School Leadership, Deaf Culture, and Equity: A Case Study

• In Event: Fostering Culturally Relevant and Appropriate Learning Environments for Diverse Learners

Abstract

The purpose of this case study was to explore the ways that school leadership influences issues related to equity of educational processes and outcomes in a School for the Deaf. For the purposes of this study, we conceptualize leadership as both a phenomenon (Northouse, 2001) and an organizational quality. The leadership phenomenon is the process of influencing and being influenced, of leading and being led (Brooks & Kensler, 2011). School leadership is a quality that manifest in the behavioral patterns, personal and cultural knowledge, resources, and interactions among the members of the school as they establish and institutionalize the ways they work together toward organizational goals. This study found that leaders have a tremendous ability to influence Deaf culture.

Authors

• Catherine Ann O'Brien, Gallaudet University

• Jeffrey S. Brooks, Monash University