Educate Magazine Spring 2020

INSIDE

Educate

Spring 2020 Volume Ten Number One

COLLEGE SIGNING DAY No longer reserved for athletes

• The Benefits of a Tailwind • Effects of a New Mission Statement • Applied Learning

Educate COLLEGE OF EDUCATION Dr. Jean Haar, Dean DEPARTMENTS Aviation Counseling & Student Personnel Educational Leadership Elementary and Literacy Education K–12 and Secondary Programs Military Science and Leadership Special Education The Children’s House

GREETINGS FROM THE

DEAN

CENTERS Center for Engaged Leadership Center for Educator Support Center for Educator Partnerships and Student Support The vision of Minnesota State University, Mankato’s College of Education is to inspire lifelong learning and professional engagement through racial consciousness, social justice, and inclusion within a global context.

The mission of the College of Education is to prepare professionals through research and evidence-based practices who demonstrate excellence in their profession.

The purpose of Educate is to inform education stakeholders of the ongoing work of the College of Education and its impact on the education profession. Educate is published by the College of Education and distributed to faculty, staff, students, alumni, and education supporters.

The College of Education welcomes ideas for feature stories and other content consistent with the mission of the magazine. Please email story ideas to christina.hinz@mnsu.edu College of Education Minnesota State University, Mankato 118 Armstrong Hall Mankato, MN 56001 Phone: 507-389-5445 Fax: 507-389-2566 MANAGING EDITOR Christina Hinz WRITER Carol Jones DESIGNER Poburka Design

Welcome to our 2019-2020 issue of Educate.

We hope it provides some insight into who we are as a college and a university. For me, the articles demonstrate the magnitude of our relationships and passions as well as our continuous efforts to provide our students with experiences that reflect our society’s changing demographics and needs. The stories present real outcomes from quality preparation programs that have been developed through strong partnerships and persistence.

As a college, we know the intensity and complexity of preparing professionals who impact lives. Our students learn in real-time and in real settings whether that is in a school building for our future educators, in a cockpit for our future aviators, in a clinical setting for our future counselors, or in an active duty setting for our future military leaders.

Together with our partners, we remain invested in doing work that is relevant to our students, our communities, and our nation. I hope you gain a sense of affirmation to the caliber of that work through the stories shared in this issue.

Enjoy,

PHOTOGRAPHERS SPX/Quality 1 Hr Foto Bryce Andrews/Tailwind STARBASE Minnesota PRINT COORDINATOR Ryan Schuh

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Jean Haar

TABLE OF

CONTENTS

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College Signing Day

Some area high schools are holding education signing days. These events include family, friends, and influential teachers, and they celebrate students pursuing a career in education.

11

Professional Goals Becomes Personal Mission

With two children in elementary school, raising money for the College of Education has a new meaning for Kristen Dulas.

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The Benefits of a Tailwind

Reggie Reed and Kyle Smith are long-time supporters of the Aviation Program who are making a real difference.

12

Applied Learning

Growing up, Whitney Williams (2019) had an affinity for science and math. Now a teacher for STARBASE Minnesota in St. Paul, she feels like she won the job lottery.

8

Effects of a New Mission Statement

A rigorous self-assessment led the Department of Educational Leadership to develop and adopt a new, equity-forward mission statement.

14

Open to Change

Effective leaders listen to people around them.

Jean Haar, dean of the College of Education, has a history of paying attention to messages others dismiss and quietly forging a new path.

Minnesota State University, Mankato

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COLLEGE SIGNING DAY

No longer reserved for athletes

Minnesota needs strong, committed, passionate educators. It is a profession that too often is under appreciated and under celebrated. Some area high schools are holding education signing days. These events include family, friends, and influential teachers, and they celebrate students pursuing a career in education.

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Faribault Public Schools

M

any students involved in the education signing days have taken Minnesota State Mankato’s Exploring Careers in Education—a course offered through concurrent enrollment at several area high schools.

Concurrent enrollment classes are university courses taught at high schools by pre-approved instructors. These instructors have graduate degrees, special training, and qualify to teach as an adjunct faculty member at the university.

There is no cost to the student, and they receive college credit.

In Fall Semester 2017, the university’s first Exploring Careers in Education course was offered in one district. Carrie Chapman developed the course and worked with three instructors in the Rosemount-Apple Valley-Eagan ISD 196.

