Posted November 9, 2018 – School leadership experts from the University of Houston College of Education shared their research on K-12 and higher education issues at the University Council for Educational Administration conference in Houston.

College faculty presented on an array of topics, including high school reform, culturally responsive teaching, school-based mental health programs and parent engagement. The conference, which took place Nov. 14-18 at the Marriott Marquis Houston, brought together about 2,000 university and K-12 educational leaders, researchers and student scholars for professional development and networking.

The theme this year is “Our Mission Critical: Revolutionizing the Future Through Equitable Educational Leadership, Research, and Practice.”

“It is an honor to introduce the members of UCEA to both the University and the city of Houston,” said Paula Myrick Short, UH System senior vice chancellor for academic affairs and UH senior vice president for academic affairs and provost. “In line with the conference theme of equity, UH works daily to improve educational outcomes for students of all backgrounds, through our school leadership graduate program, for example, and cross-institution initiatives like Houston GPS.”

Houston GPS connects community colleges and four-year institutions in the Houston region to make it easier for students to transfer and graduate on time.

Short, a former UCEA president and recipient of the Jack Culbertson Award and the Master Professor Award from UCEA during her career, is participating in several conference panels, including a mentoring session for faculty seeking promotion and tenure.

April Peters-Hawkins, associate chair of the UH College of Education’s Department of Educational Leadership & Policy Studies and the immediate past president of UCEA, said the convention theme of equity is particularly important as public schools become increasingly diverse.

“It’s not just that demographics are shifting but the way students are learning,” she said. “This notion of equity has to do with being up to snuff with what we know about teaching and learning. Leaders have to be responsible for doing that.”

UH is building a strong network of well-prepared principals, superintendents and other school leaders through the College of Education’s M.Ed. and Ed.D. programs, said program director Bradley Carpenter. More than 160 students are enrolled, and most are educators in the Houston region – representing a powerful pipeline for area schools. Carpenter, an associate professor, also serves on the 2018 UCEA convention planning committee.

“UCEA brings together the best thinkers nationally whose work is collectively seeking to expand opportunity for our nation’s K-12 students,” said Professor Cathy Horn, who chairs the College’s Department of Educational Leadership & Policy Studies. “As this year’s theme suggests, equitable leadership is deliberative in its development and implementation. I am proud and honored that the research of our faculty and students stands at the forefront of efforts to ensure excellence for all learners.”

Explore the following list of all the UCEA presentations, seminars and meetings featuring UH members this year, or view a printable PDF:

Preconvention: Wednesday, November 14

Transforming High School Through Career Academies: A Case Study of a High School’s Journey
1 - 2:10 p.m., Marriott Marquis Houston: Floor 3 - Tanglewood
Presenting Author: Detra Johnson

A Case Study of a High School’s Journey: Transforming High School Through Career Academies
5 - 6:10 p.m., Marriott Marquis Houston: Floor 2 - Houston 4
Presenting Author: Detra Johnson

The Framing of Discipline: Implementation of Common Core and PBIS in a School District
5 - 6:10 p.m., Marriott Marquis Houston: Floor 2 - Houston 4
Facilitator: Virginia Snodgrass Rangel

Culturally Responsive Teaching and the Achievement of Elementary African American
Students
5 - 6:10 p.m., Marriott Marquis Houston: Floor 2 - Houston 4
Presenting Author: Detra Johnson

School-Based Mental Health Programs’ Impact on Mental Health Disparities & Trauma
Informed Care
5 - 6:10 p.m., Marriott Marquis Houston: Floor 3 - Sugarland A
Presenting Author: Detra Johnson

Achievement Gap: Mediating Factors of OST Programs on Low SES Students’ Academic and Social-
Emotional Well-Being
5 - 6:10 p.m., Marriott Marquis Houston: Floor 3 - Tanglewood
Presenting Author: Detra Johnson

Thursday, November 15

Mentoring Session for Faculty Seeking Promotion and Tenure
2 - 3:10 p.m., Marriott Marquis Houston: Floor 3 - Meyerland A
Participant: Paula Myrick Short

In Search of Signature Pedagogies in 21st Century Educational Administration
3:20 - 4:30 p.m., Marriott Marquis Houston: Floor 3 – Meyerland A
Presenter: April Peters-Hawkins

Friday, November 16

Time Use Among Principals With STEM Instructional Backgrounds
9:30 - 10:45 a.m., Marriott Marquis Houston: Floor 3 - Briargrove B
Presenting Author: Virginia Snodgrass Rangel

Preparing to Lead for Cultural Diversity and Equity
10:55 a.m. - 12:10 p.m., Marriott Marquis Houston: Floor 3 - Kingwood A
Facilitator: Detra Johnson

What No One Ever Tells You About Surviving and Thriving in the Educational Leadership Professoriate: A Frank and Open Conversation
12:20 - 1:35 p.m., Marriott Marquis Houston: Floor 3 - Meyerland A
Presenter: Paula Myrick Short

Strategies for Communicating With a Policy Impact
1:45 - 3 p.m., Marriott Marquis Houston: Floor 2 - Houston 4
Participant: Jason Smith
Facilitator: Paula Myrick Short

Retirees in Action
3:10 - 4:25 p.m., Marriott Marquis Houston: Floor 3 - Meyerland A
Presenter: Paula Myrick Short

