Educational Leadership and White Privilege: Interrogating Research and Policy Related to Preparation and Practice

• In Event: 61.024 - Interrogating Educational Leadership: Critical Research on White Privilege and Racism

Abstract

Objectives
The purpose of this paper is to present findings from a critical literature review of educational leadership research that focused on the way that race has been present and absent in the field. Findings suggested four key findings, each of which is explored in detail.
Methods
The methods used in this study were in keeping with recommendations for critical literature reviews outlined by Podsakoff, MacKenzie, Lee and Podsakoff (2003). I
conducted a search in electronic databases with specific educational leadership collections (JSTOR, SAGE Education, Emerald Insight, Academic Search Premier, etc.) and Google Scholar by cross-referencing keywords such as race, diversity, equity, multicultural, racism, race relations and white privilege with educational leadership, school leadership, administration, principal, superintendent, etc. This technique guaranteed that many peer-reviewed journals and works published by major publishing houses were part of the sample. I extended this search through “bibliographic branching that entailed review of the reference lists in the literature identified to locate additional resources that did not emerge in database searches” (886). After identifying relevant data, I developed reviewed, analyzed articles, reports, books and policy documents and coded them into categories that became the main key findings discussed in the paper (Bogdan & Biklen, 2007).
Results
The study yielded four key findings. First, I provide an overview of four central white privilege constructs: power, policy, politics and supremacy and discuss the ways that they have been addressed and ignored in educational leadership research (Dantley, 2002; Scheurich & Laible, 1995; Scheurich & Young, 1997; Tillman, 2004; Young & Laible, 2000;). Second, I explore the way that the terms race, diversity, equity, multicultural, racism, race relations and white privilege have been used in educational leadership research over the past 90 years. The evolution of these terms, and the manner in which they are conceptualized and study have helped frame the way current scholars conceptualize their work. This in turn has implications for whether or not current work that claims to be critical is more appropriately characterized as evolution or revolution. Third, the paper explores the problematic history of white privilege research and positionality—that is, it is important to consider who frames scholarship related to race and educational leadership (Lopez, 2003). I provide evidence to support the claim that the relatively recent use of the term “white privilege” in educational leadership has been used primarily by white scholars to advance liberal a reframing of racism that marginalizes the work of many scholars of color who have been identifying, investigating and addressing for decades (Brooks, 2012; Scheurich, 2002). Fourth, I share the results of a critical analysis of the way that these concepts are conceived and operationalized in leadership preparation and practice. This entailed a (a) review of commonly used educational leadership standards such as those advanced by ISLLC and ELCC (English, 2002a, 2002b, 2003: Murphy & Vriesenga, 2004; 2006) and (b) peer-reviewed research on leadership preparation and practice.

Author

• Jeffrey S. Brooks, Monash University