Mr. Thomas Brady Interview, Superintendent of Providence, RI Public Schools.

Leading a School Community to Success through Change

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Topic: Leading a School Community to Success through Change

Join us to listen as we interview Mr. Thomas Brady, the superintendent for Providence Public Schools, Providence, RI. What makes us the leaders we are? How do our life experiences surface when we serve as public school superintendents?

These and many other questions are answered in a stirring discussion and retrospect of Mr. Thomas Brady’s current career in public education. Our host Arthur Griffin and Mr. Brady discuss the challenges Mr. Brady has faced in the more than ten years he’s been working in public education, and the intersection and differences among his experiences in Philadelphia and Fairfax, VA.

In a unusual twist, listeners will also discover how Brady’s extensive military career has helped shape and prepare him for the unique challenges he has faced as a public education leader in the current educational climate. From making the tough decisions, to monitoring performance and finding the right management style, this episode provides compelling inspiration, thoughtfulness and support for educational leaders.

Key topics covered include:

• Leadership styles building upon prior life experience (military)
• Building a core curriculum – A school district takes ownership and action
• Change process perspective and strategies
• Parents as partners in the learning process
• Special education needs
• Student achievement
• Tough decisions: Resource allocation
• Race to the Top: RI experience and comments

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Leading Today for Success Tomorrow!

Biographical Background:

Mr. Thomas Brady was appointed Superintendent for Providence Public Schools in March 2008. He officially assumed the role of Superintendent on July 14, 2008.

Before that, Brady served as Interim Chief Executive Officer for the School District of Philadelphia, the eighth largest school system in the country. He also served the Philadelphia district as Chief Operating Officer.Brady actually began his affiliation with Fairfax County as a parent leader, serving as President of the Hayfield Secondary School Parent-Teacher-Student Association for four years.

Prior to his nearly 10 years of service in public education administration, Brady had a distinguished 25-year career in the United States Army where he attained the rank of Colonel. He was the commanding officer at Fort Belvoir, Virginia and oversaw a $770 million budget, $660 million payroll, $94 million in contracts, and over 20,000 residents and military personnel.

Brady is a 2004 Fellow of the prestigious Broad Urban Superintendents Academy. The Academy is a rigorous 10-month executive management training program designed to prepare CEOs and senior executives from business, non-profit, military, government and education backgrounds to lead urban public school systems.

Brady holds a Master’s degree in Human Resource Management from Pepperdine University and a Bachelor’s degree in Education and Social Sciences from Niagara University.

Related Web Links:

For more information email us at podcast@districtleaderspodcast.org or phone us at 1-866-435-5337 (toll free) and leave a voice message for our hosts.

Interview with Dr. Judy A. Alston  Author on School Leadership

Cultural Border Crossing and Student Achievement in American Schools

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Topic: Cultural Border Crossing and Student Achievement in American Schools

Dr. Judy A. Alston, co-author of School Leadership and Administration: Important Concepts, Case Studies, & Simulations (McGraw-Hill), discusses hot topics in school leadership with guest host, David Patterson,  in this 49th episode of District Leaders Podcast. The particular focus is about the importance and relevance of border crossings and student achievement in schools.  Join us for a breakthro0ugh discussion about motivation, critical thinking and student achievement for a wide base of students you serve in your schools every day.

• Research about effective schools by applying the concept of cultural border crossing.
• Addressing issues of racism, classism, and sexism,
• Recommendations for how school leadership can help students effectively cross borders and reach the highest possible levels of achievement.

Note: In addition to discussing her book, the interview includes reference to a recent article about border crossing in schools. The reference and abstract are Alston, J.A.(2004).The many faces of American schooling: Effective schools research and border crossing in the 21^st century. American Secondary Education, 32 (9), 79-93.

District Leaders Podcast is always

Leading Today for Success Tomorrow!

