The Supreme Court of the United States outlawed segregation in public schools in the landmark ruling Brown v. Board of Education more than 65 years ago. However, according to the Voices of Reform: Educational Research to Inform and Reform journal, racial segregation still exists in American public schools and is causing severe learning outcomes for students of color.

Articles in the latest issue of the journal, published annually by the Nina B. Hollis Institute for Educational Reform (NBHIER) at Stetson, examine how students of color with and without disabilities do not have successful academic achievements in the public school system.

An article by Hani Morgan, EdD, professor of education at the University of Southern Mississippi, features research that suggests students of color are not identified accurately for special education and are placed in low-quality programs.

Research by William Kyle Ingle, PhD, and Angelique Scherer, EdD, examine the implementation fidelity and student outcomes of Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS) for secondary schools in a large urban school district, placed under a corrective-action plan due to disproportionate suspension practices for students of color.

Ingle is the assistant chair and professor of P-12 educational leadership at the University of Louisville, and Scherer is the assistant director of Exceptional Child Education for Jefferson County Public Schools in Louisville.

“The current issue focuses on inequities in school systems and includes applications for teachers at elementary, secondary and collegiate levels,” said journal editor Lou L. Sabina, PhD, assistant professor of education at Stetson.

In addition to “Misunderstood and Mistreated: Students of Color in Special Education” by Morgan and “PBIS Implementation Fidelity and Student Outcomes in an Urban School District” by Ingle and Scherer, the current issue includes:

• “Examining Student Achievement, Teacher Effectiveness and Merit Pay in a Rural Tennessee School District” by Mary Boudreaux, EdD, associate professor of educational leadership and policy studies at Southern Connecticut State University; and Jill Faulkner, EdD, assistant superintendent and teaching and learning supervisor for K-12 for Chester County School District in Henderson, Tennessee. The article explores the effect of teacher merit-pay levels on educator effectiveness and student achievement within a rural school district.

• “Preparing Scholar-Practitioners for Systemic and Systematic Inquiry: Methodology Published and Practiced” by Susan Curtin, EdD, associate professor of educational administration; David DeJong, EdD, Educational Administration Department chair and assistant professor; and Karen Card, PhD, associate professor of educational administration — all at the University of South Dakota; and Derrick Robinson, PhD, assistant professor of educational leadership and policy studies at the University of Memphis, and Ayana Campoli, EdD, senior researcher at the Learning Policy Institute in Palo Alto, California. The authors examine the methodology presented in four leading educational leadership journals for a period of three years to investigate the predominant methodologies reported in journals most read by faculty members in educational administration or leadership programs. They also discuss the relevance of the study for EdD programs in educational administration and leadership. The analysis may create informed decisions on how to best develop scholar-practitioners’ capacity to use systemic and systematic inquiry to solve complex problems of practice.

• “Perceptions of Leadership Identification: A Collective Autoethnograpical Study” by Christopher M. Parfitt, EdD, president of the Southern Regional Council on Educational Administration; Brianne M. Lopez-Romano, EdD, assistant principal at Oasis Middle School in Cape Coral, Florida; Danielle M. Hudzina, EdD, principal at Vineland Elementary School in Rotonda West, Florida; and Sarah G. Rogozinski, MA, special education teacher at Cannon Road Elementary School in Rockville, Maryland. The educators recount their experiences in relation to identifying leadership talent with a collaborative autoethnographic approach.

• “Understanding the Emotional Systems in Schools” by Jeffrey Hartmann, EdD, principal at Stow-Munroe Falls High School in Stow, Ohio, discusses a hidden dynamic in schools that is potent, pervasive and impacts all aspects of a school’s function. His research includes examples of how the high school used a conceptual framework known as Resilient Leadership, based on the Bowen Family Systems Theory, which helped the school develop a structure to better understand emotional systems.

• Book review: “Mathematics Coaching & Collaboration in a PLC at Work: Every Student Can Learn Mathematics” by Stetson alumna Kellie McClarty, MEd, science resource teacher at Galaxy Middle School in Deltona, Florida. The review is on an instruction manual for coaches and leaders to use in building teams of teachers and future leaders who foster teamwork and help create a culture of learning within their careers.

The mission of Voices of Reform: Educational Research to Inform and Reform is to find new ways to educate children by developing local incubation projects to test innovative ideas that impact K-12 classrooms with specific attention on closing the opportunity gap for children in marginalized settings. The journal seeks scholarly, practitioner articles between 3,500-7,500 words and is accepting submissions for upcoming issues. Exceptional student, international and teacher education (not related to curriculum and instruction) research articles also are welcome.

-Sandra Carr