Overview

Called to Sankofa is a collection of Hurricane Katrina survival stories by African American education leaders in New Orleans. It draws upon the West African concept, Sankofa, which loosely translates to ""return to the source and fetch."" The griots, through their stories, fetch salvageable and knowledge-laden valuables linked to their resilience and rebuilding efforts. Thus, the Sankofa concept serves as a lens for examining leadership in the aftermath of disaster; it serves as an intense magnifier and illuminator of lessons considered relevant and profoundly valuable to guide one’s understanding of how to lead in, through and beyond disaster. Past experiences yield teachable moments. The lessons excerpted from these moments reveal the sources from which the leaders draw the resilience to recover from trauma, the vision to guide others, the courage to challenge the status quo, the imagination to make a way where there is none and the stamina to press beyond peril toward an unpromised future. Called to Sankofa rejects the assumption that ""all was broken"" in education—either before or due to Katrina, and through the storytellers, we are reminded that to rebuild things better than before, one must take stock of, extract meaning from and be guided by what constituted the ""before."" Hence, Called to Sankofa documents the leaders’ acts of resilience, optimism, strength, passion and resolve and details the support structures and sources of inspiration that enabled within them the capacity to adapt to the chaotic and uncertain environments and to be moved to action and leadership.

Full Product Details

9781433154089

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Reviews

“A prolific discussion of crisis due to the devastation and disaster faced by a city that resides at the heart of the South. A must-read for leaders of communities and education entities.”—Beth Howard-Brown, Counselor Education Professor, South Carolina State University; Director, American Institutes for Research “Anyone who aspires to effective and visionary leadership in education—or other fields—in these critical times will benefit from the powerful wisdom, grit and moral courage in the lessons these survivors of Hurricane Katrina learned. From the imaginative culturally grounded research methodology to the heart-wrenching personal examples of leading through and beyond trauma and disaster, this volume is an absolutely indispensable gift of scholarship and education practice.”—Joyce E. King, Benjamin E. Mays Endowed Chair for Urban Teaching, Learning and Leadership, Georgia State University; Past president, The American Educational Research Association “Katrina was a life-changing event that impacted every citizen in the New Orleans region. As a leader, it was a daunting and humbling experience that tested me professionally and personally. Moreover, the authors of Called to Sankofa were equally impacted by their experiences in addressing the multitude of needs and leading the recovery efforts for the colleges, campuses, and community. This book captures the challenges and the amazing teamwork that brought us through Katrina and beyond.”—Walter G. Bumphus, President and CEO, American Association of Community Colleges

A prolific discussion of crisis due to the devastation and disaster faced by a city that resides at the heart of the South. A must-read for leaders of communities and education entities. (Dr. Beth Howard-Brown, Counselor Education Professor, South Carolina State University and Director, American Institutes for Research) Anyone who aspires to effective and visionary leadership in education--or other fields--in these critical times will benefit from the powerful wisdom, grit, and moral courage in the lessons these survivors of Hurricane Katrina learned. From the imaginative culturally grounded research methodology to the heart-wrenching personal examples of leading through and beyond trauma and disaster, this volume is an absolutely indispensable gift of scholarship and education practice. (Dr. Joyce E. King, Benjamin E. Mays Endowed Chair for Urban Teaching, Learning & Leadership, Georgia State University, Past president, The American Educational Research Association) Katrina was a life-changing event that impacted every citizen in the New Orleans region. As a leader, it was a daunting and humbling experience that tested me professionally and personally. Moreover, the authors were equally impacted by their experiences in addressing the multitude of needs and leading the recovery efforts for the colleges, campuses, and community. This book captures the challenges and the amazing teamwork that brought us through Katrina and beyond. (Dr. Walter G. Bumphus, President & CEO, American Association of Community Colleges)

A prolific discussion of crisis due to the devastation and disaster faced by a city that resides at the heart of the South. A must-read for leaders of communities and education entities. -Beth Howard-Brown, Counselor Education Professor, South Carolina State University; Director, American Institutes for Research Anyone who aspires to effective and visionary leadership in education-or other fields-in these critical times will benefit from the powerful wisdom, grit and moral courage in the lessons these survivors of Hurricane Katrina learned. From the imaginative culturally grounded research methodology to the heart-wrenching personal examples of leading through and beyond trauma and disaster, this volume is an absolutely indispensable gift of scholarship and education practice. -Joyce E. King, Benjamin E. Mays Endowed Chair for Urban Teaching, Learning and Leadership, Georgia State University; Past president, The American Educational Research Association Katrina was a life-changing event that impacted every citizen in the New Orleans region. As a leader, it was a daunting and humbling experience that tested me professionally and personally. Moreover, the authors of Called to Sankofa were equally impacted by their experiences in addressing the multitude of needs and leading the recovery efforts for the colleges, campuses, and community. This book captures the challenges and the amazing teamwork that brought us through Katrina and beyond. -Walter G. Bumphus, President and CEO, American Association of Community Colleges

Author Information

Tammie M. Causey-Konate is Deputy Director of the Southeast Comprehensive Center and a Senior Technical Assistant Consultant at American Institutes for Research. Previously, she served as a tenured associate professor of educational administration at the University of New Orleans where she earned her Ph.D. Margaret Montgomery-Richard is principal of DMM & Associates, LLC, a Louisiana-based organization that specializes in the delivery of technical assistance and other services at the local level. This former Chancellor of the Louisana Technical College earned her Ph.D. in educational administration at the University of New Orleans.

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