Dr. Uyi Osunde is the Superintendent of Schools in Stratford, Connecticut. Dr. Osunde believes that equity work is necessary work and must be at the front of every conversation across the academic organization. Dr. Osunde’s interests and expertise reside in equity work, whole systems improvement, strategic planning, accountability, and organizational excellence.
Dr. Michael Conner
Good morning, good afternoon and good evening and welcome to another episode of Voices for Excellence. I am your host, Dr. Michael Conner, CEO and founder of the Agile Evolutionary Group. And as you already know, the host for VFE. And today’s episode is the first episode in our September Welcome back to School Leadership series. And of course, I had a bring him on the show. I did not have to look far. Yes, Connecticut is still home for me. I’m living in New York now, obviously, but Connecticut will always be home. I have admired this individual ever since he stepped foot in the University of Connecticut Executive Leadership Program. And that is where we met. We shared a lot in common. I don’t know why he was picking my brain, but ultimately, this brother is doing his thing in Strafford Public Schools. I really admire the work, he is one of the smartest, and this is, I don’t say this much, but he is one of the smartest individuals that I know and I had to bring him onto the podcast. So I would like to welcome the proud Superintendent of Strafford Public Schools, Dr. Uyi Osunde. Dr. Osunde, wow, you made VFE. How you doing?
Dr. Uyi Osunde
I’m great. I’m phenomenal. You know, you’re helping me up here and I appreciate that. But more so, over the last handful of years, you and I have built a relationship. And, you know, I learned a lot watching you lead, right, as a superintendent and transform outcomes for your children. So I appreciate it. I’m excited to be on the podcast. I’ve seen the roster of folks you’ve had on here and you’ve had some titans, and so it’s just an honor to be part of the conversation. And I thought leader around this work. So thank you for having me.
Dr. Michael Conner
Absolutely. And Dr. Osunde, I consider you one of the titans. I would tell you that. The vitality, the strength, the veracity and the context of your transformation practices as well as your methodologies that you underscore is second to none. But hey, I can speak about it, but I want my audience to actually experience it and feel it with you. So we’re gonna go right into the podcast. Dr. Osunde, and I like to start out with a fun question, right? I’m very interested to hear what song is going to describe you. But we know that in Connecticut, when leaders follow your work, stakeholders from your district unwrap and hear you tell story points with regard to your vision and education executives throughout the country, when they unwrap your vision, the vision of Dr. Osunde, What equity song defines your work, and how would you describe the leadership signature? Your leadership signature with regard to systems work in the context of your district with equity in mind?
Dr. Uyi Osunde
That’s a pretty powerful question. I’ve, you know, I’ve listened to a few of your guests and previous podcasts, so I expected this question and I was reflecting on on the question which song would represent my leadership work around equity. I do struggle with this a little bit, but you know, I have to take it back, way back in the time to use your words. But I think… I think the song that would best characterize my equity work is likely Marvin Gaye What’s Going On. And, you know, he speaks about challenges. But one of the things he repeats on and on is that, you know, we have to find a way. And equity work is unending, it’s work of the heart. And I could tell you this, you know, before I got into administration, I was a school counselor for quite some time. And in those conversations in that community here in Connecticut, a little bit north of where I’m at right now, and when I was a school counselor, I would sit in offices, you know, with families. And in one meeting I would have a very affluent, you know, white family. And, you know, 45 minutes after that, I would have a family that’s really struggling paycheck to paycheck with some of the most brightest and most capable kids. So for me, from a equity standpoint, it became my life’s work to make sure that we create opportunities and create some level of parody for kids to be able to have a quality of life that I feel all children deserve. So in that way, I would say that finding a way, working with folks and making sure that all kids are at the center of the conversation, I would say that Marvin Gaye – What’s Going On accurately captures my leadership disposition around equity work. And again, just to build off of that, I think equity work can’t be solo work. It can’t be solo work. It requires this group of people who believe in the impacts and value of the work and what and how it stands to benefit all children, not just children who are disenfranchized. So I would say that what I do do well across the school systems I’ve been blessed to work with is I get like minded folks together to have a conversation and work in the direction for children and I’ve been blessed and fortunate that we’ve generated some pretty, pretty good results.