Biographical Background

Judy A. Alston, Ph.D. is Director/Professor of the Doctoral Program in Leadership Studies at Ashland University.  She also teaches the following courses:  Leadership Theories, Ethics and Leadership, Issues in Higher Education, and Dissertation Research Design.  Her research foci include Gender and Educational leadership with a focus on Black Female school superintendents; Urban Education and Educational Leadership highlighting administrative reform in urban schools; and Diversity and Educational Leadership exploring how the intersections of class, race, ethnicity, gender, sexual diversity, and ability affect leaders. She is author of numerous articles and book chapters.  She is the author of Multi-leadership in Urban Schools (University Press of America).  Additionally, she is co-author of the 7^th and 8^th editions of the bestselling textbook, School Leadership and Administration: Important Concepts, Case Studies, & Simulations (McGraw Hill).

A native of Charleston, SC, she graduated from Bishop England High School in 1983.  She then matriculated onto Winthrop College where she graduated with a B.A. in English in 1987.  She taught English at Cainhoy High School during the 1987-1988 school year.  She moved onto Brookland-Cayce High School (1988-1993). At that time she also completed a M.Ed. in Secondary English in 1990 and another M.Ed. in Educational Administration in 1992. In 1993, she began the Ph.D. program in Educational Administration at The Pennsylvania State University. She graduated in 1996.

Dr. Alston began her teaching in higher education at the University of Houston (1996-1999). She moved onto Bowling Green State University (OH) (1999-2005) where she was tenured and promoted to Associate Professor in 2003. In 2005, she was appointed Associate Dean and Director of the Center for Education at Widener University in Chester, PA. In 2007, she began teaching in the Doctoral Program at Ashland University as an Associate Professor and in 2008 became the Director of the Doctoral Program in Leadership Studies. She was recently promoted to Full Professor.

Dr. Alston is an active member and leader in the American Educational Research Association (AERA).  Currently she serves of Chair of the Queer Studies SIG. She was recently elected as Chair-elect of the Research Focus on Black Education SIG. She is also an active member of Columbus (OH) Alumnae chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.

Interview with Ms. Eileen Cooper Reed, Cincinnati School Board

The School Board’s Role in Decision Making: Insights from the President

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The School Board’s Role in Decision Making: Insights from the President

Elaine Cooper Reed, Cincinnati School Board President, discusses issues facing public schools today with host Mr. Arthur Griffin. Ms. Reid discusses the challenges she has faced with school funding and downsizing, as well as many other issues. This episode is revealing and helpful as she shares with us many insights she’s garnered over years as a member of the governance team.

District Leaders Podcast is always

Leading Today for Success Tomorrow!

Biographical Background

After practicing clinical social work for several years, Eileen Cooper Reed attended the University of  Cincinnati College of Law, graduating in 1984. Her Administrative Law Team won 1st place in the National Administrative Law Competition. She was awarded the Shmieg-Weil Award for being the Outstanding Moot Court Competitor in 1984.

After Law School, Eileen became a staff attorney for the US Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit in Cincinnati. She served as a Hamilton County Assistant Prosecutor before being tapped as a Juvenile Court Referee. During her stint at Juvenile Court, Eileen spent three years handling truancy cases in Juvenile Court. These cases were heard at the school site and it was there that she developed a thorough understanding of attendance issues in the Cincinnati Public School system.

In 1992, then Mayor Dwight Tillery appointed Eileen to the Mayor’s Commission on Children. While serving on the Commission, she opened and became Director of Children’s Defense Fund in Cincinnati. For the next 11 years, Eileen advocated for children in Cincinnati and eventually, became the Director of the Children’s Defense Fund, Ohio advocating for children across the state. She and her staff documented the needs of Cincinnati and Ohio children in child health, child welfare, early childhood care and education, and K-12 education and used those statistics to propose sound policies to legislators from the local to the federal level.

