3 ENRIQUE ALEMÁN, JR. AND VANGIE AGUILERA
SOCIAL JUSTICE LEADERSHIP FOR SOUTH TEXAS SCHOOLS
T
he Trinity Tomorrow’s Leaders (TTL) Program is the university’s graduate program in educational leadership. Designed to deliver thirty-six credit hours of master’s coursework, the program also includes individualized leadership coaching for our cohort members and additional preparation for the state of Texas principal certification. The TTL program is accelerated (coursework over the span of 14 months in 4 consecutive semesters) and rigorous, and the majority of our faculty are practicing school and district leaders. Whether our graduates enter the field of school leadership and become principals or assistant principals, begin as an instructional coach, take on a role as a central office administrator, or whether they choose to continue to serve as a teacher
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TRINITY LEADERSHIP FORUM
leader, our primary goal is to prepare the next generation of educational leaders who work for transformational change and enact authentic community empowerment approaches. As we develop the knowledge, habits and mindset of a school leader with our students, we are also preparing them to create equitable classroom environments, and to engage families, community members and youth with care and humanity. Since 2021, our cohort members have come from 8 school districts and 5 charter management organizations from across Bexar County, 78 % have been women, and 72% identify as leaders of color. Over these last two most recent cohorts, 41% of our graduates already serve in school administration positions. Despite our longstanding success in preparing school leaders, the TTL
TTL program has been undertaking a series of program evaluation activities as we seek to (re)imagine and (re)define the program’s purpose, its goals, and its impact on the San Antonio and South Texas educational landscape. Our (re) imaging has included the updating and resequencing of curricula, integration of applied student learning experiences, and implementation of individualized coaching that prepares our graduates to both: • disrupt and dismantle practices that result in inequitable outcomes for the students with and for whom they work; and, • identify, create and apply leadership strategies that support learning and build upon the assets that all students and communities possess, but that are not always leveraged or utilized.