Dr. Michael Conner
Absolutely. And when we talk about Marvin Gaye – What’s Going On, that is an all time classic Dr. Osunde. Classic, it is, with a capital C, not a lower case C. That’s the mecca right there. Absolutely, but when we unwrap it, specifically when we look at it in this analogous form of education fighting our way in equity, we know that when we look at equity work and being equity driven leaders, finding a way is that constant iterative nature, iterative mindset that even though that one approach might work, what are the alternatives that we can be able to apply to ensure you use that word very intentionally, parody, right? Parody equity, making sure that students get everything that they need based off of their fundamental needs. And when we talk about consensus, and this is where you’re going to hear this throughout the podcast and me kind of reiterating it, right, is that how do we reach that level of consensus with regards to the equity work that we’re doing? But truly what we think about equity and consensus, what’s really going on in the education sector as we continue to unwrap it. But let’s go back to you and I, personal. All right. And I remember a plethora of discussions we had, past and current, on various problems of practice within the education ecosystem. Moreover, our discussions have been focused lately on reaching consensus with equity, but deconstructing the operating model in education, specifically around the elements. Right? The elements within this new demand of our economy. I like to equate it to Delta 2030, an example when we talk about this unwrapping it equity in innovation, innovation in equity working in the synonymous context is with integrating technology and AI solutions and platforms in this FAVES step, function context. But let’s pretend you and I on the phone, and we talk a whole lot on the phone. To my audience, the 10 o’clock phone calls after board meetings, Dr. Osunde and I, we will have conversations. Here’s the better one, here’s the better. Dr. Osunde, when you’re stuck in traffic at 6:30, you call me, right? Stop calling me during traffic. He’s like, who can I call? Let me call Mike. But what are some… Now let’s pretend that we are on, you know, a telephone call after a board meeting or when you’re going home to your family. So what are some practical steps? Right. And broad theoretical ideologies that leaders can implement and reference in this space context to achieve a new operating or business model for Generation Alpha and Generation Z in the AC stage of education?
Dr. Uyi Osunde
There’s a lot packed into that question there. But before I respond to that question, I just want to say, you know, being stuck on 95 and 95 traffic is really one of the only solitary times I have to be able to get caught up on a few things. And since you must be worldwide right now, right. It’s hard to get in touch with you, you don’t be answering my calls no more. We’ll start calling you Carmen San Diego or Pitbull, but it’s so impressive what you’re doing across the country. And you do the work that’s happening now, it seems, globally. But to answer your question, Michael, you know, I think we can all agree that the current operating model is outdated and it hasn’t worked. You know, it has worked for some but sadly has not worked for all. I think I think we can all agree to that one course has a standpoint. But what is also debatably a little bit more problematic is that education has historically been a slow change and a slow adapting sector of the work. I think despite the fact that we fail to keep, as a field and as a sector, we fail to keep pace with the change, the rapid changes of things that are happening. Our society, I think… perhaps maybe more so than theoretical ideologies, what I think that all schools system leaders, all leaders in general have to do is normalize and embrace that AI is here. And it is likely here to stay. And there’s a lot of work. It’s you know, AI is still in its infancy stage, there’s a lot of things that have to be studied from a design concept standpoint, but think very similar to the late nineties and early 2000s was seen on the tech bone, you know, it’s going to be unavoidable. And we do anticipate that AI will continue to evolve. But I think first and foremost, what we have to do as leaders is understand the risk. Why. But I think, there’s a saying that says those who don’t adapt, and I’ll let the audience fill in the remaining part of the sentence. I think what is probably creating the level of enigma around AI right now is perhaps not necessarily what it can do, or… families, right. From a family engagement standpoint, you think about various stakeholder groups, what it can do for educators and operating processes, for school systems. But I think that deeper conversation is its impact on kids, on academic integrity standpoint. So there is… there’s more work to be done in investigating the ethics of AI. But when we talk about creating some level of parody access, there is no doubt that this can benefit families, particularly families that have been historically marginalized. As Superintendents, we oftentimes, whether it’s our workshops, conferences, we are oftentimes in conversations with ED tech providers. And ED tech providers are at an alarming pace. I shouldn’t say alarming, I would probably characterize that as an impressive pace, are integrating AI into their solutions that they want to support all systems. So first and foremost, I think all school leaders need to embrace it. They need to study it, they need to understand the assets of how can benefit what they’re trying to accomplish. And I think there’s more work ahead. This naturally is at the forefront of the thinking of most teachers and educators is how do we safeguard against that academic integrity aspects of this and how do we make sure that kids continue to generate and produce authentic work?
