the power of representation-based mentorship include:
Feeling seen and heard.
Having permission to be me.
Learning about perceptions and 'unseen competencies.'"
3
DISTRICT ADMINISTRATION
Black leaders put forward plan to increase opportunity for people of color.
"For 20 years, Men of Color in Educational Leadership (MCEL) informally convened to allow male leaders of color the opportunity to engage in open and honest dialogue. These discussions proved pivotal in coping with the unique and very real challenges that male leaders of color are forced to confront. Since 2017 MCEL has been a national education and advocacy group of school district superintendents and executive leaders focused on accelerating outcomes for all students through growing and developing male educational leaders of color."
4
DISTRICT ADMINISTRATION
There are deliberate steps that district leaders can take to encourage more men of color to aspire to principalships, superintendencies and other administrative positions.
Other “essential competencies”—with MCEL’s descriptions—include:
Executive stance
Handles disequilibrium
Recognizes trade-offs
Work/life harmony
“If we don’t intervene,” Peters says of the prospects of Black K12 leaders, “we will reach an extinction-level event in the next decade.”
5
THE 74 MILLION
A Roadmap to Help Men of Color Thrive as Leaders at Their Schools and Districts.
"Much has been written about the need to diversify the pipeline of future educators. Less discussed — and arguably even more important — is the reality that educators of color are thinking about leaving their jobs, or education altogether. They desperately need help, right here, right now.
Run-of-the-mill support won’t cut it. Faced with discrimination, microaggressions, unwritten rules and unspoken expectations, leaders of color need guidance and tools specific to their experiences navigating the schools as people of color. When leaders of color thrive, so do teachers of color and students of color."
6
CHALKBEAT
School leaders of color face high levels of burnout. Here’s what they need to thrive.
"My early leadership opportunities reflected important school staffing needs and aligned with my skill set. And while these assignments were mostly enjoyable, they didn’t prepare me for the next steps on my leadership journey. Through dogged persistence, informal guidance from fellow leaders of color, and my fair share of luck, I became a principal and, later, a district superintendent. The system, however, was not set up to support my success."
