| << Chapter < Page | Chapter >> Page > |
Marc Shelton, Goerge Fox University
It is with a great sense of respect for the work presented in the following pages that I welcome you to this special edition of the Education Leadership Review (ELR), Volume 12, Number 3. The authors recogizing in this edition of ELR were selected using a peer-review process to identify exceptional papers presented at the 65th Annual National Council of Professors of Educational Administration (NCPEA) 2011 Summer Conference held at the venerable Benson Hotel in downtown Portland, Oregon. Multiple speakers in the conference breakout sessions provided opportunities for NCPEA members to hear about quality work being done in educational leadership programs all over the country – many stories were told of important work being accomplished to prepare leaders who will become trailblazers in the field of educational administration. It is an honor and privilege to be able to share a few of these thoughts and stories with you in this issue of ELR.
The planning team from the Oregon Professors of Educational Administration (ORPEA) welcomed over 200 presenters and almost 300 NCPEA members to the City of Roses in early August for stunning Northwest weather and stimulating professional development sessions. Dr. Yong Zhao’s keynote presentation set the tone for the conference theme, Blazing New Trails: Preparing Leaders to Improve Access and Equity in Today’s Schools, where he challenged those in attendance to continue our role as educational leaders in the world through increased attention to innovation and creativity; and to accomplish success for individual students by advocating for quality teaching and learning opportunities using more than only standardized assessment measurements. More discussions were convened on ways to promote access and equity for all students to succeed in our schools, around the nation and in the world, using promising practices, centering on the following conference strands:
Another highlight of the 2011 conference was the Cocking Lecture given by Dr. Rosemary Papa. Walter D. Cocking was a distinguished professor/dean from the University of Georgia and one of the founding members of NCPEA – in fact directing its first conference hosted by IBM in 1947. Rosemary provided an historical perspective of the work of professors within our organization and noted the work for equity and access championed by Dr. Cocking in 1937, as he called for improved opportunities for African Americans to attend institutions of higher education at a level equitable to those afforded to Whites students. Cocking was also a strong voice compelling Americans to improve the quality of schools for all students, but especially for those school attended predominantly by African American students.
Dr. Gary Kinsey quoted past-president Dr. Linda Morford, in his conference welcome as the 2010-11 president of NCPEA, “we can …create an epidemic in our profession where we summon the will to work with others to address issues facing schools and, thus, improve our preparation programs.” Gary continued to “encourage (all of us to) be among the new pioneers and “voices of reason,” pursuing a change of direction in achieving a new frontier of equity and access for all our nation’s schools.” Oregon has a history of attracting fiercely independent people. Its geographic landscapes are both scenic and rugged, are widely varied throughout its regions, and are home to a diverse population of Americans. Recent initiatives to strengthen educational leadership, such as the Wallace Foundation’s “cohesive leadership system,” have led to increased collaboration and partnering among professors of educational administration, state policymakers, and school district practitioners.
It was great fun to welcome these partners of dedicated professionals to Oregon, and this journal is a great venue to share some of what we learned by the scholarly presentations by our friends this past summer in Portland. Enjoy!
– Marc Shelton, NCPEA 2011 Summer Conference director, George Fox University
Ted Creighton, NCPEA Publications
Notification Switch
Would you like to follow the 'Education leadership review special issue: portland conference, volume 12, number 3 (october 2011)' conversation and receive update notifications?
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|