Professional Development > Academies 

Because equity takes deep acumen. 

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The first Academies of their kind with rich, deep, scholarly curricula. Participants experience profound learning around histories of oppression and culturally responsive school leadership. Created to unite minds in the same learning space for two and a half engaging days. Run by educators with a passion as big as yours.
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Current CRSLI Academies

The Original CRSLI Legacy Academy with Drs. Muhammad Khalifa and Katie Pekel

Featuring the work of Muhammad Khalifa, PhD, author of Culturally Responsive School Leadership
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Through CRSLI’s most foundational learning experience, Legacy Academy participants will embark on a journey to develop core Culturally Responsive School Leadership understandings and skills. By uncovering the historical oppression of minoritized students and communities, participants learn to disrupt oppressive structures and systems to achieve racial equity and social justice for students and communities.

The CRSLI Genius & Joy Academy with Dr. Gholdy Muhammad's Team

Featuring the work of Gholdy Muhammad, PhD, author of Cultivating Genius and Unearthing Joy
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Dr. Gholdy Muhammad’s groundbreaking books have empowered tens of thousands of educators to implement culturally and historically relevant education (CHRE) through the Five Pursuits. Become a leader of Dr. Muhammad’s approach by deepening your instructional leadership skills through a framework that centers culturally responsive leadership for developing a humanizing curriculum.

The CRSLI Disrupting Equity Traps & Tropes Academy with Dr. Jamila Dugan

Featuring the work of Jamila Dugan, EdD, co-author of Street Data: A Next-Generation Model for Equity, Pedagogy, and School Transformation
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In this academy, Dr. Jamila Dugan and the CRSLI team will take you on a voyage to discover the traps that delimit our capacities to lead for social justice and antiracism. By leveraging the Culturally Responsive School Leadership Framework, you will develop the knowledge, understanding and skills to redefine data as actionable, eye-level, and humanizing.

The CRSLI Special Education Academy with Dr. Keith Mayes

Featuring the work of Keith Mayes, PhD, author of The Unteachables: Disability Rights and the Invention of Black Special Education
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In this remarkable academy on racialization in special education, participants develop Culturally Responsive School Leadership skills to visibilize historical continuities upholding racial oppression and social injustices in special education policies, systems, and practices. Discover the tools, skills and mindsets leaders need to uproot systemic racism in this complex field of education.


Sustain and scale culturally responsive leadership across your school or system.

After the Academy

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Research tells us that educational leaders need certain kinds of supports to change their practices. Effective professional learning for leaders must be: sustained, job-embedded, modeled, active, just-in-time, coached and collaborative (Abedini, et al., 2021; Coakes & Clarke, 2006; Darling-Hammond et al., 2017; Lave & Wenger, 1991; Stoll & Seashore Louis, 2007). Our Academies provide an immersive and paradigm-shifting experience for learners; After the Academy is the solution for deepening and extending CRSL so that it takes root. 
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• Five school leaders – men and women- with medium to dark skin tones sit in a circle holding papers, smiling and laughing.

An informative process for an illuminating outcome.

With a scholarly approach that goes past the fluff, we’re here to help school leaders use their power and position to create culturally responsive environments. Such profound learning happens when principals, superintendents, and other school leaders gather together in the same learning space to discuss CRSL. Over the course of each leadership academy, participants will spend their time digging into history and theory, activities and practices, and leadership and systems change.
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A woman with light skin tone attending the CRSLI academy sitting at a desk and listening with interest. In the background a man with dark skin tone writes in a notebook.

Who can attend leadership academies?
Leadership academies are designed specifically for teacher-leaders, school-based leaders, district leaders, superintendents, and board members. However, other educators and staff (such as equity directors/DEI leaders or non-profit organization officers) can also benefit deeply from our CRSL Academies.


How are academies structured?  
In-person leadership academies are 2 consecutive full days + one half day, and are traditionally hosted by the school district participating in the academy.   

Virtual leadership academics can either be 2 consecutive full days + one half day, or 5 half-days. 

How do I sign leaders at my school or district up for an academy?
To attend a leadership academy, you can either join one that has already been scheduled, or contact us to schedule one that works for your district.

This is more than a team-building exercise. It’s a culture-shifting initiative.

Participants walk away with deep knowledge, readily usable tools, and new skill sets that will lead to both short and long-term shifts in practice. Those shifts lead to schools becoming more humanizing spaces for minoritized students.

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“The Culturally Responsive Leadership Academy brought our district what is missing in most equity professional development - historical context. This combined with the excellent readings and facilitation has genuinely had an impact on how we view our equity work as system work, not just personal work.”

Renee Corneille - Superintendent St. Anthony-New Brighton Public Schools

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