Jessica Blum-DeStefano

Jessica is an instructor and advisor in the leadership programs, where she facilitates learning in courses about adult development and qualitative research. Her teaching, scholarship, and approach to leadership foreground the power of growth and interconnection—especially as they relate to individual perspective transformation, authentic collaboration, and capacity building systemwide. Toward these ends, her work is inspired by an interdisciplinary tapestry of ideas—including adult developmental theories, social justice frameworks, the history and philosophy of education, organizational studies, student voice, and qualitative/mixed-methods research—as well as the nine rewarding years she spent as a teacher and school administrator in K-12 alternative education settings.

In addition to teaching at Bank Street, Jessica conducts research about adult development, social justice leadership, feedback, leaders’ challenges, and alternative education. She also co-facilitates professional learning institutes for educational leaders from across the country who are seeking to make their classrooms, schools, and districts even more compassionate, collaborative, equitable, and just spaces for learning and development.

Educational Background

Qualifications

Ph.D., Education Leadership, Teachers College, Columbia University

Books:

Drago-Severson, E., & Blum-DeStefano, J. (2018). Leading change together: Developing educator capacity within schools and systems. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD).

Drago-Severson, E., & Blum-DeStefano, J. (2016). Tell me so I can hear you: A developmental approach to feedback for educators. Cambridge, MA: Harvard Education Press.

Drago-Severson, E., Blum-DeStefano, J., & Asghar, A. (2013). Learning for leadership: Developmental strategies for building capacity in our schools. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.

Recent Articles/Chapters (Selected):

Drago-Severson, E., & Blum-DeStefano, J. (2018). Growing bigger selves for social justice. Voices in Education: The Blog of Harvard Education Publishing. http://hepg.org/blog/growing-bigger-selves-for-social-justice

Drago-Severson, E., & Blum-DeStefano, J. (2018). The DNA of development: A new model for school change focuses on adult learning. The Learning Professional, 38(3), 22-27.

Drago-Severson, E., & Blum-DeStefano, J. (2018). Building a culture of feedback: Promising, developmental strategies for leading school change and capacity building. Journal of Professional Capacity & Community, 3(2), 62-78.

Drago-Severson, E., Maslin-Ostrowski, P., & Blum-DeStefano, J. (2018). Looking behind the curtain: Principals’ internal experiences of managing pressing challenges. Journal of School Leadership, 28(3), 315-343.

Drago-Severson, E., & Blum-DeStefano, J. (2017). The self in social-justice: A developmental view on race, equity, and education. Harvard Educational Review, 87(4), 457-481.

Drago-Severson, E., & Blum-DeStefano, J. (2015). Make time to recharge: Growth and renewal play key roles in sustaining school leaders. Journal of Staff Development, 36(4), 38-42.

Drago-Severson, E., & Blum-DeStefano, J. (2014). Leadership for transformational learning: A developmental approach to supporting leaders’ thinking and practice. Journal of Research on Leadership Education, 9(2), 113-141.

Drago-Severson, E., & Blum-DeStefano, J. (in press). Modeling mindfulness: Principal leadership and development for building internal capacity and enhancing reflection. To appear in T. Jennings, A. DeMauro, & P. Mischenko (Eds.), Transforming school culture with mindfulness and compassion. New York: Guilford.

Recent Conference Presentations (Selected):

Blum-DeStefano, J. (2018). Growing together through mutual recognition: The interconnection of student and teacher selfhood in alternative education. Roundtable session presented at the annual conference of the American Educational Research Association, New York.

Blum-DeStefano, J. (2015). Teaching with self: The power of authenticity in alternative education. Paper presented at the annual conference of the American Educational Research Association, Chicago, IL.

Drago-Severson, E., & Blum-DeStefano, J. (2018). A developmental lens on social justice leadership: A qualitative examination. Paper presented at the annual conference of the American Educational Research Association, New York.

Drago-Severson, E., & Blum-DeStefano, J. (2018). Leading change together: A developmental model for building educator capacities. Full-day, preconference session delivered at the Annual ASCD Conference, Boston, MA.

Drago-Severson, E., Maslin-Ostrowski, P., & Blum-DeStefano, J. (2017). Inside out: How principals’ internal experiences influence their leadership and advocacy through pressing challenges. Paper presented at the annual convention of the University Council of Educational Administration, Denver, CO.

Drago-Severson, E., & Blum-DeStefano, J. (2016). Feedback for growth: The promise of differentiating feedback to build capacity. Paper presented at the annual convention of the University Council of Educational Administration, Detroit, MI.