ALUMNI
EPPSP Graduates of Color Unite EPPSP Graduates of Color were invited to meet virtually for the purpose of collaborating and finding ways to improve our program. Jim Ellsberry, former director, stated, “As good as we are, how can we get better?” Three leaders from the EPPSP Graduates of Color group collaborated sharing their perspectives on what the group has been working on during the last year.
“Why this? Why Now?” Ms. Flora Jones MS ’16 EPPSP
The Butler University Experiential Program for Preparing School Principals (EPPSP) Graduate Program has been a program that has provided opportunities for educational leaders to become extraordinary in the area of school leadership, curriculum and instruction, diversity and equity, and academic excellence. The EPPSP program has provided opportunities for students of color to advance within the educational arena and pursue leadership roles that have created systemic changes that have led to greater student outcomes. Because of the Butler EPPSP Mission and Vision, as well as the current state of educational equity and access, it is time for the Butler Graduates of Color to take a stand and give back to the program and the students who identify as students of color. In giving back, alumni of color must address the current state of recruitment, curriculum and instruction, financial accessibility for all and student retention. The vision of the work is to create a dialogue of collaboration with colleagues of color with the possibility of creating a movement and not just a moment. EPPSP Graduates of Color seek to support the EPPSP programming with our focus on equitable services to all Butler EPPSP students, past and present. Graduates of Color are encouraged and persuaded to continue this work in partnership with the Butler University EPPSP Program. Graduates of Color possess the voice that is needed in times like these, with social justice on the rise, Graduates of Color are the chosen educators who can make a difference! Insight and guidance from this collective will increase the number of students of color who have not yet been tapped, but certainly deserve to be tapped, to receive the high quality programming that the Butler University EPPSP Program provides. Equitable access is the key to increasing and retaining students of color, ensuring that their unlimited potential is tapped and cultivating a culture of scholars who will lead our nation in the pursuit of academic excellence!
“An Overview of the Work.”
Dr. Jamyce Curtis Banks MS ’98 EPPSP The EPPSP program “standards and principles support the development of instructional leaders who are equipped to lead in a complex society and in a variety of challenging leadership roles.” In these times that “complex society” includes the impact of social unrest and a pandemic, and like all other organizations and groups, EPPSP is reflecting on how to best equip future leaders to address the complexities. EPPSP is reflective in its practices and has a network of alumni that can contribute to reflectiveness in practice. As a result, EPPSP graduates of color were offered the opportunity to share their EPPSP experiences and how the program could address diversity, equity and inclusion to support the ability of all EPPSP alumni to be effective leaders. Dr. Lecklider and Dean Kandel-Cisco, both welcomed and encouraged the courageous conversations and sharing of experiences of the group that included alumni across over 30
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years of the program and a diverse range of cultural experiences. And, true to EPPSP, sharing was the start but action was the goal. Also true to EPPSP, the action was to come from and be supported by the group. As a result, the discussions were synthesized into three areas and alumni joined these groups with several key outcomes: Recruitment and Retention discussion resulted in strategies for recruitment including bringing together alumni of color for “recruitment nights,” social media marketing/ promotion that provide opportunities to create presence within communities of color, and alumni of color becoming ambassadors by reaching out to and matching specific people and forming district partnerships. Strategies for retention included establishment of an EPPSP Black Affinity Group as a safe space for students of color to gather, bringing administrators of color as speakers and mentors to share expertise and scholarships to support financial need. The key questions for the Curriculum & Instruction group were, “Do you believe that the coursework, handouts, materials, and speakers were presented with a multicultural, equitable viewpoint?” and “Was the curriculum inclusive of all stakeholders?” To that end, the discussions of the group included areas that should be addressed in the EPPSP curriculum and projects to develop culturally responsive leadership skills, such as raising awareness about personal strength/growth areas as it pertains to equity issues, the ability to coach courageous and uncomfortable conversations as well as the capacity to understand and support each person/teacher/family in the school community. The New Approach for Instructional Leadership group began its discussion with a conversation on innovation using an article from Forbes Magazine on characteristics of innovators (https://bit.ly/10TraitsInnovators). These characteristics were the foundation for the actions generated by the group. To support EPPSP students of color developing the ability to engage in innovation, the group proposed a speaker series and mentorship program of EPPSP alumni with an equity focus.
“The next phase of the work.” Dr. Brian Dinkins MS ’07 EPPSP
After several months of committed planning, the breakout group leaders met with Dr. Lecklider to identify opportunities to maintain momentum while shifting to a more explicit focus on recruiting and mentorship for current and future EPPSP students. The consolidation of thoughts, ideas, and recommendations from previous working groups allowed for the development of new mentoring and recruitment initiatives. The expansion also increased leadership opportunities to capitalize on the expertise, skills, and experiences of many alumni. The new focus on recruitment, building on the initial work, includes initiatives like EPPSP ambassadors of color, a social media promotional team, school district recruitment nights, and the development of district teacher pathways into the EPPSP program. The goal of the more explicit focus on recruitment is to expand the exposure of EPPSP by providing alumni of color the opportunity to use their voice and platform as a means of sharing the impact of Butler. Our approach also hopes to grow district partnerships by helping enhance school leadership capacity by developing aspiring teacher leaders through EPPSP. The opportunity to increase mentoring opportunities for EPPSP students of color was identified as a need. Initiatives such as the EPPSP speaker series, mentors of color, and students of color affinity groups are strategic priorities to help strengthen equitable experiences for all EPPSP students. This explicit focus on mentoring also hopes to bring more experienced leaders of color to campus to share their experiences while creating a mentoring framework that allows current students access to a network of graduates of color for current and future support. James Balwin said, “Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced.” Dr. Lecklider models authentic leadership and a vision for educational equity. Bringing together Butler EPPSP Alumni of Color and providing voice are the first steps to equitable and sustainable change. EPPSP has been a beacon of light in education for decades, so excitement is high, and commitment is strong to continue building upon a great legacy.
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