In 2018, Chapman applied for and received a nearly $100,00 grant to expand the Exploring Careers in Education. The grant was made available by the Minnesota Department of Education to help recruit students into education, especially students of color.

In one year, the program grew from 3 classes in a single district to 20 classes in 13 high school in 11 districts. “We have expanded to more metro and added rural districts with a lot of small schools: Rosemount-Apple Valley-Eagan, St. Peter, Mankato, Faribault, Owatonna, Kasson-Mantorville, Fairmont, Albert Lea, Granada-Huntley East Chain, Owatonna, and St. James.” In August or September, each of those classrooms visits the Minnesota State Mankato campus.

“One of the goals of the Minnesota Department of Education grant was to energize high school students, especially students of color, to consider a career in education,” said Chapman. “We used the grant to offer specialized training for instructors, expand the program to additional districts, and subsidize the cost of the course for participating districts.”

Chapman teaches an equivalent course on campus. While all the Exploring Careers in Education classes follow a similar outline, they are customized at each location. For example, every course includes classroom experience.

Students in Kasson-Mantorville, Albert Lea, Fairmont, St. James, and Owatonna gain experience in the districts’ elementary schools. Students in Rosemount-Apple Valley-Eagan teach the district’s 6th grade drug education course. Students in St. Peter serve as AVID tutors, and students in Faribault gain experience in their in-house preschool. “Early experience is very important,” said Chapman. “We want potential students to know early on what a career in education is really like.”

After only a couple of years, Chapman sees the course is making an impact.

In one year, enrollment nearly tripled, from 54 students in 2017-18 to 157 students in 2018-19. “It is a popular course and I think it is having the effect of getting more students interested in a career in education,” she said.

The signing days are also raising the status of education careers. The events have included speeches from university deans; scholarship announcements; “jersey” (aka a more practical ¾ zip sweatshirt) presentations; local radio, TV, and newspaper coverage; and support of family, friends, and influential teachers. Making a big deal of choosing careers in education helps make it a big deal to choose a career in education.

Chapman Presents Research at National Conference Carrie Chapman presented her research related to the Exploring Careers in Education concurrent enrollment course at the National Alliance of Concurrent Enrollment Partnerships (NACEP) National Conference in Salt Lake City, Utah, on October 14, 2019.

Her presentation session abstract is provided below.

Title: Instructors‘ Views: Student Diversity, Course Strategies and Professional Development Abstract: Increasing teachers of color is a state of Minnesota priority.

State funding to support this initiative facilitated investigating high school teachers’ perceptions of a Concurrent Enrollment course. A majority of their work includes preparing their course, teaching and assessing student learning consistent with a college level general education course, facilitating students’ active learning and teaching, and engaging in their own professional development. Teachers from participating high schools participated in interviews and observations of the class and their H.S. students’ teaching elementary and middle school students.

Resulting themes and future ideas that may impact concurrent enrollment courses will be explored.

Minnesota State University, Mankato

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The Benefits of a Tailwind The Department of Aviation at Minnesota State Mankato has had more than its share of drama and controversy. Twice, there were discussions about whether the program would remain part of the university’s major offerings, in 2003 and again in 2009.

our graduates have been very, very successful. Airlines that hire our graduates want more and more of our students. Our industry partners say they will take our students any day because they know they will do well.”

Fast forward to 2019:

Developing a strong aviation program and re-establishing its reputation wasn’t done in isolation. The program has had a lot of support. Two long-time advocates and supporters are Reggie Reed and Kyle Smith, founders of the real-estate development Tailwind Group.

• Accredited by Aviation Accreditation Board International in 2015 • Enrollment has more than doubled since 2015 • Industry partnerships with 5 airlines • 15 new planes • 2 new faculty • Major terminal renovations including additional classrooms • New flight planning and tracking software “Once people realized the program was not closing and the university was in full support, things started to shift,” said Tom Peterson, former program coordinator. “It’s no secret the industry demand for commercial pilots is higher than ever. In addition,

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Reed applauds the university’s continued support of the aviation program. He believes the decision to recommit to the program reflects the university’s overall successful strategic investment priorities. “It has been good for the university overall,” said Reed.

“Aviation program enrollment [at Minnesota State Mankato] is now one of the top ten in the country. Because of the aviation program, Mankato is the second busiest airport in the state, second only to MSP. Other universities that let their aviation program die are likely regretting that decision.”

