Inspire your school leaders to embody an activist mindset to help shape the future of their students and society at large. Authors Dawn Brooks DeCosta and Mark Anthony Gooden combine social-emotional learning and culturally responsive school leadership approaches—in what they term the culturally responsive and affirming social-emotional leadership (CRASEL) framework—to build racial and cultural awareness while addressing individual and community-wide social and emotional needs. K–12 school and district leaders will: Attend to individual and cultural social and emotional needs with research-supported strategies - Learn Gooden’s racial autobiography process as a tool for self-reflection - Bridge social-emotional learning and culturally responsive leadership with the CRASEL framework - Collaborate with colleagues to cocreate a shared community vision and encourage accountability - Glean insights with real-world examples from leaders Contents: Introduction Chapter 1: Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) and Culturally Responsive School Leadership (CRSL) Chapter 2: Culturally Responsive and Affirming Social-Emotional Leadership (CRASEL) Chapter 3: Self-Care Chapter 4: Racial Autobiography Chapter 5: School and Community Relationship Building Chapter 6: Advocacy Chapter 7: Nurturing Through High Expectations and Cultural Responsiveness Chapter 8: Building School Culture and Maximizing Partnerships Epilogue References and Resources Index "This insightful book is a critical guide and vital resource for educational leaders who are committed to advancing equity, social justice, and transformative school leadership. The authors introduce the powerful CRASEL (Culturally Responsive and Affirming Social-Emotional Leadership) framework, a much-needed integration of social-emotional learning (SEL) with culturally responsive leadership (CRSL) to create nurturing and empowering school environments. In addition to offering strong theoretical grounding, The Change You Want to See is enriched by real-world examples, reflections, and personal stories from both authors—highlighting their expertise as a researcher and a practitioner. In our increasingly diverse educational landscape, this book provides a critical blueprint for creating schools that not only respond to the cultural needs of students but also affirm their identities and foster emotional well-being. It is a timely and essential contribution to the field of educational leadership, particularly for those who are deeply committed to leading with justice, empathy, and vision." -- April L. Peters-Hawkins , professor, University of Houston, Texas "The principalship can be both rewarding and challenging. And given the constant changes in what constitutes school leadership, today’s principals must have the skills and expertise to provide culturally responsive leadership to students, teachers, parents, and other stakeholders in the educational landscape, all while responding to their own social and emotional needs. This ground-breaking book provides school leaders a road map to culturally responsive leadership practices, social emotional learning, and self-reflection. It also provides theoretical and practical principles on how to become leaders who meet the needs of the diverse populations of students who attend our schools. Importantly, the CRASEL Model covers the landscape of culturally responsive school leadership practices and how principals can attend to their emotions, set goals, be empathetic leaders, and establish positive relationships in the school culture. This book is a must read for practicing principals and aspiring principals in leadership preparation programs." -- Linda C. Tillman , professor emerita, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill Dawn Brooks DeCosta, PhD , is the deputy superintendent of Harlem Community School District 5 in Harlem, New York City, where she leads the district’s Culturally Responsive and Affirming Social-Emotional Leadership and Learning framework. She is former principal of Thurgood Marshall Academy Lower School (an elementary school in Harlem), where she focused her leadership on cultural responsiveness, social-emotional learning, and academic achievement. Dawn began her service of teaching twenty-eight years ago; she worked as a teacher for New York City public schools in Harlem for sixteen years, and served as a principal for eleven years. Previous to that, she taught at St. Gabriel’s Catholic School in East Elmhurst, Queens, New York. Dawn holds a bachelor of science in education from St. John’s University, a master of science in fine art education from Queens College, and a master of science in educational leadership and a doctor of education from Teachers College, Columbia University.