Research Agenda
Scholarship is one of my favorite aspects of the job of a professor. I have developed a strong record of research on K-12 education law, policy, and leadership issues.
My research examines the foundational structures of education providing a systems-wide look at how education functions in policy and legal contexts. It speaks to both educational policy makers and school leaders about how the system functions, identifies improvement areas, and recommends changes. My work predominantly focuses on the use of law and policy as a lever for educational reform and on promoting high quality education in diverse, inclusive, and equitable school environments. In these veins, my work has explored several key aspects of education: (1) the purposes of education; (2) the law guiding it; (3) ethical decision-making; (3) school innovation and reform such as deeper learning, finance, and teacher workforce issues; and (4) providing high quality education for all students, especially those that have been traditionally underserved such as students with disabilities.
Recent Publications
Umpstead, R., Paige, M., Bathon, J. (2021). Linking arms and building bridges: Social justice, public education, and the law. [Manuscript submitted for publication].
Wilson, G., & Umpstead, R. (in press). Remembering what matters most: A framework to build social justice leaders and transform schools into inclusive spaces. In C. O’Brien, B. Black, & A. Danzing (Eds.) Who decides? Power, disability, and education administration. Vol 1. Information Age Press. https://www.infoagepub.com/products/Who-Decides
Umpstead, R. & DiOrio, A. (in press). Offering Free Appropriate Public Education in the Least Restrictive Environment during the Pandemic using Contingency Learning Plans. In C. Russo (ed.), The Yearbook of Education Law of 2020. Education Law Association.
Hacker, N. L., & Umpstead, R. R. (2019). Study abroad programs for intercultural competence, equity pedagogy, and social justice in U.S. educational leadership students: An example from Ireland and Northern Ireland. In R. Papa (Ed.), Handbook on promoting social justice in education (pp. 2-24). Springer.
Umpstead, R., Bon., S., & Eckes, S. E. (2019, May). Transition services for students with disabilities. Principal Leadership, 58–59.
Superfine, B., Umpstead, R., Mayrowetz, D., Lenhoff, S. W., & Pogodzinski, B. (2018). Science and politics in Friedrichs v. California Teachers Association. Educational Policy, 32(2), 211–233.
Lenhoff, S. W., Pogodzinski, B., Mayrowetz, D., Superfine, B. M., & Umpstead, R. (2017). District stressors and teacher evaluation ratings. Journal of Educational Administration, 56(2), 146-160. https://doi.org/10.1108/JEA-06-2017-0065
Eckes, S., & Umpstead, R. (2017). School choice and legal issues. In R. A. Fox & N. K. Buchanan (Eds.), The Wileyhandbook of school choice: An international sourcebook for practitioners, researchers, policy-makers and journalists (pp. 493-506). John Wiley & Sons.
Umpstead, R., Militello, M., & Eckes, S. (2016, February). Legal literacy: Tools to avoid litigation in your school.Principal Leadership, 56–58.
Abstract
In March 2017, the Supreme Court decided Friedrichs v. California Teachers Associationand upheld the constitutionality of agency fees for nonunion teachers. We examine how Friedrichs reflects a host of issues grouped around a patchwork of ideological commitments regarding teachers unions and public-sector unions more generally, partisan politics, and empirically oriented claims about the impact of teachers unions on students’ educational opportunities. We particularly argue that the case reflects a tension between judicial, scientific, and democratic decision-making, and that courts and reformers should be sensitive to this tension as they consider similar cases moving forward.
Abstract
Educational leadership scholarship has produced a considerable amount of research grounded in social justice that intends to create socially just public schools. Yet, the great weight of this scholarship tends to ignore the role of the law as lever for school leaders in this effort. This omission is striking given the degree to which the law and legal shape so much of public education. Indeed, we argue that without attention to the law’s relationship to social justice, there is a significant void in educational leadership research. Skilled educational leaders can use the law to achieve just aims, but they need research to guide them and acknowledgement that the law is a necessary, but insufficient tool in the endeavor to create just schools. To make this argument, we first outline principles of social justice theory and then employ legal research methods to discuss how those principles are present, but not fully achieved, in the two most significant federal interventions in public education intended to benefit certain marginalized student populations: The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA).
Abstract
Federal and state policymakers in the USA have sought to better differentiate the performance of K-12 teachers by enacting more rigorous evaluation policies. The purpose of this paper is to investigate whether these policies are working as intended and explore whether district stressors such as funding, enrollment, and governance are associated with outcomes.
Published Books
How to Prevent Special Education Litigation: Eight Legal Lesson Plans
It is essential that today’s educators and school leaders are more informed about the legal rights and entitlements of students with disabilities. This resource provides eight easy-to-implement lesson plans on special education law that require no legal knowledge and can be facilitated by school principals, special education directors, teachers, or university instructors. In short one-hour sessions, participants learn by engaging in practical activities instead of only passively reading about the law. All of the lessons utilize actual situations that have led to expensive litigation and each includes the following sections: Introduction for Facilitators; Materials Needed; Hook; Background, Purpose, and Objectives of the Lesson; Activity; Questions for Conversation; Test Your Knowledge; and Additional Resources. This one-of-a-kind book will help schools and districts reduce the time and energy devoted to dealing with violations of the law, resolving parental complaints, correcting errors by school employees, and more.
Professional Responsibility for Educators and the Michigan Code of Ethics
Regina Umpstead, J.D., Ph.D., Central Michigan University, and David Blacker, Ph.D., University of Delaware (Vitae), present the Michigan version of Omni's Educator Ethics Series which provides an in depth analysis of professional ethics for educators and pre-service educators in the state of Michigan. The Educator Ethics Series is a group of books designed to provide an in depth explanation of the theory and practice behind educational ethics on a state by state basis. Each edition begins with an introduction to the field of ethics, emphasizing applied and professional ethics, before turning to a detailed discussion of ethics specifically for Michigan educators which includes a wide variety of situations in which Michigan educators have engaged in unethical or questionable conduct. The initial concept for the series was developed by Frances R. A. Paterson, J.D., Ed.D., who taught school law, ethics and law (for educators), and related courses at Valdosta State University, Valdosta, GA. Both students and instructors find that learning about actual incidents of educator misconduct in their state, makes a vivid and indelible impression.