Eileen was appointed to both the Ohio Department of Education’s Achievement Gap Task Force and the Early Childhood Task Force. While serving on those bodies, she learned about educational issues across the state and noted how Cincinnati did in comparison to other areas of the state. Under former CPS Superintendent Steven Adamowski, Eileen became the only community member of the CPS Redesign Team where she developed a thorough understanding of the CPS method of assessing school and student achievement. During that time, she and her staff at the Children’s Defense Fund were responsible for engaging parents and community in both the academic redesign process and, subsequently, the CPS community learning center and facilities programs.

Having previously served on numerous boards, Eileen currently chairs the SC Ministry Foundation Board of Trustees, is a Director of the Health Foundation of Greater Cincinnati and is a member of the Xavier University President’s Advisory Council.

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Related Web Links:

• Cincinnati Public Schools web site

• CPS Board President Page (Eileen Cooper Reed)

District Leader’s Podcast is produced and copyrighted by The McGraw-Hill Companies, 2007. All rights reserved.

For more information email us at podcast@districtleaderspodcast.org or phone us at 1-866-435-5337 (toll free) and leave a voice message for our co-hosts.

Interview with Dr. Eugene G. White, Supt. Indianapolis Public Schools

Handling the Tough Decisions: Preserving Student Achievement during Budget Cuts

Handling the Tough Decisions: Preserving Student Achievement during Budget Cuts

Dr. Eugene G.White, Superintendent of Indianapolis Public Schools (IPS) in Indiana discusses difficult choices in district leadership with host Mr. Arthur Griffin. An accomplished author and recipient of 2009 Indiana Superintendent of the Year award (also in 2002). Having experience through the ranks from school principal through medium to large urban districts, he has much to share on leadership and coping with the difficult decisions faced in these roles.

Dr. White has authored two books for school leaders including Leadership Beyond Excuses: The Courage to Hold the Rope.

Specific topics included in this interview with Dr. White:

• Most difficult decisions faced across 30 years of school and district leadership
• Coping with large budget cuts while maintaining educational excellence
• Describing priorities, equity, and negotiation during process of budget cuts
• Effective strategies to promote student achievement
• Role of early childhood education
• Challenges facing district leaders today

District Leaders Podcast is always Leading Today for Success Tomorrow!

Biographical Background

Dr. Eugene G. White was born in Phenix City, AL, to a single 17-year-old mother in December 1947. He was the first person in his family’s history to graduate from high school. He grew up in a time of segregation and Jim Crow practices in Southeast Alabama. In high school, he excelled in football, basketball, and baseball. His mother, grandmother and athletic coaches heavily influenced him. He was a starting member of the 1966 Alabama State Championship Basketball Team and accepted a basketball scholarship to Alabama A&M University. He graduated with academic honors and set career scoring marks at Alabama A&M University.He was a teacher, coach and school administrator in the Fort Wayne Community Schools for 19 years. He was the first African American high school principal in the Fort Wayne Community Schools, where he served as principal of Wayne High School from 1985 to 1990. In 1990 he became the first African American high school principal of North Central High School in Indianapolis, serving until 1992. He was Deputy Superintendent of the Indianapolis Public Schools from July 1992 to January 1994. He served as Superintendent of the Metropolitan School District of Washington Township for 11 years. In 2005, Dr. White was named Superintendent of the state’s largest school district, IPS.

Dr. White has served in a large number of leadership capacities over the years, most recently as President of the American Association for School Administrators in 2006-07.

Dr. White has received a wide variety of honors over his career, including:

• 2002 and 2009 Indiana Superintendent of the Year
• 2007 National Association of Black School Educators (NABSE) Superintendent of the Year
• 2006 Modern Red Schoolhouse Distinguished Service Award
• 2001 Alabama A&M University Athletic Hall of Fame Inductee
• 1997 Indiana Music Educators Association Outstanding Superintendent of the Year
• 1995 Center for Leadership Development Education Award
• 1992 named by Redbook magazine as a “visionary leader” as principal of one of America’s  Best Schools

Dr. White is the author of the book, “Leadership Beyond Excuses: The Courage to Hold the Rope.”  He co-wrote a second book, “Leading Schools of Diversity.”