▲

Reggie Reed and Kyle Smith, founders of the real-estate development Tailwind Group.

Reed explained the reason he and Smith have long supported the aviation program and the university in general. It is more than their love of flying and being aviation program alumni. “We have 1600 rental bedrooms in the area and the vast majority of those are filled by students. Now with North Star, we have a long-term agreement with Minnesota State Mankato.

We benefit from the university, and the university benefits from us. Kyle and I decided early on to give back and support the growth of the university.”

Reed and Smith met in 1999 and are both graduates of the aviation program. As students, both worked for North Star Aviation—the aviation program’s flight training school. And both worked as professional pilots until 2015. During a pilot layoff after 911, they began dabbling in rental units. Even after they began flying again, their property management business became increasingly successful. Soon they were both managing two full-time careers. “Dual careers became a challenge. We needed to pick an avenue of where we wanted to invest our energy long-term,” said Reed.

However, since choosing careers in property development, Reed and Smith seemed to have gone out of their way to stay deeply involved in the aviation industry. In 2018, they purchased their former employer, North Star Aviation. [Side note: The former owner of North Star Aviation is Mark Smith, Kyle’s uncle. Reggie said smiling, “Mark pretty much told us we were going to buy North Star when he was ready to retire.”]

Ferrero agreed, “They know how to walk a student through the process. We have a synergistic relationship with them and the end product [graduating student] proves it works.” According to Ferrero, under Reed and Smith’s leadership, North Star Aviation is advancing to the next level and taking the aviation program with it.

Reed and Smith seem to be on a mission. “We have a vision of Minnesota State Mankato as a premier aviation program,” said Reed. “We purchased 15 new planes. We—in cooperation with the City of Mankato and the university—are in the middle of a major terminal renovation, adding classroom space and branding it purple and gold. We want students to be excited and proud to be a part of Minnesota State University and the aviation program.”

Along with the new planes and “We have a vision building renovations, North Star of Minnesota State is adopting a new flight planning Mankato as a premier and tracking software to keep better track of student progress aviation program,” and accommodate the increased Reggie Reed numbers. “They are looking for ways to help the program continually move forward. When they find something that works, they do it,” said Ferrero. “And it is great for us.”

According to Merriam-Webster, tailwind is “a force or influence that advances progress toward an improved condition.” Reggie Reed and Kyle Smith are, indeed, a force helping advance the aviation program to their destination of becoming a premier program.

Reed and Smith saw an exciting opportunity with North Star Aviation that would allow them to stay connected to the industry while growing the business. The successful partnership between North Star and Minnesota State Mankato’s aviation program was a key factor.

A strong relationship between a university aviation program and a flight school is vital to the success of both. Department Chair Mike Ferrero explained, “Minnesota State Mankato faculty provide the rigor on the academic side—ground courses, aviation human factors, aviation safety, aviation law, professional pilot capstone course, etc. And our partner North Star Aviation has been expertly providing the lab work—flight training—for the last 14 years.

“North Star knows their business,” said Peterson. “They have figured out over the years how to move from a flying club atmosphere to a very disciplined, ordered training operation.”

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Effects of a New Mission Statement

In a nation often called a melting pot, U.S. classrooms are increasingly reflecting that description—students of color will soon outnumber white students. In fact, enrollment projections show that by 2025, white students will account for less than 40 percent of total enrollment in public schools. However, students of color—soon the largest segment of our P-12 system—are not being educated to the same level as white students.

While Minnesota’s overall education achievement scores rank near the top in the nation, the opportunity to learn and achieve is not the same for all students. In 2019, a Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis report found the education achievement gaps in Minnesota to be one of the worst in the country.

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Asking the tough questions

Achieving results

Historically, gaps in student achievement have been blamed on the students and families of color. Faculty in the Department of Educational Leadership challenged that view. Instead, they believed the disparities show that educational leadership training has not kept pace with the changing demographics in our schools. Since the department is directly responsible for training those leaders, they resolved to conduct a department self-assessment. There were long, difficult, and frustrating discussions about current department practices, personal biases, and how they perpetuated the status quo. In 2012, this critical program review led to a new mission statement:

These system-wide changes in departmental approaches, strategies, and practices are working.

The Department of Educational Leadership is dedicated to the study of intersectionality among race, cultural responsiveness, and social justice.

