School administrators, school district leaders, and education policy analysts all benefit from a firm understanding of research methods and evidence-based practices. As professionals, we will need to continually revisit the foundations of our learning, reinforcing core competencies in research ethics. Given the importance of evidence-based practices, educators need to be competent in research methods, research ethics and applied social science as it pertains to educational policy and practice. This course has therefore been instrumental in preparing me for a future as an education leader and administrator. As I progress through graduate school, I will be called upon to contribute more frequently to professional journals as a researcher and scholar-practitioner. I appreciate the hard work we accomplished on our professional publication manuscript and have also benefitted from the collaborative instructional strategies used to engender a sense of community. Likewise, I look forward to working more closely with my mentors, who continue to empower me to contribute my own voice to scholarly discourse in education. I am eager to conduct both qualitative and quantitative studies, both of which contribute to the growing body of knowledge related to pedagogy, leadership and instructional strategies. The evolution of my personal and professional identity will depend on...

The information we learned about trauma has transformed my outlook on leadership and organizational culture. I can already recognize the many different ways I can contribute to the community too, by more conscientious development of strategic partnerships that help students and their parents. The pilot programs described by Plumb, Bush & Kersevich (2016) inspired me to develop initiatives and organizational policies that reflect best practice guidelines. Similarly, I intend to apply the strengths-based approach suggested by Brunzell, Waters & Stokes (2015) to teacher development. I look forward to thriving in a leadership position that allows me to become a servant leader: someone who communicates a grand vision to all educators and stakeholders in the community. We also addressed trauma-related issues from a mezzo-level and macro-level perspective that encourages us to recognize sociological variables like race, class, and gender. Course content also addressed the pressing need for education administrators to…