Cultivating Urban Education Leaders: A Collaborative Mentorship Model for Systemic Transformation

Session Type: Symposium

Abstract

For over 10 years, the Urban Education Collaborative at UNC Charlotte has served as a transformative national model bridging educational opportunities for urban students through innovative partnerships. This ecosystem unites schools, community organizations, and businesses to dramatically improve student lives in urban environments while elevating intellectual, social, economic, and educational landscapes across North Carolina and beyond.
The collaborative's multifaceted strategy creates a unique, thriving, mentoring ecosystem. Faculty members mentor doctoral students, providing research opportunities and professional development guidance. These mentored scholars then deliver targeted, innovative solutions to educational challenges within school communities. This cascading mentoring model creates pathways of opportunity that transcend traditional educational boundaries, ensuring mentoring relationships fuel comprehensive transformation across the entire urban education ecosystem.

Sub Unit

• SIG-Mentorship and Mentoring Practices

Chair

• Chance W. Lewis, University of North Carolina - Charlotte

Papers

• Mentoring: A Collaborative Mentorship Model for Urban Educators and Leaders - Geleana Drew Alston, North Carolina A&T State University; Stephen D. Hancock, North Carolina A&T State University

• Mentorship Reimagined: The Transformative Impact of Reciprocal Mentoring on Professional Identity in Higher Education - Tempestt Richardson Adams, Appalachian State University; Derrick Robinson, North Carolina A&T State University; Brian Williams, North Carolina A&T State University; Nakeshia N. Williams, North Carolina A&T State University

• Mentoring in the Storm: Finding Light When Darkness Falls - Torie Wheatley, Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools; Stephanie Thomas-Woodard, Lenoir-Rhyne University

• Mentorship and Measurable Change: A Personal Journey in a Reciprocal, Research-Driven Model - Raketa Ouedraogo-Thomas, University of North Carolina - Charlotte; Kerri A. Ullucci, Roger Williams University

Session Organizer

• Stephanie Thomas-Woodard, Lenoir-Rhyne University

Discussant

• Tamera D. Moore, Charleston Southern University