We prepare racially/ethically conscious leaders who are resolute in serving ALL learners in a broad spectrum of educational settings. The department is committed to developing educators with strong skills in racial equity leadership, instructional leadership, and experiential learning. We seek to advance the capacity of leaders who will eliminate predictable racial disparities through projectbased learning and learner-centered programming in a Master of Science, Specialist, and Doctorate graduate degree program.

Proportion of Students Proficient at Grade Level on MCA III Tests—2018 Demographic

Grade 4 Reading

Grade 8 Math

White students

65%

65%

American Indian/ Alaska Native students

31%

25%

Asian students

48%

63%

Black students

31%

29%

Hispanic students

32%

35%

Students eligible for free/ reduced-price meals

36%

36%

The department felt an urgency to address racial equity head on and prepare aspiring educational leaders to do the same.

No longer would they simply offer one course on multicultural issues in education. Rather, the new mission guided the department to embed race equity into each course, lesson, and assignment. In addition, department position postings and interviews would be explicit about preferred qualifications and demonstration of racially conscious leadership.

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167

Increased program and diversity enrollments. The department has increased program enrollment from 68 students in 2011 to 167 students in Fall 2019, with an increase in diversity from 6.51% in 2011 to 24.84% in Fall 2019.

68 2011

2019

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For academic year 2018-19, the departmental diversity student graduation rate was 77%.

77%

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Increased program and students of color degree awards.

The department saw an increase in students of color degree awards from 2.56% of department total in 2013 to 22.71% in 2017; 24.39% of total departmental awards in academic year 2018/19 were to diversity students.

During the 2012 - 2013 school year, the department awarded 39 degrees; the department awarded 66 degrees in 2016 – 2017, and 87 degrees in academic year 2018/2019.

39 2013

66

2017

87

2019

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98.13% of program graduates are employed full-time in the profession. (CDC, 2016)

98.13%

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30% of departmental faculty are faculty of color this year.

Our departmental work has resulted in an increase in our percentage of faculty of color and our ability to retain our faculty of color. In 2010, there was no faculty of color in the department.

30%

While the department’s change in its mission was not motivated by the possibility of awards, recognition of their work is a nice bonus. On October 23, 2019, the Department of Educational Leadership received the Excellence in Equity Innovation Award.

The award was given out by Minnesota State—the governing body for 30 colleges and 7 universities with 54 campuses offering more than 3,800 programs.

Minnesota State University, Mankato

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Opportunity Makes a Difference Jessica Davis, 2019 Minnesota Teacher of the Year, said the encouragement and opportunities she was offered at Minnesota State Mankato changed her life.

Davis came to Minnesota State University, Mankato in 1997 as a Presidential Scholar.

“Mankato has always been lovely to me.

And 23 years later, they are still by my side,” said Davis.

Making an Impact Students in various programs within the Department of Educational Leadership appreciate the faculty’s commitment to address racial equity. As educational leaders, they feel prepared and supported to do the same.

As an aspiring educational leader, Larry Tate was referred to the Department of Educational Leadership to maximize his leadership growth. Tate completed his master’s in educational leadership and is currently pursuing his specialist and doctoral degrees. He is grateful for the full complement of equity work required by the various programs—intention of the faculty, related assignments, and, most especially, the language. “The process of providing verbiage, showing you how that language will support the change, and allowing you to dive in and apply the language is second to none,” he said. “It has given me more confidence to engage in courageous “Our program unapologetically conversations about race.” addresses issues of systemic

racism in education and seeks to broaden your [doctoral students] knowledge about how leadership impacts racial equity.”

The department has also made an impact on established educational leaders. Nanette Yurecko participated in several programs and completed the superintendent’s licensure program.

Natalie Rasmussen, Department of She said the department’s commitment Educational, Leadership faculty member to racial equity helped her develop both the will and the skill to work toward transforming educational systems. But the effect of the department’s commitment extends beyond the classroom. “Their meaningful work is not merely about altering the predictable educational outcomes for students of color, but rather serves our greater humanity through the exploration of a personal racial consciousness journey.”

