What went well?

The progress I made; what was achieved and done

This was a really fun week for me, although it was shortened with the July 4 holiday. I had the chance to interview a national expert on kindergarten readiness assessments (KRAs). I had read some of her work, and lots of work broadly about KRAs. As the project we are working on considers the viability of a KRA in DC, it was really insightful for me to hear from her. She was able to share expertise about both the design and implementation of KRAs, while discussing best practices to emphasize and pitfalls to avoid.

What could have been done differently?

Things that did not get done and/or could be changed

This week, I got some feedback from the DC Government agent we are working about the literature review. It wasn’t negative feedback, but they pointed out places where they want expanded research on kindergarten readiness assessments. It provided me some context for what I need to revise going forward to make my research as effective as possible.

What did I learn about myself when working with others?

Contributions, behaviours and values I exhibited

Any type of justice work can be emotionally hard when it is something that you’re deeply invested in. At the end of last week, the U.S. Supreme Court released their decision barring race-based affirmative action. I believe strongly in the value of affirmative action programs, and much of my extracurricular work during college has been related. This week my team was discussing it, and I realized how exhausting it can be to keep fighting for things you believe in. It made me sad thinking about the negative reverberations that the SCOTUS decision will have for the entire field of education equity.

What did I learn about leadership?

Leadership attributes and insights I developed

Building off of the previous answer, I think leadership depends on emotional investment. As part of my job, I listen to talks from other experts in the field. This week, there were many events focused on the effects of the SCOTUS decision. Being able to hear from people who have dedicated their life to equity, makes the work feel less lonely. I think the best leaders have a way of encouraging people not to give up. Even when the work gets hard, they can convince you that it’s worth it to keep pushing.

What do I want to develop or focus on next?

What I still need to develop

The coming week will be really focused on revising my research to help facilitate the advisory committee meetings on district-wide kindergarten assessments. There is a decent amount of work I have to do, but it feels worthwhile. In addition, I need to spend some time figuring out how to most effectively convey the information. All the research is useless unless I effectively communicate it.