Lead With C.A.R.E.: Strategies to Build Culturally Competent and Affirming Schools

A framework for the courageous school leadership our students deserve. From the foreword by Gholdy Muhammad... "In Leading With C.A.R.E., Dr. Allen provides a way to disrupt the harms that systems, teachers, and leaders may inflict on children. He uses the richness of his personal and professional experiences to speak to the true purpose and power of schools, which is to disrupt disparities and affirm students' cultural identities and brilliance. In doing so, Dr. Allen reminds educators that we must examine the structures of education historically and in the present so that we can dismantle harmful practices. The framework of C.A.R.E. presented here guides educators to lead with Culturally Responsiveness in teaching and learning, while Affirming children's identities, and building positive Relationships with youth. Dr. Allen posits that this leads to spaces of Empowerment. This book provides the what, the why and importantly, the how. The C.A.R.E. framework helps leaders center the genius and joy of youth and teachers, while recognizing the social times we live in and elevating the education of children, especially those who have been historically excluded in schooling and in society. The framework provides a way forward for leaders to lead differently-with care, belonging, and excellence; providing every child with what they deeply deserve." With learning goals, summaries, and reflection questions included in each chapter, this guide offers actionable strategies educators can use to establish a culture that prioritizes students' experiences and affirms their identities.

Table of Contents:
Foreword Chapter 1: Introduction--Making the Case for a Culture of C.A.R.E./Introduction to the Framework Chapter 2: Cultural Responsiveness Chapter 3: Affirmation Chapter 4: Relationships Chapter 5: Empowerment Chapter 6: Conclusion--Culture Matters

About the Author :
A native of the southside of Chicago, Lionel E. Allen, Jr. is a clinical assistant professor of educational policy studies at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC), where he teaches a signature pedagogy course on cycles of inquiry, organizational change, and co-leads the full-year residency course for aspiring school leaders. Lionel has over twenty years of experience as a teacher, assistant principal, principal, and chief academic officer. He is an education reform consultant, principal coach, and a frequently invited speaker. In 2005, former CPS CEO and United States Secretary of Education Arne Duncan selected Lionel to become the first turnaround principal in Illinois. Under his leadership, the Sherman School of Excellence went from the second-worst performing school in the state to become a national model and a catalyst for future school reform efforts. He recently detailed this experience in the book Fighting the Good Fight: Narratives of the African American Principalship (2022) in a chapter titled “How Should I Feel About That? Renaissance 2010 and School Reform in Chicago.” Lionel is the founder of ed Leaders Matter (eLM), LLC, a consultancy that aims to improve schools by developing school leaders. Under the eLM umbrella, Lionel has provided professional development and coaching to hundreds of school leaders and scores of schools and school districts nationwide. He is also the cofounder and design team member of the Aspire Fellowship, a program designed to diversify the principal pipeline by preparing teacher leaders of color to enter into principal preparation and certification programs. Lionel received his baccalaureate degree from Northwestern University and his master’s and doctoral degrees from University of Illinois at Chicago. Lionel Allen works with educators! Learn more at www.letsleadwithCARE.com

Review :
Lionel is an educational leader who has always walked the walk. His knowledge comes from deep personal experience. He has dedicated his professional career to serving disadvantaged and marginalized students and communities. If you share his passion for that mission, I know you will find his insights both invaluable and inspiring. Dr. Allen provides practical strategies for centering students′ humanity, perspectives, and lived experiences to create culturally affirming educational spaces. This will require our educators to be courageous enough to show up differently. The strategies highlighted in this book are replicable and can be done tomorrow. This book also serves as a guide for parents, educational advocates, and community members on what they should be demanding from their schools. Dr. Lionel Allen has provided mentoring and support for our area educational leaders for the past four years. During the darkest days of the pandemic, when our leaders were feeling defeated, Dr. Allen was a bright light that gave them hope and purpose. His passion and fearlessness in speaking the truth about our educational systems have inspired leaders to be innovators and intentional risk takers to ensure that every child experiences the Culture of C.A.R.E. I have witnessed the administrative mastery of Dr. Lionel Allen in some of the most challenging schools and communities. He has produced excellence in places and spaces that many consider impossible to produce results. Dr. Allen provides a culturally responsive framework and clear, actionable strategies. This book is for educators and leaders who are serious about producing what Dr. Asa Hilliard called "excellence without excuses." Dr. Lionel Allen’s book is an extraordinary tool for collective change. If teams of teachers and school leaders were to read and discuss Dr. Allen’s book together, it is hard to imagine them emerging from the experience unmoved. It provides a mirror of school practices and mindsets that teachers and leaders will recognize, argue about, and from which they will inevitably learn. This book is of tremendous value for educators and caretakers alike. With refreshing candor, Dr. Allen’s no-nonsense approach makes a case that educators must care for their students. By confronting tired excuses for not caring, he reminds us of how simple caring can be, and the powerful impacts it has on student’s lives.