He received an Ed.D. in Education Administration and Supervision from Ball State University in 1982, an Ed.S. in Superintendency from Ball State University in 1977, an M.S. in School Health from the University of Tennessee in 1971, and a B.S. in Social Studies, Health and Physical Education from Alabama A & M University in 1970.  He is a Life Member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity.

Dr. White is married to Jetties White and has two children: Reginald E. White, Dean of Students and Head Girls Basketball Coach, Arsenal Tech High School in IPS, and Kimberly R. White, a teacher and coach at John Marshall Community High School in IPS.

Interview with Dr. Bruce Cooper, Professor of Educational Leadership, and Policy,  Fordham University.  Solutions for School Finance and Policy Issues

Solutions for School Finance and Policy Issues

Dr. Bruce S. Cooper, Professor of Educational Leadership and Policy,  Fordham University, prolific author, well-known expert in school policy and finance and former President of the Politics of Education Society (PEA) is our guest for this special interview with District Leader’s Podcast joining our guest host Dr. Kathleen P. King.  In the field of educational administration, policy, and finance, Dr. Cooper is a trend setter and prolific author, research and mentor of school leaders and superintendents around the globe. In 2009, he also received the Scribner Award for Mentoring from UCEA. Join us for this vibrant discussion as Cooper and King share how school superintendents strategize to succeed during a time of decreased funding and increased demands.

Specific topics include the following hot topic issues in policy and finance related to stimulus funding:

• How can the stimulus funding money be allocated and distributed equitably to your schools?
• How can superintendents efficiently distribute monies across schools, children and special needs?
• Is there a proven method that will help school leaders?
• Why is school effectiveness demanded, and is there anything new about how it can be measured?

District Leaders Podcast is always Leading Today for Success Tomorrow!

Biographical Background
Bruce S. Cooper, Ph.D. is Professor in the Division of Educational Leadership, Administration, and Policy (ELAP) in the Graduate School of Education at Fordham University. A graduate of the University of Chicago (Ph.D. ’74 and M.S. ’72), Dr. Cooper has done extensive research on school finance, organization, policy, and reform, working at Coopers & Lybrand in the development of the In$ite finance model, with Mayor Guiliani on analysis on school-site funding in NYC public schools, and the decentralization of governance in the nation’s most centralized school system (no local districts, boards, or superintendents).

Drs. Ouchi and Cooper received a $1 million grant to analyze organization and funding in six North American districts (NYC, Chicago, LA, Edmonton, and Houston), looking at the relationship between funding, management, and student achievement. He has served on the editorial boards of The Educational Administration Quarterly, Journal of School Leadership, and Policy and Leadership in Schools. He has authored and coauthored 22 books, and over 275 articles, chapters and papers, and serves these last years as national president of the Politics of Education Association.

Cooper co-edited Better Policies, Better Schools with (Allyn & Bacon, 2004) and Handbook on Education Politics and Politics for Lawrence Erlbaum (Drs. Lance Fusarelli and Jim Cibulka). His newest work is The Rising State: How State Authority is Changing our Schools Albany, NY: SUNY Press with Bonnie Fusarelli (2009).

Other recent books and very relevant include

• Better Policies, Better Schools (2004, Allyn and Bacon) with L.Fusarelli;
• Promises and Perils Facing Today’s School Superintendents (Rowman and Littlefield, 2003) with L.Fusarelli;
• Truancy Revisited (Scarecrow Press, 2003) with R. Guare;
• Optimizing Educational Resources (Greenwood Press, 1999); and
• Career Crisis in the School Superintendency? The Results of a National Survey , with L. Fusarelli, & V. Carella (Arlington, VA: National Association of School Administrators, 2000),
• Home Schooling in Full View (Information Age Publishing, 2006) was one of the first books on this new form of private education.