Dr. Michael Conner
Absolutely. Absolutely. And I love what you stated, Dr. Osunde, with regards to leaders, organizations, even to the level of classroom practitioners, we have to find a way to embrace artificial intelligence, because right now they’re actually in the process, and continuously, as there are better data sets that are being developed, algorithms are becoming much more sophisticated in order of the amount of data that’s being collected by, I always like to reference an MIT professor. He always stated that we have to be able to mind the gap, mind the gap with machines and with humans, and finding that level of reciprocity where the resonating point is strategic integration and interface to accelerate the business outcomes, to celebrate that vision, or more importantly, to accelerate the access and opportunity for the customer. And when I think about being customer centric and the education ecosystem as our families and our students, but this is quite a large ongoing conversation because again, you said it at the outset, education is a slow, adaptive process. Right? And I think that we have to accelerate that speed a little bit more if we want to ensure that our educational subsystems and even our structures are in alignment to the broader demand and the economy where… you’re right, Dr. Osunde, we talked about this a while ago, and I want to bring this in. It’s the fact that we can’t have students operationalizing themselves in the real world, underscoring AI developing algorithms developing codes, but they go into an academic environment where the teacher is heavily weighted with direct instruction, whereas monolithic interpretation of the information. We know the characteristics of Generation Z and Generation Alpha, they prefer relevance over compliance and yes, everybody, this is how our conversations are at 10:00.
Dr. Uyi Osunde
We often talk like nerds, don’t talk about how we’re nerds. This is what we geek out to. Ya’ll don’t even know. So, yes this is what we talk about. It’s enjoyable to talk with like minded folks around, you know, the evolution of not just where education’s gone, but what’s important for kids. For me, I think you’re one of the deepest thinkers around the work. You’re really transforming it for our generation of educational leaders. So, I follow your work, I’ve been following your work for years. And I see, different ways you’re bringing this work to life across the country. But to your point, focusing on this generation of kiddos, things have to be meaningful and relevant for them, more so than the model that’s been pervasive for the last hundred years where it’s largely anchored on compliance. We know that demographic and cultural shifts of the country is transforming and really they’re all transforming and will be transforming rapidly over the next 25, 35 years. So I think it’s imperative that as leaders, not just local leaders but school system leaders, pay attention to this. And we keep pace and respond to the needs of our current and future learners.
Dr. Michael Conner
Absolutely. And this segways nicely, Dr. Osunde, into our next question because I know your work from a personal lens, a deep personal lens. I’ve seen your trajectory even going into the superintendent role and absolutely just admire everything about you, what you stand for, what you’re doing for kids. You epitomize intentionality, boldness and being unapologetic. And what I mean by that is how you’re able to leverage your knowledge, your expertise to create systems of excellence and equity for all. Specifically what you’re doing now for Stratford Public Schools. Just absolutely amazing. Congratulations on the outcomes, statistical outcomes that that we’ve seen within Stratford. I want you to highlight that in a little bit. But I want to get into this question because now that we’re on the topic of Generation Z and Generation Alpha, just to give you a context of where we’re at right now, the generation of the millennials… Worldwide, they possess 35% of the jobs in the field today, not linear to one, but just a multitude of variety of different industries. Moreover, the predictive modeling or predictive analytics is grounding that by 2030, less than seven years away, 50% of the workforce, 50% of the workforce, both domestically and internationally, is going to be grounded with millennials as well as Generation Z. Okay, So now when we talk about the key attributes and characteristics of Generation Z, they were the first group for digital natives, right? They focus on collaboration. They’re highly focused on relevance in lieu of compliance. Right? So and they’re in our schools today. If you think about the public education vector is dominated by Generation Alpha and Generation Z, Generation Alpha, our fifth grade students and below have an even I mean, the differentiation of characteristics between Generation Z and Generation Alpha are even fundamental. I mean, it’s fundamentally there’s a huge gap between that, right? And these are generational students that we’re educating. Albeit, we still operationalize on the Jeffersonian model, this bashed industrialization that has not changed which you talked about. WP Demming, or Demming, I apologize, has a great quote: “Every system is perfectly designed to get the results that it gets.” And he says where you see this gap, this exacerbation with regards to the students that we’re educating and the design of the model. First, in your words, how are these students different that you see as a superintendent in Stratford Public Schools, Generation Z and Generation Alpha and then also, two, you do a phenomenal job of this, an exceptional job, ow do you empower the voice agency of your students in your district?
Dr. Uyi Osunde
It’s a complex question, but it’s really not that complex. It’s actually straightforward. I would say, I would I characterize our kiddos, Generation Z and Generation Alpha… I would say it’s a it’s a group of kiddos… It’s a generation of kiddos who know nothing other than the technology age and social justice age. When this is exclusively what they grew up in. So I think our kiddos either know how to become creative, leveraging technology or they know how to promote their voice. Okay, you’ve seen it, whether it’s on the heels of the George Floyd murder or Parkland or all the different things that have really happened over the last quarter, 15 to 17, maybe even 20 years. This is all they know growing up. I remember growing up having one phone in the house and everyone had to line up, you know, that was our technology, right? And here I am, I’ve got five channels and one of them was scrambled and that was my technology. I remember payphones, all those things.
