Delaware Academy for School Leadership
3rd Annual Women Leading Delaware Education Conference:
“Dare to Lead”
Tuesday, March 23, 2021
A Virtual Conference and Networking Event
REGISTER NOW
The Women Leading Delaware Education initiative is a networking and professional learning event for all leaders in K-12 and higher education settings. The conference serves to address issues specific to women and leadership, as well as provide a powerful opportunity for leaders to convene for an impactful day of connection, introspection and inspiration. Hosted by the University of Delaware’s Delaware Academy for School Leadership, the conference schedule features multiple breakout session options and networking opportunities.
Featured 2021 Keynote Presentation: Valerie Trusdale, AASA
Valerie Trusdale
The keynote presentation will feature Dr. Valerie Truesdale, Assistant Executive Director American Association School Administrators (AASA). She leads AASA professional learning programs, including Women in School Leadership, Wallace grants, strategic partnerships, professional learning cohorts and consortia.
Dr. Truesdale previously served as superintendent in two districts, as well as chief learning officer, and as chief technology and transformation officer. She brings experience in rural, suburban and urban settings to support AASA’s members.
Virtual Event Schedule
The Women Leading Delaware Education Conference breakout sessions and panel discussions are facilitated by local leaders who will provide insight and thoughtful discussion on topics such as gender equality, diversity and inclusion, school and district leadership, education policy, and overcoming barriers specific to women.
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
- 8:30 AM Welcome
- 9:00 AM Keynote Address
- 9:45 AM Breakout Sessions
- 11:00 AM Plenary Sessions
- 11:45 AM Affinity Sessions
- 12:15 AM Concluding Discussion
BREAKOUT SESSIONS
Who’s Taking Care of You? A Time for Women Leaders to Shine
Beverly Hutton, Ed.D. Chief Program Officer, National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP)
Meghan Park, Program Manager, National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP)
Wellness, mindfulness, culture building… those are terms that school leaders strive for especially during a COVID-19 school year and the upcoming post-COVID year. We all know the importance of social emotional wellness, but how well are we able to apply those practices to ourselves? Self-care isn’t just about face masks, meditation, and massages…although those things can be nice. It’s about spending your time, including your workday, in ways that prioritize the things and people you care about.
Learn how finding your voice can help lift not only you, but set the bar for how other women leaders lead. Join Dr. Beverly J. Hutton and Meghan Park as they provide discourse on being a woman in two different stages and navigate their professional careers at a national organization.
Jackie Wilson: It’s Not Where You Start…It’s Where You Finish
Jackie O. Wilson, Ed.D., Director, Delaware Academy for School Leadership
Executive Director, National Policy Board for Educational Administration
We make hundreds of decisions every day as school leaders. Most of our decisions are on behalf of students, teachers, and families. How often do you stop and reflect on decisions you have made about your personal career including your professional goals and next steps? In this session, you will reflect on your professional pathway, including a look back at where you have been and how each stop is preparation for the next stop on your professional pathway. Being strategic about your choices is how you finish in a place that is professionally rewarding.
51 Years: One Story/Four Chapters with Sharon Brittingham
Sharon Brittingham, Ed.D, Senior Associate Director, Delaware Academy for School Leadership
In this session, lessons learned in a 51 year journey as a Delaware educator will be shared. Featured discussion will include what helped and hindered my leadership path from teacher to principal to professional developer and leadership coach. Ideas for supporting other women in leadership roles will also be discussed.
You’ve Broken the Glass Ceiling: Now What?
Andrea Thompson, PhD, NAESP Center for Women in Leadership, Fellow
Mrs. Jessica Gomez, NAESP Center for Women in Leadership, Fellow
Attendees will gain an understanding of how women who break glass ceilings need our support. Now that your journey has resulted in a place at the table, the weight of expectations is likely to be more challenging than the actual journey. Women who provided shoulders and voices as support in the absence of a systemic ladder, expect that you will extend a ladder to those waiting to take the climb. Those who pulled you up by stretching their hands downward, now hold high expectations for your contributions. Finally, those who resent your presence at the top, demand the proof that your gender belongs there. What do you do?
Panel Discussion: Critical Things Learned Along the Way with Valerie Truesdale
Nneka M. Jones, M.Ed., Director of Schools, Colonial School District
Deirdre Akiens,Ed.D. Deputy Superintendent, Christina School District
Amelia Hodges, Ed.D. Superintendent Polytech School District
Cora Scott, M.Ed. Assistant Superintendent of Academic Achievement, Brandywine School District
Sylvia Henderson, Ed.D. Interim Superintendent of Schools / Chief School Officer, Capital School District
Jennifer E. Nauman, M.Ed.Assistant Superintendent, Cape Henlopen School District
Karen Blannard, M.Ed. Assistant Superintendent, Indian River School District
Evelyn Edney, Ed.D. School Leader, Early College High School
During this panel discussion panelists will share their leadership journey. This panel has superintendents, curriculum directors, assistant superintendents, and school leaders who have a wide variety of experiences. Learn from their stories.
Held Down and Held Back: What Happens to Women and People of Color in the Principal Pipeline
Lauren P. Bailes, PhD, Assistant Professor, School of Education, University of Delaware
In this session, we’ll review recent research detailing the different pathways to the principalship for men, women, White, and non-White assistant principals. We’ll also talk about the role of mentorship in promoting women to the principalship (and beyond), as well as ways in which community members and policymakers and advocate for more equity in the principal pipeline.
Ann Clark: Opportunity Knocks
Ann Clark, M.Ed. former superintendent in the Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools and Executive Leadership Coach
This session will focus on the many pathways to the superintendency for women aspiring to lead a school district. The presenter will share the challenges female leaders often face in K-12 education, a mindset shift to redirect those challenges into opportunities, and strategic lessons learned from a female leader who led for 34 years in a school district starting as a special education teacher and ending her career as the district superintendent.
History of the Conference
The Women Leading Delaware Education initiative is facilitated by the Delaware Academy for School Leadership at the University of Delaware. The initiative launched with a first annual conference in January 2019. The event was attended by approximately 250 education leaders and featured motivational, learning and networking sessions related to issues and opportunities for women in leadership. As a follow-up to this event, the Delaware Academy for School Leadership offered female education leaders the opportunity to participate in Executive Leadership Coaching in 2019.
Frequently Asked Questions about the Women Leading Delaware Education Conference
Why are we hosting a Women Leading Delaware initiative?
A recent AASA survey found that women are leading only 25% of the nation’s public school districts, yet a 2016 US DOE survey found that 77% of teachers are female. Research indicates that it is more challenging for women to be promoted in their careers than men, for a variety of reasons. The University of Delaware’s DASL are hosting the Women Leading Delaware Education Conference to talk about existing issues and barriers and to provide an opportunity to discuss research-informed solutions.
Who is this event for?
Both men and women are encouraged to participate in this event to become knowledgeable about the conditions for leadership promotion nationally and in Delaware. The Women Leading Delaware Education Conference is an opportunity for men and women to openly share their perspectives on these issues and to collaborate on solutions that will one day create more equitable gender representation at all levels of education leadership.
Questions? Contact Tracy Hudson, tohudson@udel.edu