His consulting has included a national survey for Pres. Nixon for the President’s Commission on School Finance, work with Coopers & Lybrand LLP and SchoolNet, and with Mayor Guiliani in NYC on school finance and student achievement and high school to college transition. He’s currently an expert witness in a NY State equity/adequacy case.

Related Web Links:

• Fordham University, Graduate School of Education
  • http://www.fordham.edu
• UCEA, University Council for Educational Administration
  • http://www.ucea.org/

District Leader’s Podcast is produced and copyrighted by The McGraw-Hill Companies, 2007. All rights reserved.

For more information email us at podcast@districtleaderspodcast.org or phone us at 1-866-435-5337 (toll free) and leave a voice message for our co-hosts.

Interview with Long Island’s Connetquot School District Superintendent
Dr. Alan Groveman
Urban Education and Difficult Decisions

Key Topics include: High Stakes Testing · School Board Member · School Safety · Leadership · Improving Student Performance · Professional Development

Dr. Alan Groveman, Superintendent of Schools for Long Island’s Connetquot School District, is interviewed about critical school topics by host Edward Milliken for District Leader’s Podcast Episode 13. Dr. Alan Groveman discusses vital issues that are effecting the superintendents and our schools ranging from school violence and security, to parental involvement, professional development and strategies for improving student learning. A striking characteristic of this episode is how superintendents and school leaders need to effectively balance and meet the demands for all children to achieve learning standards (No Child Left Behind) and the demand that communities have for their schools to be safe havens for their children to attend.

Don’t miss this episode of The District Leader’s Podcast. A prime chance to join your colleagues as they consider these discuss a vital dimensions of the impact of state testing on teaching and learning.

“Leading today for success tomorrow”

Biographical Background
Dr. Alan Groveman, the Superintendent of Schools for Long Island’s Connetquot School District serving as the School Superintendent in this large suburban school district. He has placed an academic emphasis on all student programs so that pupils master the standards that are required for graduation in New York State. As a result, Connetquot pupils consistently meet and exceed learning benchmarks for academic performance.

In addition, Dr. Groveman, through extensive volunteer work, has developed an unparalleled expertise in designing and implementing organizational health and safety measures. For example, in the local fire department Dr. Groveman has been both a Captain and a Rescue Safety Officer. In addition, he has been a member of an EMT Team as well as a confined space and tactical rescue leader. With such a background, Dr. Groveman was appointed as a school district crisis management director. This experience has already proven to be invaluable in Dr. Groveman’s role as Superintendent of Schools.

As an educational leader and a health and safety expert, Dr. Groveman thoughts on student learning and pupil protection are regularly sought out by colleagues and the media.

Related Web Links:

• Connetquot Central School District http://www.connetquot.k12.ny.us/

District Leader’s Podcast is produced and copyrighted by The McGraw-Hill Companies, 2007-2008. All rights reserved.

For more information email us at podcast@districtleaderspodcast.org or phone us at 1-866-435-5337 (toll free) and leave a voice message for our co-hosts.

Interview with Superintendent of Enlarged City School District of Troy New York, Fadhilika Atiba-Weza
Urban Education: Challenges and Success Strategies

Key Topics include: High Stakes Testing · Career and Technical Education · Leadership · Improving Student Performance · Making the Tough Decisions · Urban Education

This exciting episode of the District Leader’s Podcast features an interview with Superintendent Fadhilika Atiba-Weza and podcast host Ed Milliken. They discuss the great challenges facing superintendents and real strategies for success in serving populations of students with performance disparities. Listen in as this school leader shares insight on balancing the needs for assessment, accountability and evaluation. This exciting discussion also delves into the role of the superintendent in reaching out to the community and parents.

Don’t miss Episode 10 of The District Leader’s Podcast and the chance to join your colleagues as they consider these examples of managing, leading and coping with some of the most critical topics of school leadership.