Dr. Michael Conner
Pay phones, when it cost a dime, Dr. Osunde.
Dr. Uyi Osunde
Bro, its quarters, all that stuff, right. And so, you know, our generation of kiddos, this is our basis, this is the mental scheme of the world in the technology age and the social justice age, which if you really kind of think about it, it’s a powerful combination. It’s a transformative combination, right. Give me the back half of that question as well. Why? I know you were talking about agency and so our how to leaders create voice agency. I think simply by just creating space for them to talk, I certainly communicate to them that their voice is an important art in this matrix and algorithm that we call the education system. You’d be surprised how insightful they are. When I was a principal, my students would sit down with me and they would make pitches okay, and I would walk them, almost similar to a dissertation, I would ask, why you want to do this, justify it, and be sure to… be sure to articulate the impact on the school or population of kiddos you’re trying to impact. And you know… You know, if you have been through a doctoral program, channeling that mind set, a short set of slides get your point across on and so forth. So what was happening now is, I was having a flurry of kids who would show 35 slides back. Listen, you got 18 minutes. I can bounce it. And what’s happening now is our teachers, you know, whenever they’re trying to move something across the school, they would always tell the kids, okay, you go talk to Dr. Osunde about this, but you better come up with a presentation. You’d better be sharp and better be well-prepared and I think that’s such an important aspect of the work, creating the space where they can do that. And for us to strive for that. One of the things we’ve tried to do is we weave our student voice into everything that we do. Okay? I mean, oftentimes, in the space of the board governance structure or the superintendents office or the institutional beacons that represent the institution, there is some level of apprehension in some context. But we’ve knocked those barriers down. We’re saying, the folks are saying, the kids are saying, the families are saying to teachers that your voice matters. And to be honest with you, in all the conventions of how we’re trained in the clinical and technical standpoint about how to design and how to operate or how to lead schools, our kids and our families, without those conventional training experiences, come the strategies that meet same end. Right. And it’s a powerful process when you’re not able to marry that with outcomes and results. It builds internal confidence around a power and voice and power of agency. So now when we start to talk about results, it’s not superintendent has leadership team do this or I start to respond at least a team to this. Their strategies that yielded these outcomes for kids which my kids of color was a strategy that was proposed by a 14 and half year old. Right. That is powerful from an agency standpoint. Right. But beyond that, when you talk about… we think about the larger ecosystem of the work and the future aspirations and direction of the district, our school system, parent voice. Right. And voice is critically important in identifying those priorities. And if the outcomes are favorable or positive, you say that this is not something that was constructed by the superintendent and his team superintendent, perhaps operationalize it. What the strategy or the priority in might of your voice and your voice matters. So we just have to create the space. And I think for things that make sense, we weave it into our systems design. And for us here, that’s been something that every start that I’ve been at as we’ve been voice in the two systems designed in a way that I feel confident that my team and myself can operationalize and yield positive outcomes.
Dr. Michael Conner
Absolutely. And Dr. Osunde, I want to just tell you this and tell my audience this, and I’ve told you this plenty of times that you are one of the organizational assistant design Czars, right? And I power. Yet listen, I’ve had many conversations, a lot of people. But for you to go into the I like to say complications in complex it is that level polarity of end with the system and understanding key apparatus and tenets around the complexities and how to unwrap them is absolutely sensation inspired. Love our conversation, love our friendship, love our brotherhood. But I can tell you this, that this sun going into your office and you create it as a dissertation environment for 17 and 18 year old is scary. I don’t know I could at 70 go in there know is going to be a dissertation the environment get to the point you’re not Michael Connor who likes to exaggerate points and all of that 18 minutes and that’s it. Okay I’m scared.
Dr. Uyi Osunde
You also the thing the thing that was compelling and powerful about it is that it became culture. Yes. And our staff actually started to replicate some of the same things. And I would adopt it, you know, So I would always the kids would come and I would ask questions, probing questions to either expand, thinking or expand thoughts or challenge design and construct. But I would always say to kids, if you make a pitch and we have the resources to do it, there’s no reason why I should not do it right. So in the same processes, the same with with Centrosomes, the same with our teachers, and even here right now, you know, and whether it is a cabinet member or member of a professional community, here they come with a cogent and concise pitch justification, knowing that Dr. Osunde is going to ask questions. And again, my philosophy remains the same in that if we have the resources to do it, there’s absolutely no reason why we shouldn’t do it.
