The Complexities of Achieving Excellence and Equity: The Importance of Coaching Ethnic Minority Female Students to Navigate Their Academic, Cultural, and Sexual Identities

• In Event: Transformative Leadership on the Front Lines: In Pursuit of Excellence and Equity for All Students

Abstract

Similar to other urban centers in the US, Southtown, Texas is experiencing severe racial and economic isolation of urban students while suburban districts grow and diversify. Other issues include: a high incidence of teen pregnancy; a troubling drop-out rate, and; meager educational opportunities. In response, Southtown has introduced of a variety of magnet schools – including Young Women’s Leadership School (YWLS) – to facilitate excellence and equity. In addition to curtailing school closures, stakeholders believe female student outcomes will significantly improve as a result of the design and implementation of this all-female public school.

This research is a multi-year ethnographic project (Wolcott, 2008) that details how school leaders and fellow stakeholders enacted and negotiated the school culture at YWLS to see Southtown’s goals to fruition. During the first two years of the project, all voices in the study described a school culture devoted to learning and flourishing; how leading for equity and excellence permeated all relationships. However, toward the end of the first two years, focus groups with students both confirmed what the adults reported in interviews and revealed new information not provided by teachers, parents, or school administrators prior. For example, the students revealed that they were struggling with the “burden of acting white.” Like the students in the Fordham and Ogbu (1986/2010) study, students reported their academic attitudes and behaviors were viewed disapprovingly by neighborhood peers. In addition to rock-throwing, students were called, “Oreos” and “dykes” because of their choice to attend an all-girls’ college preparatory public magnet school.

Findings were shared with school leadership and as a result, adult stakeholders are working to create transformative learning spaces that address students’ unease and lack of skills navigating their academic, cultural, and sexual identities. This paper details the complexities of the current context and follow-up programs designed to facilitate the development of what Carter (2006/2010) termed, “cultural straddlers.” In addition to detailing specific actions taken by transformative leaders to preserve the dignity and promote the continued success of their students, this paper argues that if not for the quick action of transformative leadership, the work of parents, teachers, principal, and central office, as well as the efforts of the students themselves would have been severely compromised.

Author

• Katherine Cumings Mansfield, Virginia Commonwealth University