Three Levels of Leadership Development for Diversifying the Teacher Profession

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Thursday 7:45 am
  In Roundtable Session: Leadership Preparation, Mentoring, and Development

Abstract

This qualitative case study explores leadership development as a critical, yet underexamined, lever in diversifying the educator workforce. Emerging from a three-year, grant-funded partnership between a New Jersey school district and university, the study examines how leadership surfaced across initiatives targeting high school students, preservice, and in-service Teachers of Color (TOC). Grounded in Community Cultural Wealth, Servant, and Transformative Leadership frameworks, findings reveal that leadership, when reconceptualized as relational, culturally grounded, and justice-oriented, can empower marginalized educators and students. By “unforgetting” the cultural wisdom and lived experiences of historically marginalized communities, the study bridges past insights with future possibilities. It offers a professional development logic model to support sustainable, inclusive pathways into teaching and leadership.

Author

• Alex Guzman, Kean University