Real, sustained change toward equality doesn’t happen because of a new mission statement; it requires self-examination, discussion, and hard work. Conversations related to equity can be painful. Change can be difficult. The Department of Educational Leadership at Minnesota State Mankato recognizes the challenge and creates a safe space to explore personal and professional biases. Guided by their mission statement, faculty in the Department of Educational Leadership pushes and supports everyone to be courageous as they work to eliminate racial disparities in education. They are counting on their students—aspiring and established educational leaders—to do the hard work and carry the department’s mission forward to ensure greater opportunity for all students.

Because greater opportunity offers the possibility for greater achievement.

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Initially a pre-med student at Mankato, Davis went on to earn a Master of Arts in Teaching from Hamline University and began teaching in the Twin Cities Metro area. It hasn’t always been easy, and Davis isn’t one to sugarcoat things.

“Education is hard. There have been plenty of times when I have cried, plenty of times when I thought I was going to quit,” she said.

“I teach because I want to not because I have to. I know I could have gone to med school. I know I could go and do whatever I want,” she said. “But my passion is these kids. It gives me purpose to give them opportunity.

Davis’ commitment to students extends beyond the classroom. “We need to prepare our students with a variety of coping skills for life outside the classroom. And for our students of color, who haven’t seen someone who looks like them as a teacher or scientist, we need to encourage them to start thinking about themselves in those roles,” she said. “We need to help them navigate through that.”

Davis continues to be grateful for the support and encouragement she received at Minnesota State Mankato.

“[Minnesota State] Mankato always treated me like I was a success story. Maybe that is the trick for educators—if you want to create someone who is successful, treat them as if they already are. From the get-go, Mankato did that for me.”

Jessica Davis, 2019 Minnesota Teacher of the Year

higher education funding by $9 billion, adjusted for inflation. Students are paying more than just higher tuition; they are paying a larger share of operating expenses.

According to the State Higher Education Executive Officers Association, ten years ago students paid for about one third of university operating budgets; now students are paying nearly one half.

Development needs extend beyond scholarships.

Education is not an easy profession. Forty-four percent of teacher graduates leave the profession within the first five years. The College of Education at Minnesota State Mankato doesn’t just offer classes and hope the newly graduated teachers have the tools and skills they need to be successful.

Professional Goals Becomes

PERSONAL MISSION “Five years ago, I had no idea what a development director did,” said Kristen Dulas. Today, not only does she fully understand the work, it has become personal.

Dulas became the director of development for the College of Education in 2016. While she may have been green regarding development, she brought boundless energy, creativity, and a strong work ethic to her new position. Dulas’ energy turned into passion for raising support for Minnesota State Mankato, especially the College of Education.

“I don’t want to hide from the work I do. When people ask me, ‘What do you really do?’ I tell them, ‘I hustle to find support for our students.’ It is the promise I made to the university.”

Her work has never been in higher demand. The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities—an American think tank—reports that in the last 10 years, states have collectively scaled back annual

“We have learned, and seen first-hand, the importance of investing in professional educators, especially in the partner schools where we send our teacher candidates [student teachers],” said Jean Haar, dean of the College of Education. “This long-term professional investment makes a real difference in the lives and education of our teacher candidates, but more importantly, in the education of the children in their K-12 classrooms.”

Dulas agrees. “It is not just about university students working toward a degree in education; it is about all the university does in education to support our partner districts and their teachers. Our responsibility goes beyond the walls of the university.”

The support the College of Education provides to teachers in their partner districts (mentor training; teachers on special assignments; graduate fellowships) comes full circle. It doesn’t only benefit professional teachers; it directly impacts the College of Education’s teacher candidates. For example, teachers in the partner districts receive research-based mentor training. Teacher candidates in those partner districts benefit from those mentoring experiences. Effective mentoring promotes professional and personal development and increased job satisfaction for the teacher candidates.

Finding the funding to support these critical programs has become personal for Dulas. “I have three kids; two are in school now. When I go to the teacher conferences, I am more concerned with how the teacher is doing,” she says. “Because if the teacher is doing well, loving their job, feeling supported, energized, there is a greater chance the students in the classroom will do well, too. And now, my kids are those students.”

Minnesota State University, Mankato

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APPLIED LEARNING

(above) Williams is wearing the blue flight suit that is standard uniform for all STARBASE Minnesota instructors, chosen to enhance the learning experience for students.

(right) Williams encourages students as a they build communication skills during a robotics and coding discussion.