Dr. Michael Conner
Absolutely. I always, you know, used to state, you know, when I was a superintendent, that is going to be very hard for me to say no to a student. Right. And one thing that I love about hearing this is that the voices of the students, the agency, the empowerment is always there because, yes, I’m going to have to use research language for this. Dr. Osunde, you take an ethnographic approach, mid level of empathy to understand your families and students to be able to design in accordance to the confluence of what they want and what they need to meet their needs with that. But I love the phrase create the space to talk, and I think that we need more opportunities with that. I don’t know if you heard about this, but there has been some proposed legislation to increase the voter age to 25. And I think and this is just again, a theory that I’m developing is because it goes back to exactly what you stated with regards to that met a theme of students being a technology savvy, but more importantly, this social justice lens. We’re seeing a lot of that we was the Generation Z really focuses on diversity and diverse perspectives. But what we see for Generation Alpha is this global mindset, right? Where we see that that’s where the elements of equity and social justice comes in. So the only theory that I have is is to shut their voices out, to raise the voter age to 25.
Dr. Uyi Osunde
It’s institutional design intended to our press. It’s called what it is. I grew up in powerful voice. Right. And that’s I wasn’t aware of that. But that’s just terrible to hear as an education, somebody or worse, Western kids and families. I should start over here.
Dr. Michael Conner
Yeah, that was that was proposed. So I don’t think it’s going to move through because obviously we have Generation Z and generation Alpha who will speak up about that. But continuing on. Right. We know that the speaking of Generation Alpha, Generation Z, right, the educational needs have radically shifted. Right. And it was highlighted more in the pandemic. And even during the pandemic equity hit, everybody in equity said everyone didn’t matter where you for on the demographic level, on the socio graphic level, even at the psychographic level. Right. Inequities and disparities did hit all families to some context. But in your words, I want you to describe what equity driven work looks like in the context. So where that actions or these actions right, are going to be in alignment to the paradigm shifts of the AC stage of education. That’s the first question. Right? And then the second question is, now that we know the educational needs right of our students, now that we have unwrapped and unpack what equity driven work looks like, I want you in your own words to define urgency as it relates to be intentional and bold, to achieve the results that we want for all.
Dr. Uyi Osunde
Again, I’m not surprised. Mike, you got layers to your questions, right? Yeah, but it’s like, wait, what? So, you know, equity work. I think the work begins with just number one being very committed to naming it, calling it out and naming the conditions and disparities that exist, announce impacts and also right specifically and you’re going to break that down layers, kids, staff, families work. The thing about equity challenges is that oftentimes it’s not just it’s not a burden that’s solely owned by the school system. It’s oftentimes a societal characteristic as well that obviously permeates and emerges in school system because by law, all kids are expected to attend school. I think, you know, defining equity work and the urgency of the work is, number one, anchoring it on what we can see to anchor it and on the voices and especially the folks and then to the data. Right. So we see quite a pandemic. I was going to say that woman is something that we knew was already there. It did. It’s been there has been there for almost a century. Right. But for us here in Stratford, one of the things that we’ve been very deliberate about that is defined it how we perceive equity. We look for a common language line so focused we define equity around three core constructs, one access, right? So that you think about resources and thinking about biases and all those different things that may serve as impediments or just opportunities. Orcas are arbitrary and naturally we’re a school system. So we obviously take a look at Mormon’s, right? Performance, right. And then the last piece of this experience, right? So those are three of the constructs tacked on to drive our equity work and so on.
Dr. Michael Conner
Dr. Osunde, I apologize for interjecting and because, you know, we my audience use this as an asynchronous professional learning tool so that they can be able to go back and forth with regards to listening to these strategies, listening to these practices, applying it, going back instead design thinking, process of ideation and iteration at the same time. Can you for my audience again, because those three constructs are very important, Can you repeat them one more time?
