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Dissemination and Advocacy

OUR APPROACH

Given our desire for IMPACT, we share our expertise and our work, particularly in the areas of principal preparation, leadership practice, and continuous improvement, to impact urban education in a variety of modes.  Among the channels of practice and policy dissemination are publications, policy briefs, advocacy and policy groups memberships, talks and presentations, videos, and social media.

Publications

Center researchers and faculty affiliates disseminate their work to peer-reviewed and scholarly outlets across a range of topics. Here is a listing of such publications from 2011 to 2022:

By year

By topic

 

 

 

 

 

CUEL Research and Policy Briefs
Reducing Chronic Absence: Making Equity Strategies Specific, Adaptive, and Evidence Based, December 2021

The UIC Center for Urban Education Leadership (CUEL) announces the publication of a new brief that builds from recent CUEL analysis of schools that have proven most challenging to improve in Chicago Public Schools (CPS). In this research brief, CUEL Researchers Steve Tozer and Lisa Walker make the case for “high churn” schools to adopt an evidence-based stance as they seek to address the issue of chronic student absence, one of the key factors that shape the learning experiences of a portion of students in “high churn” schools. Read the brief here.

Toward the Continuous Improvement of Chicago Public Schools’ High Churn Elementary Schools, December 2021

The UIC Center for Urban Education Leadership (CUEL) announces the publication of new analysis that examines schools that have historically struggled to improve within the context of the Chicago Public Schools SQRP Accountability System. In this research brief, CUEL Researchers Lisa Walker and Steve Tozer advance the term ‘high churn” to describe a school type that has proven particularly challenging to improve. These schools exhibit comparatively high instability in student enrollment and attendance evidenced in rates of student mobility, chronic absence, and student homelessness. Teacher instability is also common in these schools. Walker and Tozer make the case for envisioning new improvement foci and approaches in these sorts of schools. Read the brief here. 

Exploring Educational Ecosystems Through The Lens Of Intermediary Organizations: Insights for Policy and Practice, November 2021

On behalf of Shelby Cosner, Director of the UIC Center for Urban Education Leadership, we are pleased to announce the publication of our new study done in collaboration with the Qatar Foundation.  As the research and work on educational ecosystems has grown, we now recognize a growing global trend that has positioned “intermediary organizations” in an oversized ecosystem role. Through their direct work with schools, especially the most vulnerable schools, these organizations straddle the larger ecosystem and the local schoolhouse, becoming conduits of external leadership resources into schools. With this in mind, we examined a set of more mature non-system intermediary organizations that work directly with schools to generate important insights about their work in forging relationships within and gaining vital resources from these expansive and diffuse ecosystems. Examining the ecosystem from the vantage point of these organizations generated important insights for helping non-system intermediary organizations to better consider and gain access to the kinds of ecosystem relationships and resources that are likely to prove important to their work, to schools, and to students. It also sheds light on broader issues relevant for ecosystem-building efforts. View study findings here.

 

Investigating the Continuous Improvement Approaches of a “Big City” CEO, December 2020

Funded by the Fry and Crown Foundations and undertaken from Summer 2019 to early Fall 2020, this study used organizational learning and continuous improvement as tools to conceptually frame this study. Whalen led this investigation into the leadership practices associated with, impacts of, and challenges encountered from a “big city” Chief Executive Officer’s continuous improvement approach to system-level leadership. Read the executive study here. Read the full report here. Read additional background about this work here.

Leveraging the Federal Role in Developing High Quality Principal Preparation under Title II, March 2020
 
In this policy brief, written by CUEL affiliate Dr. Craig De Voto and published by the University Council for Educational Administration, Title II of ESSA is examined. Title II of ESSA includes provisions for developing high quality principals.This brief elaborates two strategies the federal government can employ under Title II to support principal quality:1) competitive grants and 2) monitoring return on investment. Read the full report here.
Selection of School Leadership Candidates for UIC’s EdD Urban Education Leadership Program, Part II, June 2018

In the second of two continuous improvement briefs on selection, Center researchers and Ed.D. program administrators describe how they build program capacity to assess & measure the characteristics they associate with school leader success. Read the second brief here.

Selection of School Leadership Candidates for UIC’s EdD Urban Education Leadership Program, Part I, April 2017

In this continuous improvement brief on selection, Center researchers and Ed.D. program administrators describe the development of an admissions process to assess characteristics they associate with school leader success. Read the brief here.

