Scholar-Practitioner
My scholarship is informed by the lived realities of educational leadership, and my leadership practice is continually strengthened by research, theory, inquiry, and reflection.
Research Agenda
My research examines how school leaders intentionally develop the adults around them, and how that development, in turn, shapes the conditions in which children learn. I am interested in the relationship between adult development and instructional leadership, in the inner life of the practitioner, and in the particular ways women, and Black women in particular, lead, and lead well.
I work within a constructivist tradition, understanding leadership as the facilitation of meaning among adults rather than the exercise of power over them. My inquiry moves between the academy and the field, treating the school I lead as a site of serious study and the scholarly conversation as a resource for practice.
Doctoral Research
The Leadership Experiences of Black Women Lower-School Principals in Independent Schools
Dr. Dai's doctoral research examined how lower-school principals navigated leadership, authority, organizational culture, professional identity, and adult development within independent-school settings. The study focused specifically on Black women principals and used Black Feminist Theory and Adult Constructive Developmental Theory to understand how leaders make meaning of complex organizational environments and how institutions can better support leadership growth.
The broader contribution of the research is to the study of educational leadership, adult development, leadership identity, organizational culture, authority and professional credibility, leadership preparation, and institutional support for school leaders. The work holds relevance for school leadership and organizational development broadly, while remaining accurate about the population studied and the theoretical frameworks used.
Doctor of Education · University of Southern California
Explore the Research
Browse Dr. Dai's scholarship, dissertation, works in progress, and presentations, by type or topic. Each entry connects a line of inquiry to the practice it informs.
Third Annual CUNY Teaching and Learning Conference, The Graduate Center, City University of New York
Examined developmental, relational, and justice-oriented supervision as a site of adult learning, agency, identity development, and institutional change.
Voice4Equity, When Women Lead Conference, Vancouver, Washington
Rutgers University, New Jersey
Conference Presenter. No presentation title is provided in the verified CV.
Golden Key Academy / Golden Key International Honour Society
Explored constructivist, inquiry-based learning, equity, and the intellectual rigor of play.
Bank Street Graduate School of Education Library Salon #37
Invited Discussant. Lessons for Today from Black Educators amid Jim Crow: The Origins of Teacher Leadership.
The Leadership Experiences of Black Women Lower-School Principals in Independent Schools
University of Southern California · Doctor of Education · Completed
Dr. Dai's doctoral research examined how lower-school principals navigated leadership, authority, organizational culture, professional identity, and adult development within independent-school settings. The study focused specifically on Black women principals and used Black Feminist Theory and Adult Constructive Developmental Theory to understand how leaders make meaning of complex organizational environments and how institutions can better support leadership growth. The broader contribution of the research is to the study of educational leadership, adult development, leadership identity, organizational culture, authority and professional credibility, leadership preparation, and institutional support for school leaders.
Ongoing practitioner inquiry · Ongoing study
An ongoing study of how a school improves at the pace its adults learn, and what it asks of leaders to take adult learning as seriously as children's learning.
Selected University Teaching Experience
Educational Leadership
Post Graduate Program
Leadership Preparation
Post Graduate Program
Professional Affiliations
A complete record of preparation, appointments, publications, presentations, and service, viewable on its own page within the site.
View Curriculum Vitae