Biographical Background
Fadhilika Atiba-Weza is the Superintendent of Schools of the Enlarged City School District of Troy, New York. The City of Troy is on New York’s Hudson River, across from Albany, the Capital of the Empire State. Prior to his appointment as superintendent of the Troy schools, Atiba-Weza was the superintendent of Long Island’s Central Islip School District. Like the Troy School District, the Central Islip School District enrolls a diverse population of students.

Atiba-Weza began his educational career as a New York City school teacher. Over his eleven year tenure, he taught social studies, mathematics, and technology courses. Subsequent to his teaching experience, he was appointed as Principal of Western Suffolk County’s (NY) vocational high school.

Related Web Links:

• The Enlarged School District of Troy, New York

TROY CITY SCHOOL DISTRICT
A small urban school district with approximately 4,300 students, we have programs housed in nine buildings. Troy has achieved remarkable progress in recent years. Our school improvement efforts have not only raised expectations, but also resulted in measurable changes across the district. The district’s public schools continue to serve as a vital part of the city of Troy’s revitalization. Troy is one of the largest school districts in the Capital Region. The personalized nature of being a small city school district empowers students to excel in an environment that encourages and supports lifelong learning.
(From the School District web site 3/08)

District Leader’s Podcast is produced and copyrighted by The McGraw-Hill Companies, 2007. All rights reserved.

For more information email us at podcast@districtleaderspodcast.org or phone us at 1-866-435-5337 (toll free) and leave a voice message for our co-hosts.

Interview with Superintendent of Wilmington and Newark Delaware School Districts-
Dr. Lillian Lowery
Making the Tough Decisions

Key Topics include: Making the Tough Decisions · Urban Education

Join us for this gripping interview as Dr. Lillian Lowery discusses difficult challenges met as new superintendent of Christina School District in Wilmington, Delaware. In this interview with our host Arthur Griffin, Dr. Lowery shares some of the ramifications of the Supreme Court on racially identifiable schools, using race as a determinant for student assignment and community engagement. Dr. Lowery expresses her thoughts on configuring Christina Schools making the district accountable and teaching civic responsibility.

This is an episode that will provide an abundance of strategies for you to consider in addressing similar issues.

Biographical Background

Dr. Lillian Lowery is superintendent of schools for Wilmington and Newark, DE. In her previous position as assistant superintendent for Fairfax County Public Schools, she provided leadership for 25 schools serving 23,000 students, including an alternative high school and two special education centers. She assisted the superintendent in restructuring the district’s strategic plan to create a more cohesive K-12 continuum for teaching and learning.

As Area Administrator in Fort Wayne, IN, Dr. Lowery oversaw 16 schools in an urban district of more than 32,000 students. Overall math scores throughout the district improved in all tested grades with gains of up to 6 percentage points. In one school that had been on probation, 100% of minority students passed the state math exam in third grade and the school was awarded a Blue Ribbon designation.

Dr. Lowery is a member of ASCD, the American Association of School Administrators, and the LEAD Fairfax Program. She also serves as a Board Member for the Fairfax Symphony Orchestra. She has been a presenter at state, national, and international conferences, and has received numerous awards. She holds an Ed.D. degree from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, a master’s degree in education from the University of North Carolina, and a bachelor’s degree from North Carolina Central University.

District Leader’s Podcast is produced and copyrighted by McGraw-Hill Companies, 2007. All rights reserved.

For more information email us at podcast@districtleaderspodcast.org or phone us at 1-866-435-5337 (toll free) and leave a voice message for our cohosts.

In each episode’s show notes we will let you know who is being interview, who your cohost is, the major topics of discussion and relevant web links so that you can find more information on the topics discussed. Each episode will be listed on the page with the newest at the top of the page.

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District Leader’s Podcast is produced and copyrighted by McGraw-Hill Companies, 2007. All rights reserved.