Dr. Uyi Osunde
Sure, the three approaches. We have to make sure we create some level to come back to respond to the equity disparity conditions are focused on access, right? And because we’re an academic institution, performance, obviously performance achieve and then experience, right? So when we talk about experience and that’s a critical aspect of the work in my school system, we have about 72% of white children are kids of color. White. And conversely, in professional staff, we got a lot of work by professional staff was very similar to the national data where it’s, you know, celebrated model, so to speak. We’ve done a lot of work in that area, but we’re very intentional about, as we have determined, that those are the core ways, the core constructs we’re going to respond to, to address the equity challenges and disparities we have here. Right. And that we automatically jump into design concepts aligned with strategy is how we’re going to respond to each of those three constructs access, performance and experience. Right? Experience is probably the foundation of a lot of this work, right? Which becomes conversations about dignity and feel and value in the sense of belongingness, sense of connectedness. We use that later with not just our children, right, but also with our staff and also with our family. And I don’t want to make it I don’t want to make any kind of claim that we are at a rival state. You know, this is my I’m starting my third year here and honored to be positioned to continue to lead this district. But we’re some pretty impressive things. Right. And oftentimes when it comes to the experience aspects of both of those three pronged approach, you know, brain voice and agency makes people feel our use, right, Makes people feel valued. Right. And this selected me more right. Because with voice, you can start to shape a common identity. Right. And it’s a powerful concept. So, you know, one of the things that you probably recognize, those three constructs that I just mentioned are by design. They’re intended to be self-reinforcing. Okay. So it’s a powerful opportunity, but, you know, design and similar to you, I’m a complex thinker. I think you’re in some Elon Musk… I’ve come twice now I’m still down here but…
Dr. Michael Conner
Okay, Bill Gates.
Dr. Uyi Osunde
Tan economic demographic equity work unapologetically right has been centered around those three things. It was also important that we put in a structure and processes in a capital to make sure that that came to life well. I’ve been blessed that I’ve received my board support around the world. We don’t beat on my chest about it. We do the work because it benefits children.hat’s an enormous amount I think but you know I believe deeply informs the function. So when you design a strategy and you’re in all those design principles, you design, you know, to go back to your phrase from W.D. Demming, well, a system was designed to do what was supposed to do, you know, and if we if we are intentional and deliberate about thinking deeply about we want while shopping for our children and our school communities that we can design source, that’s a worksheet for us right now was a rapidly transforming racial contrast and rapidly transform an economic demographic equity work unapologetically right has been centered around those three things. It was also important that we put in a structure and processes in a capital to make sure that that came to life well. I’ve been blessed that I’ve received my board support around the world. We don’t beat on my chest about it. We do the work because it benefits children. But I also have a team of folks who are passionate about equity work who are championing that. My school leaders. Right? So equity work can be implemented to the extent that the disposition that people lead in the school and then as well that a guy who she understands what we’re blessed. Those are school leaders into the world.
Dr. Michael Conner
And so and I can tell you this, that as Sun Stratford is blessed to have and you know, I don’t want to say much, you know, with regards to a lot of systems in Connecticut that educate my son. But I would actually have no problems putting Mikey in your school system because I know that he will excel under your leadership with that. But more importantly, when you talked about creating that common identity, I always go back to Edgar Shine’s work, and I think one of the hardest things that we as organizational leaders, as executives and superintendents is not the hardware, right? Not the hardware shifts, the hardware, the structures and systems. And education is creating exactly what you just stated. The common language around the three constructs that you identified with access, performance and experience, that shared mental model. Right? How do we create a shared mental model and breaks some of the old mind might habits or mind frames to be able to create new mind frames? I always say that within the organization, if we’re going to get to this utopia of creating a shared model, a common mental model around the three constructs that you identified what access, performance and experience you have to learn to unlearn to real desires. Shift in the software within an organization. And I can tell you right now the three constructs that you identified around a common language and building those systems of practice is absolutely phenomenal. You’re you have that essentiality around the software when you know the hardware is going to get you the performance outcomes that you need. It very systematic, very systematized. Dr. Osunde, but let me get into this question. This is a very that’s out there, right? And I wanted to touch upon this because I know that, you know, your work, your direct involvement with the University of Connecticut is a mess, Right? Is deep. Your voice is there. And specifically how you are engaging with officials, higher education officials and board of trustee members at the higher education level. So I definitely wanted to unwrap this. And most recently it was just released in August, a blog piece for Tom Vander Ark. Right. One of his fellows for getting smart. And I wrote about how students could potentially fill invisible with the affirmative action decision that was just eliminated by the Supreme Court. Right. So the recent decision by the Supreme Court reversed affirmative action as it pertains to higher education. Admission process is right. There is there are a bastion of theories highlighting negative, negative, not positive negative future implications in the context of discriminatory acts that will impact black and brown students for for successfully matriculating into higher educations. I’m speaking specifically, Dr. Osunde, with the PWIs. Right. Predominantly white institutions now want take it to another step. Right? Because theories out there where there’s going to be negative implications in the context of elite PWI is both large and small Ivies where we would even see this immense phenomenon where a silo, where the context is going to be. PWI and HBCU, historically black college universities. Right. But I want to know what are your perspectives and views about this decision? I wrote about it, but I’ve been talking to a lot of people with regards to this decision and how we can be able to address this to ensure that. Discriminatory acts does not take place in higher education admission processes and also to would advice since you have the ear of board of trustee members, since you since you are revered at the university level. Right. What type of advice can you offer these officials to ensure black and brown students do not become invisible in predominantly white institutions?