UPSTATE/DOWNSTATE: CHANGING PATTERNS OF ACHIEVEMENT, DEMOGRAPHICS AND SCHOOL EFFECTIVENESS IN ILLINOIS PUBLIC SCHOOLS, SPRING 2017

This report describes some surprising shifts in regional achievement patterns in Illinois public schools under NCLB. These shifts show worrisome declines in many communities that were not the original focus of NCLB, and promising growth in some communities that were evidence presented also shows that changes in school effectiveness . . . what schools and districts do to improve their impact on student and adult learning . . . played as powerful a role in local and regional achievement shifts as race and family income did. Read the full report here.

TAKING STOCK: HOW STANDARDIZED TEST REPORTS LET US DOWN UNDER NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND… AND HOW WE CAN FIX WHAT IS WRONG, SPRING 2016

This study clarifies achievement trends that occurred under NCLB and explains why NCLB reporting practices made those trends so hard to see. It concludes by describing important contributions that new PARCC exams can make and warns of new reporting problems that threaten to squander those contributions before they see the light of day. Read more here.

Principal Roles, Work Demands, and Supports Needed to Implement New Teacher Evaluation, June 2014

In 2014, CUEL staff released a policy brief on what principals and districts must do to support new teacher evaluation reforms across states. Read the brief here.

 

 
Videos and podcasts
Education Trust podcast on Extraordinary Districts: Live! A Discussion On Exposing and Learning From Expertise

Season 2 episode 2 of the Education Trust’s ExtraOrdinary Districts podcast series profiles Lane Oklahoma and drew upon a set of experts to discuss the topic of exposing and learning from expertise. This panel included CUEL affiliate Dr. Steve Tozer as well as Dr. Timothy Shanahan, reading expert and UIC emeritus professor, and Todd Hughes of the Choctaw Nation (December 2019).

Education Trust ExtraOrdinary Districts: Live! A Discussion on District Improvement

Hosted by the Center for Urban Education Leadership (CUEL), Season 2 episode 1 of ExtraOrdinary Districts brought together an all-star panel to discuss school district improvement. Janice Jackson, CEO of Chicago Public Schools, Harvard University’s Ronald F. Ferguson, and University of Michigan’s Nell Duke. The panel, introduced by CUEL Center Director Shelby Cosner and moderated by ExtraOrdinary District creator Karin Chenoweth, had a wide-ranging discussion that went from the need for carefully designed early reading instruction to the moral imperative of equity. Jackson described the need to be “relentless” in giving students the opportunity to learn rather than trying to “fix” students (October 2019).

National Governor’s Association Hot Topics Podcast

Steve Tozer (CUEL Faculty Affiliate) shares his insights on how governors and states can improve principal preparation and development; lessons learned from his work in Illinois and around the country to develop effective principals and school leaders; and an overview of current models of innovative university principal preparation partnerships (October 2019).

How Do Principals Help Students Learning?

Education Week video examines Chicago Public Schools’ strategy of intense focus on principals and UIC’s Center for Urban Education Leadership and Doctoral Program in Urban Education Leadership as key contributors to this strategy, features former CUEL Director Steve Tozer (May 2018).

 

Education Trust podcast series on Extraordinary Districts examines the need for Extra-Ordinary Principals, features former CUEL Director Steve Tozer  (January 2018)
Episode One: The State – Creating a Bold Plan

The Wallace Foundation video examines principal preparation policy transformation in Illinois, features former CUEL Director Steve Tozer (October 2016).

Episode Two: New Leaders – A Bold Move To Better Prepare Principals

The Wallace Foundation video examines principal preparation policy transformation in Illinois, features former CUEL Director Steve Tozer (October 2016).

Episode Three: The University – A Bold Move To Better Prepare Principals

The Wallace Foundation video examines principal preparation policy transformation in Illinois, features former CUEL Director Steve Tozer (October 2016).

Episode Four: The District – Pulling the Plan Together

The Wallace Foundation video examines the involvement of district partners in principal preparation program redesign and enactment, features former CUEL Director Steve Tozer(October 2016).

Educational Inequality in America

Chicago Bar Association and Advance Illinois video examines educational inequality in America, features former CUEL Director Steve Tozer along with Dr. Linda Darling Hammond and Dr. Charles Payne (August 2016).

 K-3 Policymaker’s Guide to Action: Learning from the Education Commission of the States

Center for Policy Research in Education video examines K-3 policy recommendations, features former CUEL Director Steve Tozer (January 2016).

talks and presentations
CUEL Talks and Presentations
 
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