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How can district leaders build school systems where every student and educator truly thrives? Promising Practices for District Leaders brings together leading voices in educational leadership to offer a comprehensive, research driven roadmap for advancing social emotional well-being, equity, and belonging across entire districts.
This book provides actionable frameworks and real world case studies that speak directly to the most urgent challenges facing today’s schools, from fostering educator wellness and cultivating a shared vision for change, to valuing diversity and embedding equity into evaluation, professional learning, and everyday practice. Each chapter highlights innovative strategies for creating inclusive environments, supporting mental health, and dismantling barriers to success for both students and staff.
With contributions from experienced district leaders, researchers, and practitioners, this book is an indispensable resource for superintendents, aspiring leaders, and administrators committed to leveling the playing field for all learners. It equips readers with the tools, insight, and inspiration to lead transformative change, ensuring every school community becomes a place of safety, belonging, and opportunity.
Kathleen B. King is a Professor in Educational Leadership at North Central College.
Mary Beth Ressler is a Professor of Education at North Central College.
Introduction; Mary Beth Ressler and Kathleen B. King
Section I. Fostering Wellness
Introduction; Mary Beth Ressler and Kathleen B. King
Chapter 1. Rewiring the System: Embedding Educator Well-being and Social Emotional Development in the Age of Anxiety; Juanita Galaviz
Chapter 2. The Role of District Leaders in Supporting Mental Health and Emotional Well-being Systems; David B. Reid and Randall F. Clemens
Section II. Articulation
Introduction; Mary Beth Ressler and Kathleen B. King
Chapter 3. Sight and Site of Belonging: How Leaders Can Adopt Roles as Placemakers; Jeneca Parker-Tongue
Chapter 4. Leadership that Lasts: Creating Systems Where Principals of Color Succeed; Constance A. Lindsay, Mary Rice-Boothe, and Marianna Fischer
Section III. Valuing Diversity
Introduction; Mary Beth Ressler and Kathleen B. King
Chapter 5. Socially, Emotionally, and Equitably? A Review of Social-emotional Learning Interventions for Minorities in School Discipline; Jin Lee, Shannon Crumlish, Melanie Martin, and Roslin Growe
Chapter 6. Leading with Equity: Supporting School Leaders in Navigating Special Education Practices and Unpacking Implicit Bias; Kristin Vogel-Campbell
Section IV. Bias Interrogation
Introduction; Mary Beth Ressler and Kathleen B. King
Chapter 7. You can’t Teach Where You won’t go; Gregory Peters
Chapter 8. Disrupting the Silence: School Leadership, Bias, and the Urgency of Culturally Responsive Praxis in the Face of Gender-Based Violence; Juanita Galaviz, Tracie Trinidad, and Pinyi Wang
Section V. Evaluation
Introduction; Mary Beth Ressler and Kathleen B. King
Chapter 9. Evaluating What Matters: Centering Social Emotional Skills, Access and Belonging in Evaluations; Jeremy Coleman|
Chapter 10. Evaluation as a Transformative Process; Kathleen B. King and Mary Beth Ressler
Section VI. Professional Development
Introduction; Mary Beth Ressler and Kathleen B. King
Chapter 11. HOME: Hope, Outreach and Meaningful Engagement; Shaina Thomas
Chapter 12. Navigating I’s/We: A Case Study of Implementing a Districtwide Professional Development for Pre-K Teachers; Olayinka Moore-Ojo and Grace Jia Liang
Section VII. Modeling
Introduction; Mary Beth Ressler and Kathleen B. King
Chapter 13. Leading for Belonging: How District Leaders Can Foster Transformative Social and Emotional Learning to Advance Equity and Systemic Change; Theresa A. Pfister, Krystal Wu, Dana M. Sox, and Lauren Trout
Chapter 14. Leading for Liberation: District Leaders as Architects of Equity, Belonging, and Transformative SEL; Alexandra Escobar
Section VIII. Integration
Introduction; Mary Beth Ressler and Kathleen B. King
Chapter 15. Integrating Transformative SEL Through a Connected Schools Approach: A Framework for District Leadership; Courtney Gibbs
Chapter 16. Putting It All Together: How Prioritizing Coherence and Communities Supports the Enactment of Equitable Instruction; Diana Cordova-Cobo and Claire E. Delcourt