⏰ News From UCEA Headquarters!

While UCEA are primarily higher education focused, they do from time to time have several leadership focused items related to K-12 distance, online, and blended learning at their conferences (and they mention the call for proposals for the next one below).

Spring 2024 Spotlight HQ HAPPENINGS Dear UCEA,   In this brief quiet before the storm, so to speak, I want to share some organizational updates.   Hopefully, by now, you have all seen our new website. This has been an intense and exhaustive effort on the part of a fabulous team from HQ. I would like to give a special thanks to Fu-Min Hsiao, our new web developer, Karl Gildner, Ruth Norris, and Salih Cevak, our new Post Doc Researcher. Without their hard work, attention to detail, and incredibly high standards, we wouldn’t have this beautiful virtual home.   This Spotlight is full of information on the 2024 Convention, graduate student opportunities, awards, and the call for proposals for the 2025 international study tour, and more (believe it or not). There is something for everyone!   We are also starting to think about the best ways to commemorate our 70th Anniversary leading up to Convention. Keep an eye out for more on this over the next few months. But for the moment enjoy our new logo.   I hope this Spotlight helps you stay in touch with UCEA and helps strengthen our community!   Adelante UCEA, Mónica Byrne-Jiménez UCEA Executive Director CONVENTION CORNER 2024 UCEA Annual Convention   WHERE: Westin Bonaventure Hotel & Suites, Los Angeles CA WHEN: November 20-23, 2024 WHO: UCEA Community CONVENTION THEME: Renewing Our Engagement: Leading Schools and Communities with Justice and Joy REGISTRATION: Registration will open in early June HOTEL: Reservations will be available April All Academic is Open for your Proposals   UCEA invites research proposal submissions for our 38th Annual Convention. The convention will take place from November 20-23, 2024 in Los Angeles, California.   The theme for 2024 Renewing Our Engagement: Leading Schools and Communities with Justice and Joy, is an opportunity to share knowledge, reflect, and react. Refer to the UCEA Website for the entire Call for Proposals, submission details, and session type descriptions and directions to access All Academic. Be sure to submit your proposal(s) before All Academic closes on Tuesday, May 14, 2024 at 11:59 pm EDT. For more information about #UCEA24, please visit the UCEA website. Have a question? Please email us. Meet our Convention Planning Committee Karen Beard, Ohio State University – President-Elect Rebecca Cheung, University of California, Berkeley Matt Militello, East Carolina University Nathaniel Stewart, University of Minnesota Twin Cities UPCOMING UCEA EVENTS International Study Tour Call for Proposals For those who engage with school leaders and faculty internationally and are interested in hosting the 2025 Study Tour find details on the Call for Proposal and timeline on our webpage. UCEA Voices 5 A collaborative research team has begun developing the fifth study in the longitudinal research project, Voices From the Field, This study will focus on how preparation programs address issues of racial justice, race, racism, and equity. To volunteer for the research team, fill out this form. 3rd UCEA Presidential Lecture Series Join Lisa Bass, UCEA President, members of the Executive Committee, and Mónica Byrne-Jiménez, Executive Director, for the third annual Presidential Lecture Series on Wednesday, May 8th, 6:00-8:00pm (Eastern). The lecture is titled, “Equity in the U.S. Context 70 Years Post Brown v. the Board of Education: A Glimpse into the Portal of Educational Equity through the Eyes of Equity Researchers.” More information coming soon. GRADUATE STUDENT HUB Important Upcoming Deadlines   Summer Research Awards: Advanced doctoral students who are interested in working with a UCEA Program Center can apply for a Summer Research Award. Deadline is April 30th. Jackson Scholar Nominations: Nominations for the 2024-2026 Jackson Scholars are due May 15. We are still working on the submission portal on the new website but should have that ready in time for our meeting. Graduate Student Summit The 13th annual UCEA Graduate Student Summit (GSS) will be held on Wednesday, November 20th, 2024 as an extension of the UCEA Convention at the Westin Bonaventure Hotel and Suites in Los Angeles, California from November 20-23, 2024. The GSS also offers opportunities for graduate students to grow their network by engaging with other graduate students and faculty from across the world. Specifically, the GSS includes paper presentations, roundtable discussions, and Ignite! sessions, in which graduate student participants will share their research and receive constructive feedback from distinguished faculty. For more information about each session type, see the call for 2024 GSS proposals.   In keeping with the UCEA Convention, GSS participants should demonstrate how their proposals for the GSS address the 2024 UCEA Convention theme, Renewing Our Engagement: Leading Schools and Communities with Justice and Joy. Please refer to the full 2024 UCEA Convention Call for Proposals for more discussion of the Convention theme. CONNECT WITH US: UCEA AWARDS REMINDER: Deadline for faculty awards is August 25, 2024. Awards will be given at the UCEA Annual Awards Luncheon on Thursday, November 21, 2024. For more information on each award and nomination process go to the website. Please direct all questions to awards@ucea.org POLICY MINUTES New FAFSA Rollout In what many are calling a botched rollout, the new FAFSA process is creating headaches for college students and their families across the US. Experts say that this urgent situation requires an “all hands on deck” approach to fix it. Alabama Anti-DEI Law Alabama became the latest state to ban diversity, equity, and inclusion programs at public schools, postsecondary institutions, and state agencies. The law also bans teaching what it calls “divisive concepts.” Equity-oriented scholars and civil rights groups point to the far-reaching impacts laws such as these have on education at all levels. Bias Against Women in Ed Leadership The newly published report of the Women Leading Ed Insight Survey outlines widespread bias that women face as they attempt to advance their careers in ed leadership. A majority of women surveyed cited barriers that impact their work and wellbeing. ED LEADERSHIP FOREFRONT How do out-of-school time programs measure their progress? That’s the topic of new research funded by The Wallace Foundation. Read the report to learn about how high-quality programs collect and use data to measure their impacts on factors like content learning; social and emotional development; youth participation; and equity. Have you listened to Season 1 of UCEA’s brand new podcast, In the Lead with UCEA? Take a look back at the University Preparation Program Initiative (UPPI) and listen as key players in the initiative reflect on their challenging but rewarding process of improving their programs. And stay tuned for Season 2 featuring UCEA past presidents, ready to drop later this month! In the Lead Season 1 is supported by The Wallace Foundation. FRIENDS OF UCEA AERA LTEL SIG The LTEL SIG is hosting a two-part learning series, “Leading Justly in Polarizing Times” on May 6 and 13. Contact Dr. Erin Anderson (erin.anderson249@du.edu) for more information. Global School Leaders Join a two-part international webinar series, “Role of Gender in School Leadership: Insights and Implications.” See here for more details and to register. UCEA LIBRARY Browse all of UCEA’s publications  CONNECT WITH US: University Council for Educational Administration Phone: (517) 353-4025 info@ucea.org ucea.org

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