Dr. Rosa Isiah, A blog about my journey as an Educational Leader for Social Justice

Rosa Isiah, Ed. D. Dr. Muhammad's book, Transforming School Culture , completely changed my perspectives on school culture, leadership, and student achievement.  I picked up the book 7 years ago as a new Assistant Principal and had an opportunity to listen to Dr. Muhammad speak shortly after. As a new administrator, the book and his message were exactly what I needed to help me better understand my teacher teams and the journey from a toxic to a healthy school culture. This is my sixth year as a principal and Transforming School Culture continues to be my go-to culture framework. Dr. Muhammad’s book is organized in a way that allows the reader to navigate the book easily.  The reader can choose and target specific topics or choose to read it from cover to cover. Dr. Muhammad’s introduction in chapter one explains the need for an overhaul of our current educational system. The research presented helps the reader understand the need to shift from the current system to ...

Courageous Leadership By Rosa Isiah “We have to be engaged at the heart level in order to be courageous champions.” -Margaret Wheatley When I decided to enter the world of educational leadership, I underestimated the value of courage. I was enthusiastic and somewhat naïve about my role as a school leader. Within weeks of my new leadership journey, I immediately learned that I needed to deal with difficult situations that I didn’t feel prepared for. We explored challenging leadership scenarios in my administrative credential coursework, but nothing compared to the daily decisions that required deep reflection, courage, and soul searching. My first year was full of opportunities to practice reflection and courageous leadership.  Those opportunities included having difficult conversations and supporting team members who needed a boost. The educator who couldn’t find the courage to raise expectations for students, and not raise her voice. The parent who had good inte...