ACSA Executive Director Wesley Smith Director of Communications Naj Alikhan Editor London Roberts Design / Layout Stephen D . Long Production Coordinator Emily Senecal
Board of Directors
President Ralph Gómez Porras President-Elect Lisa Gonzales Vice President Holly Edds Vice President for Legislative Action Linda Kaminski Past President Tom Armelino
Directors Eric Andrew , Mauricio Arellano , Randy Bangs , Angel Barrett , Ana L . Boyenga , Jonathon Brunson , Daryl Camp , Katherine Castleberry , Craig Helmstedter , Linda Hutcherson , Andrew Ishibashi , Darrien Johnson , Peter Johnson , Sue Kaiser , Jon LeDoux , Robert Martinez , Mary O ’ Neil Grace , Elsbeth Prigmore , Rob Stockberger , Craig Wheaton , Denise Wickham , Ron Williams , Roxanna Villasenor
Editorial Office
1029 J Street , Suite 500 Sacramento , CA 95814 916.444.3216 or 800.608 . ACSA www . acsa . org
Advertising Office
Diana Granger , ad sales rep 530.642.0111 Subscription Information 650.692.4300 or 800.608 . ACSA
Leadership magazine ( ISSN 1531-3174 ) is published bi-monthly in September / October , November / December , January / February , March / April and May / June by the Asso ciation of California School Admin istrators , 1575 Bayshore Hwy ., Burlingame , CA 94010 . ( USPS 282-740 ) Annual subscription : $ 60 ; single copies $ 12 ( includes state tax ). Subscriptions outside the U . S . add $ 20 ($ 80 total ). Periodical postage paid at Burlingame , California and additional post offices . Articles and advertisements are the expressions of the author ( s ) and advertisers and are not statements of policy or endorsements of ACSA . Postmaster : Send address changes to : Leadership magazine , ACSA , 1575 Bayshore Hwy ., Burlingame , CA 94010 .
To Our Readers
Education leaders accept the task of inspiring the best learning and teaching for students
“ Inspire ! Lead ! Achieve !” That has been the theme of my presidency and the foundation upon which I believe we support quality instruction , ensuring our students achieve their goals and aspirations . As the primary advocates for students and their learning , public education leaders know that recruiting , hiring and retaining the best possible teachers is central to creating educational opportunities and closing achievement gaps .
A high degree of academic success cannot occur if students don ’ t have quality teachers . Unfortunately , more teachers are retiring from the profession , and fewer teaching candidates are entering the pipeline . Couple that with growing student populations in some areas , and you have a teacher shortage . Jennifer Watson tells us beginning on page 8 , “ an even more pressing question to be asked , beyond who will teach the children of America , is will the teachers we hire stay ?” Job embeddedness , she says , is the answer , investing teachers in the school and community .
In a teacher shortage environment , hiring less qualified individuals seems almost inevitable . ACSA Senior Director for Educational Services Barry Groves firmly stands by the advice that rigorous professional development and performance evaluation is the key to ensuring teachers are prepared to lead their classrooms ( page 32 ). Teacher coaches William Sprankles and Kara Backman ( page 36 ) take an in-depth look at the qualities to seek in teaching candidates and how to interview for them . Those qualities include “ coachability for a growth mindset , the ability to build life-altering relationships , and a willingness to approach difficult subjects in the classroom .”
Quality instruction for success in the 21st century must include deliberate and focused efforts to ensure equal access and opportunity for underserved students . We offer two inspiring stories in this issue of cultural proficiency and reaching beyond the classroom to influence students to succeed .
Peter Flores and Joseph Domingues ( page 18 ) tell of a program in Santa Maria Joint Union High School District that takes educators into the strawberry fields to meet with parents where they work . These efforts are building trust and community support for student learning . “ Migrant workers are willing to be our partners to protect and serve their communities and educate their families ,” they write .
In a targeted effort to reach at-risk African American female students , author Pamela Jo Wilson ( page 30 ) inspired leadership in her secretary and together they mentored young women to accept personal responsibility , use their gifts and talents and never succumb to low expectations . Wilson says the end results has been “ a clear messaging that ‘ I matter ! I am beautiful ! I am smart and creative ! I am the sum total of what I ’ ve been placed on the Earth to achieve !’“
Positive leadership inspires . As we embrace a new era of accountability and continuous improvement , it becomes our privilege and responsibility to bring about real systemic change in the way we address student needs . In this issue of Leadership magazine , we see that we are well up to the task . Sincerely ,
Ralph Goméz Porras ACSA President
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