Dr. Uyi Osunde
God, this is Elon Musk question number 72. My brother, you keep them coming. I well, you know that, but there’s a level of brilliance to the way you raised questions. But I think think my response to this question is I think similar to most people. I think we can all say that we’re deeply disappointed in the decision by the courts. I and, you know, dating back to, you know, the repeal of Roe Roe v Wade. Right. And then the affirmative action, you go back to our earlier conversation about a system actually does what it’s designed to do this this actually should we kind of think about it and this really what this amounts to is an institutional discrimination that’s propagated by the justice system. Right. And it only naturally leads to more marginalization. So there’s disappointment across the board. When I think about PWI and I think about higher education, there’s some level of dissonance for me in the context of this affirmative action case, because, you know, as I shared with students why I got into the world of administration and school systems leadership, I was a school counselor for so long. We told children that, you know, go to college, get a degree right, build your skills and capacities, and that were to become more marketable. And it goes back to that conversation I started this segment was where I said I wanted my kids out a better quality of life and not live paycheck to paycheck. So on so many different levels, this is disappoint. It’s not to say that all just saw a pathway for children. I mean, there are it’s who and we’re going to create, you know, our career creating those things here and of course school system opportunities for kids to still maximize and, you know, tap into the lives, passion and maximize those contributing members to the demands of the new economy, so to speak. When we think about our PWI, I think the advice I would give board of Trustees is to be very intentional about seeking out and writing policies that actively combat marginalization of scholars, scholar candidates of color. Right? While that would be the one, but more importantly, I think there needs to be added focus on the gatekeepers of wealth students entry points to institutions. PWI humanizes. I mean, that’s the admissions office on every campus, okay? That’s the admissions office on every campus. So there’s work to be done there. I think, you know, I would argue that if you sit down and you talk to and I saw grounded in any kind of fact that there is just a personal assumptions or perhaps not that this was actually an assumption. But if you sit down with the administration and most institutions, well, I was perhaps not strong and formidable and served their perspectives and the board trustees, I would assume that they would disagree with that decision of the course. But I think that has to be deliberate award that that supports that disagreement. Right. It has to play out that way in how they conduct themselves and how they they bring this word to life. I do think that for us, for school systems leaders who have been working incredibly hard to make sure that kids have the capacity to grow and develop as academic scholars under our watch, it creates some level dissonance. Now for us to talk about access, right? All right. About access. Right. And experience. Right. And performance. Right. And we do all this work at the K-12 level, right? To build the life force that exists between within our children and then to get to the gates of the institution of higher learning. And there again, stiff armed. How does that play? Right. Contradicting mission in terms of what we’re trying to accomplish for our children. We want our kids should they choose to go to school. Right. And there’s are more PWI than there are districts in this country should they choose to go to school and they have worse. It’s putting the time, effort, energy, and they are outstanding scholars. Core systems should not have the authority to create that. This proverbial stiff arm right When we know that there are biases out there for admissions and all those different variables that really kind of adversely impacts a child’s candidacy, that’s problematic. So I think there has to be broader conversations between higher education institutions and K-12 to make sure our missions are aligned, that we can support them around how to, you know, write policies and work with the admissions office in a way that, wow, what this justice system, whether it’s, you know, deliberate or not deliberate, what they are slated to do by design does not continue to marginalize a group, people who have been historically disenfranchized .
Dr. Michael Conner
And well stated, that just ended because essentially the Supreme or is explicitly an implicitly stating that PWIs higher education academic institutions need to become colorblind. Right. And and the reality is the world that you and I live in, I don’t know where colorblindness is, right? And often they might articulate it and this verbal context, but when it comes to what you and I feel is something that is fundamentally different, a common mentor of ours, Dr. Steven Adams, he would say it is the antithesis of what we believe. Shout out to Dr. A.
Dr. Uyi Osunde
Yeah, shout out to Dr. A. And so we want to take a deep backwards and say, Now what that means for lunch. 4 hours is just I mean, you walk away almost every time, I wouldn’t say. And almost suddenly at the time he’s being being supported. So stuff the docs docs great.