Leadership, Allyship, & Self
3:10 - 4:25 p.m., Marriott Marquis Houston: Floor 3 - Sugarland B
Facilitator: Bradley Carpenter

Publishing Your First Article as a Graduate Student
3:10 to 4:25 p.m., Marriott Marquis Houston: Floor 3 – Tanglewood
Presenter: Virginia Snodgrass Rangel

International Summit I - Migrants, Refugees, & Displaced Families: Meeting the Educational Needs of Children in and out of Schools
3:10 - 4:30 p.m., Floor 3 - Meyerland B
Facilitator: Ruth López

Culturally Responsive Leadership for Improving Student Educational Experiences
4:35 - 5:50 p.m., Marriott Marquis Houston: Floor 3 - Kingwood A
Participant: Gerardo Medina, Kimberly Walters and Heather Willis
Facilitators: Ruth López and April Peters-Hawkins

Coalitions and Collaborations: School District–University Partnerships
4:35 - 5:50 p.m., Marriott Marquis Houston: Floor 3 - Montrose A
Participant: Bradley Carpenter
Facilitator: April Peters-Hawkins

Sensemaking of Texas House Bill 5: College and Career Readiness for All
4:35 - 5:50 p.m., Marriott Marquis Houston: Floor 3 – Westchase
Presenting Author: Virginia Snodgrass Rangel

Saturday, November 17

We Are the Change We Seek: Igniting and Passing the Leadership Torch
7 - 7:50 a.m., Marriott Marquis Houston: Floor 3 – Tanglewood
Participant: Detra Johnson

The Power of a Network in Prep Program Redesign
8 - 9:10 a.m., Marriott Marquis Houston: Floor 3 - Meyerland A
Presenter: Bradley Carpenter

Improving How We Teach Quantitative Methods to Aspiring Educational Leaders
8 - 9:10 a.m., Marriott Marquis Houston: Floor 3 - River Oaks B
Facilitator: Virginia Snodgrass Rangel

Hidden Figures? An Analysis of Research on Urban Black Principals
10:40 - 11:50 a.m., Marriott Marquis Houston: Floor 3 - Briargrove B
Participant and Facilitator: April Peters-Hawkins

Building Networks of Support: You’re Not in This Alone
10:40 - 11:50 a.m., Marriott Marquis Houston: Floor 3 – Tanglewood
Presenter: Virginia Snodgrass Rangel

Developing Culturally Responsive Mathematics Teachers: Understanding Equity and Access in Math
Education
12 - 1:10 p.m., Marriott Marquis Houston: Floor 3 – Westchase
Presenting Author: Lauren Hobbs

Sensemaking as a Framework for Understanding How MS Assistant Principals as Social Justice
Leaders Adjudicate Discipline Referrals to Disrupt the Racial Discipline Gap
12 - 1:10 p.m., Marriott Marquis Houston: Floor 3 – Westchase
Presenting Author: Kevin Banks

An Examination of Parent Engagement in Primarily Hispanic High School Campuses in a Large Urban
School District
12 - 1:10 p.m., Marriott Marquis Houston: Floor 3 – Westchase
Presenting Authors: Virginia Snodgrass Rangel and Luis Landa

Faculty Enacting Culturally Responsive Teaching in Leadership Programs
12 - 1:10 p.m., Marriott Marquis Houston: Floor 3 – Westchase
Presenting Authors: Ruth López and April Peters-Hawkins

Culturally Responsive School Leadership From Elementary Through High School
12 - 1:10 p.m., Marriott Marquis Houston: Floor 3 – Westchase
Facilitators: Ruth López and April Peters-Hawkins

Workshop on Successful Retention in the Educational Leadership Academy
1:20 - 2:30 p.m., Marriott Marquis Houston: Floor 3 - Meyerland A
Presenter: Paula Myrick Short

Impacts of Discipline Policies: Lessons for Reform
1:20 - 2:30 p.m., Marriott Marquis Houston: Floor 3 - Meyerland B
Facilitator: Virginia Snodgrass Rangel

Radical Nurturing: Supporting Women of Color and White Women in System-Level Roles
1:20 - 2:30 p.m., Marriott Marquis Houston: Floor 3 - River Oaks C
Facilitator: April Peters-Hawkins

The Discursive Tapestry of Economic and Educational Storylines
4 - 5:10 p.m., Marriott Marquis Houston: Floor 3 - Kingwood A
Presenting Author: Bradley Carpenter

Sunday, November 18

JRLE Editorial Board Meeting
8 - 9:30 a.m., Marriott Marquis Houston: Floor 3 - Kingwood A
Facilitators: Catherine Horn and April Peters-Hawkins

JCEL Editorial Board Meeting
8:30 to 10:00 a.m., Marriott Marquis Houston: Floor 3 - River Oaks C
Participant: Bradley Carpenter

EAQ Editorial Board Meeting
9:40 to 11:10 a.m., Marriott Marquis Houston: Floor 3 - Kingwood A
Participant: April Peters-Hawkins

Mindful Practices for Improving School Climate
10 - 12 p.m., Marriott Marquis Houston: Floor 3 – Tanglewood
Presenters: Keith Butcher, Bradley Carpenter and Gulden Esat 

–By Kathy Patnaude and Ericka Mellon