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A teacher for STARBASE Minnesota in St. Paul, Whitney Williams feels like she won the job lottery. Williams is a 2019 graduate of Minnesota State Mankato’s College of Education and her first day on the job was four days after graduation. “I graduated on Saturday in May and started on Wednesday,” she said, laughing. “It is an amazing opportunity to be able to jump right in and not have a gap between my student teaching and the start of my teaching career.”

STARBASE Minnesota provides weeklong, complementary STEM-focused education programs. Curriculum includes hands-on science, technology, engineering, and math activities that enhance traditional classroom instruction. Williams said one goal of STARBASE is to help all students see a STEM profession in their future.

Growing up, Williams had an affinity for science and math.

“The [College of Education’s] STEM certificate interested me, but I didn’t really know what that meant,” she said. When she learned about the four Cs in STEM—collaboration, communication, critical thinking, and creativity—she was hooked. She understood how important it would be for all her students to develop these skills. “STEM teaches kids real life skills using activities and lessons to solve real world problems; there is a purpose to everything done in STEM because it is applied concepts,” said Williams.

STEM

The STARBASE program provides the time and the opportunity for students to apply the lessons and work through the concepts with hands-on activities. And Williams relishes in the excitement of her students. “They are so excited to have the opportunities they don’t get in their typical classroom,” she said.

STARBASE provides activities that are often beyond classroom budgets. Williams said the activities, and STARBASE teachers, encourage the students to share thoughts and ideas—right or wrong—to solve a problem. Along with the science or math lesson, students learn that any idea or prototype, even failed ones, helps the team get closer to the solution. “Kids talk about how they are going to use ideas and lessons learned in class to remake something,” said Williams. “It is awesome.”

“It is also fun when teachers get to see their kids in a new way,” she said. “They are mostly observers here and they are sometimes surprised to see which kids have the grit to stick with it to find the answer.”

As a first-year teacher, Williams appreciates having a set curriculum so she can work on her pedagogy and teaching strategies. And, although she keeps working on it, she understands sometimes even the best lesson plans go astray.

“Our classes at Mankato taught us that education is not a perfect world and our textbooks won’t have all the answers,” she said.

“Our faculty and our classroom experience did a great job of preparing us for the challenges we might face in our careers.

I felt super prepared, but no matter how much training or mentorship you have, you need to do it on your own to put theory together with your own instincts and style into practice.”

Williams has advice for new teacher candidates that she works to apply herself. “Try your hardest to be forgiving and kind to yourselves. The mentor teachers are veteran educators; it is easy to compare yourself and it can be intimidating. Remind yourself they started where you are. Communicate what you need and 100 percent of the time, they [Minnesota State Mankato faculty and mentor teachers] will give you the tools you need to excel.

Williams supports students as they engage in an engineering design process, evaluating and redesigning prototypes.

Science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education benefits from specialized instruction and training. Although there is no Minnesota teaching licensure for STEM, the College of Education began offering a 20-credit STEM certificate in 2013.

A big part of Whitney Williams’ teacher training and mentorship included earning her STEM certificate.

She is confident her STEM certificate, and the work she did to get it, gave her the credentials to land the job with STARBASE Minnesota. “We worked a lot with the engineering design process in the STEM certificate,” she said. “Having that background knowledge was super beneficial to show in my portfolio.”

For more information about the STEM certificate, visit https://www.mnsu.edu/geprograms/elementary_education_stem_cert.html

Minnesota State University, Mankato

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Open to

CHANGE

Jean Haar, dean of the College of Education, describes herself as an accidental educator who grew into an educational leader. A good listener who is open to possibilities, Haar is open to change and rises to the challenges required to move things forward.

Accidental Educator As a high school graduate, Haar enrolled at South Dakota State University intending to become a journalist. When she doubted her creative abilities and decided to pursue a degree in English, her advisor strongly encouraged her to get a teaching degree— to improve her employability.

What she discovered is that she really liked teaching. “Which was good because I was graduating and needed a job,” she said, laughing. Haar quickly became invested in connecting with and engaging students and making sure they learned. That is how Haar became an accidental educator.

Educational Leader—Principal After several years in the classroom, Haar became restless and somewhat critical of the education system. She explored the idea of graduate school. At that time, her advisor at SDSU said she may as well get her principal licensure. Initially, she balked at that idea too.

“At first I thought, ‘Who would want to be a principal?’ It turns out I did,” she said.