Dr. Michael Conner
Listen Doctor Adamasca, I’ll tell you when I worked under him as his chief academic officer, everybody would say, How was it working under doctor? I said, Listen, it was PD every day and I got paid for it. I was going to say, you know, I talked to him from time to time when you have what type of time you were, you were seven, seven, seven. We’re blessed every bit of it. That’s how I am right now. It’s better, but you are absolutely right, Dr. Osunde, when it comes to policy development, articulation of the policy implementation, but also really focusing on the admissions office. Right. And focusing on what is the propensity and density in the context of the percentage of students, how we’re looking as students from the entry points and matriculation successfully matriculating into some of these elite or regular institutions. But you stated a phrase that means a lot deliberate work, right? We have to be deliberate and we have to be intentional. And this alignment and I think that, you know, with leaders such as yourself and leaders across the country who are looking or screaming for that K-12 higher education alignment. Right. That’s where now we’re seeing this disjunction where there is rooted and ground at work, specifically within this level of equity and excellence to ensure that all means or breaking down or dismantling these historical constructs for new constructs. But again, another barrier that we have to successfully hurdle over is specifically this outcome from the Supreme Court. But as I stated in my blog and how I ended it, we shall overcome. So the last question that fly the way Marvin Gaye got to find all those merits right there, Big Brother. But the hearing you feel this may I love you brought me but the last question right and this is just for my audience sake right And the three words that they want to take out of this. But what three words do you want today’s audience to leave our episode to address the volatility and the complexities of law in the AC stage of education and those three words, right? What should my audience do to always and grow their mindsets when these new demands are ambiguous in nature and ambiguous in context?
Dr. Uyi Osunde
So after the AC stage, you know, they c stage was on the stage and all across the board, across the board. And the outcome of the AC stage is a greater need that we have to be responsive to. So I’m assuming that your most of your audience are systems leader in some of the large structure. So I would I would say resiliency like, which is now, you know, resiliency precedes Rasp, my next word, which would be commitment to a word. Okay. So not every day is going to be no woe, but on drops and sunshine. Right? And then ingenuity. Okay. We have to have an out of the box thinking approach to respond to the needs of what we have seen emerge out of the pandemic. So this is AC stage, medication will require a great deal of ingenuity. Some school system leaders really not just relegated to the education sector. I mean, leadership, wrong entity as a whole, also resiliency, commitment to the work. Well, I think this is important for our environment gain. We have to find a way. So you got to stay committed to what it means to assist the latest items and then engineering.
Dr. Michael Conner
Absolutely. And those three words, right when I think about them, absolutely need it. And the AC stage of education, resiliency, commitment and ingenuity. But bringing it back to Marvin Gaye, by that way, Dr. Osunde, we so now there’s no more questions. Right? But here’s the thing. We we last that right You asked that I should say the episode of this episode of Voices for Excellence. Moreover, when I’m happy about is not at 10:00 at night after a board meeting and I’m not your I-95 call.
Dr. Uyi Osunde
I’ll tell you this, but I always enjoy talking shop with you. And like I said, it’s you know, the superintendent is typically a singular role, you know, So I you get a chance to talk to people who are who have done the work and found success in the word and continue to boast of thresholds of limitations of the field to advance things for children. It’s always refreshing. So thank you for giving me an opportunity. Keep up the great work.
Dr. Michael Conner
Thank you. Thank you. And Dr. Osunde, I know, because this is our welcome back series that we’re having on Voices for Excellence. Leaders across the country. They reach out to each other. I try to create the network effect, the context of being able to share practices and ideas. Anybody in my audience, I want to be able to go deeper with this. How would they be able to get in contact with you?
Dr. Uyi Osunde
Sure, I’m active on LinkedIn. Just look up my name. I’m also active on Twitter @SuptOsunde, SuptOsunde on Twitter or I guess it’s called X now where your boy you log in you get things that were there where you can also reach me by by simply calling email on why we the district office.
Dr. Michael Conner
Absolutely And we thank you so much for being on Voices for Excellence. I am sure. Big Brother, I will talk to you probably in two days next week about something I’m truly, truly appreciative that you even reach out to me just to be able to bounce ideas back and forth, humbled in honor, especially one from someone who I just admire from an academic standpoint and educational leaders standpoint and just as a brother. So you made it through. I appreciate you, man. Call me. We got to talk. We got to catch up. And for my audience, onward and upward everybody. Have a great evening.
