11 minute read
The New Normal
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.
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!
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 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.
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.
Honoring A Mother’s Legacy: Donor Gift Supports College of Education Faculty
By Jennifer Gunnels
As John Steele ’92 approached the 25th anniversary of his mother’s death earlier this summer, he discussed with his wife and father how the family might mark the occasion in a way that would honor her memory.
A lifelong learner and dedicated educator, Shirley Luhn Steele MS ’82, died of cancer in 1995 at the age of 56. At the time of her death, she was working at The Orchard School as Head of Support Services and pursuing a PhD in neuropsychology at Indiana State University. This year, through a major gift to the College of Education (COE), John Steele established the Shirley Luhn Steele Faculty Support Endowed Fund in honor of his mother’s continuous efforts to further her own education for the benefit of her students. The gift is the first of its kind at Butler to specifically support faculty in the COE.
The fund will support faculty research, leadership development, scholarly engagement opportunities, and other specialized continuing education with a particular focus on supporting faculty in the area of special education and learning disabilities. The $125,000 gift will be matched over the next several years at a 1:1 ratio by John Steele’s employer, Eli Lilly and Company, doubling the impact of the gift.
Shirley Luhn Steele taught for nearly 20 years at The Orchard School, beginning as a teacher’s aide and taking on roles with increasing responsibilities as her own training grew. She earned her master’s degree in Education at Butler in 1982 and later earned a certificate in Special Education in 1991. Steele was especially dedicated to helping students with learning disabilities succeed.
“This was a sad milestone, but a milestone nonetheless. We wanted to find a way to honor her and also meet a need for Butler, which has a special place in my heart as a graduate myself,” John Steele says. “This fund is a good reflection of what my mom did as an educator for students with learning disabilities, continuing her training so she could pass that knowledge on to her students. The stars kind of aligned, and this seemed like the right thing to do at the right time.”
Dr. Brooke Kandel-Cisco, COE Dean, says the fund will support faculty research in the area of Special Education, such as a project on which Dr. Suneeta Kercood and Dr. Kelli Esteves are currently collaborating with faculty who specialize in English as a Second Language. Within the project, Kercood and Esteves are investigating barriers and supports that dual-identified students and their families encounter in special education, English language development, and K-12 inclusive settings, and identifying practices that will promote equity and access in these settings. Kandel-Cisco says research studies such as this one allow faculty to collect pilot data, which enhances their ability to secure large federally funded grants to support research programs.
“Faculty support funds such as the Shirley Luhn Steele Faculty Support Fund are so important because they enhance faculty excellence and innovation in teaching, research, and curriculum development, which in turn has a positive impact on students and practitioners,” Kandel-Cisco says.
Along with research support, other possible uses for the fund include support for Butler’s community partnership with Special Olympics of Indiana, which involves COE undergraduate and graduate students and aims to increase inclusion efforts on campus, international opportunities that allow faculty to learn about and conduct research on special education practices from around the world, and engagement and leadership development connected to faculty involvement with professional associations focusing on Special Education, such as the Council for Exceptional Children.
The fund will also provide support for COE faculty to offer professional development and instructional coaching for local K-12 educators working with students with special learning needs. Thanks to the Steele fund, this training can be provided at little or no cost for schools with limited resources.
John Steele is proud the fund will bear the name of a woman he says embodied all the qualities of a great educator. Even while battling multiple myeloma, Shirley Luhn Steele continued to show up for her students in spite of her pain.
“I can’t think of a better role model in terms of a person of strong faith, humility, and just hard work and perseverance,” Steele says. “She came from very poor beginnings, and was the first person in her family to go to college. Through her own educational efforts and determination to continue improving herself, she influenced many lives with her dedication to her students.”
Innovations in Teaching and Learning is one of the pillars of the Butler Beyond $250 million comprehensive fundraising campaign. The University aims to raise $20 million in new funding for faculty through endowed faculty positions and funds like the Shirley Luhn Steele Faculty Support Endowed Fund, which will help Butler to attract and retain the nation’s top scholars.
“The Shirley Luhn Steele Faculty Support Endowed Fund is a tremendous gift to the COE faculty, the Butler students they teach, and the thousands of children our COE graduates will educate in their classrooms throughout their careers,” says Kathryn Morris, Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs. “Investing in the excellence of our faculty will have ripple effects well beyond our imagination.”
Innovations in Teaching and Learning
One of the distinguishing features of a Butler education has always been the meaningful and enduring relationships between our faculty and students. Gifts to this pillar during the Butler Beyond comprehensive fundraising campaign will accelerate our commitment to investing in faculty excellence by adding endowed positions, supporting faculty scholarship and research, renovating and expanding stateof-the-art teaching facilities, and more. Learn more, make a gift, and read other stories like this one at beyond.butler.edu.