Landing her first principal position wasn’t easy. “I went on all these interviews for high school principal and no one hired me—I am female and had no experience,” she said. “I spent a year subbing.

That was very impactful on me as an educational leader. I could tell when I stepped into a school whether it was a good, supportive culture or not. A lot of it was about the principal. The time and attention given to individuals was important and, it really impacted the learning environment.” The next year, she began applying for principal positions again. “It wasn’t looking good,” she said. A late change in a school district opened the door for her. And so Haar began her journey as an educational leader.

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Several years later, as her beliefs clashed with the system again, she earned her Ph.D. in administration, curriculum, and instruction from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

Educational Leader—University Dean As an educational leader, Haar has always focused on creating environments where students and teachers felt supported. She continues that leadership style at Minnesota State Mankato’s College of Education.

“Coming here, I didn’t imagine I would be the dean. I was in educational leadership, investing in and preparing school leaders who would create an environment that was welcoming. Things changed because others saw potential in me that I didn’t see. They nudged, guided, supported, and sometimes pushed me forward to become the leader I am today.”

Now Haar seems to spend a great deal of her time nudging, guiding, supporting, and sometimes pushing others to explore their potential. As dean, she has established a culture of support and growth within the College of Education.

Change and Growth An area of significant growth for the College of Education is what Haar calls its equity journey, which began more formally with support from the Bush Foundation Grant. “The grant allowed us to create a position for recruitment and retention.”

“In the K-12 system, students of color will soon make up more than 50 percent of the classroom, but only 4 percent of educators are people of color,” said Haar. “We have a moral imperative to do something.” There is a need to disrupt an inequitable system and create something that works for everyone. For too long, people of color have not been represented. Under Haar’s leadership, that is changing.

She explained the value of intentionally recruiting and retaining staff and students of color. The College of Education recruited and hired people of color and listened to their perspective and their insight. Attention was given to how the college and university policies impact people of color. It has taken a while to build trust; it is still a work in progress. When students of color trust their advisors and share experiences with them, the college must listen. When stories of micro aggression are shared, like a supervising teacher judging a student of color more harshly than their white colleague, the college must listen. When students of color report being chosen last to work as a group partner, the college must listen. These experiences are used to educate teams and future teachers. “We are working to disrupt the system that tolerates inequity and build a system that allows change and growth,” said Haar.

“It is really important that we are open and intentional and specifically try to educate ourselves. I grew up very isolated; I didn’t have a clue about racial struggles. I still have to read a lot,” said Haar. “Our leaders of color are open and honest and are willing to tolerate our ignorance and help build understanding and move the college forward. It is important that we not make it about the feelings and guilt of white people.

“Hearing students’ stories has really opened our eyes; faculty and others have been more receptive to hearing it from them.

As uncomfortable as it is, it has made us better.”

Haar continues to promote an environment that is open to change and meets the real needs of students. She doesn’t pretend to be the expert. Rather, she relies on a diverse group of advisors and explores creative avenues for change. Together, they are developing a more equitable system and students and staff who are more enlightened in equity issues, more confident educators, and stronger leaders.

HAAR RECEIVES 2019 IMPACT AWARD

HAAR RECEIVES 2019 IMPACT AWARD The University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s Department of Educational Administration awarded Dean Jean Haar its 2019 Impact Award. The award, in its inaugural year, recognizes a distinguished alum of the department who has made a significant impact in the field, communities, and organizations. Perhaps Haar’s biggest impact is in the area of addressing racial equity in education, the Mankato community, and the State of Minnesota. “We are invested in preparing an equity-minded, professional workforce that addresses persistent, systemic opportunity gaps,” said Haar. In addition to moving the College of Education’s equity lens forward, she has given her time to local and state advisory boards.

When asked about the award, Haar immediately credited those whom she feels helped shape her career. “Others saw potential in me that I did not. They nudged, guided, supported, and sometimes pushed me forward to become the leader I am today.”

While at UNL, Haar said she gained a wealth of knowledge and experiences that prepared her to fully engage as an educational leader. She said, “It is a privilege to be recognized by those I respect and who invest so much of their time in guiding others to reach their full potential.”

Haar also served a keynote speaker at the 33rd Annual Women in Educational Leadership Conference, in Lincoln, Nebraska in October 2019.

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To make a gift to the College of Education, contact Kristen Dulas at kristen.dulas@mnsu.edu or 507-398-1381.

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