Principals of Color: Leading From the Collective We

• In Event: Social Justice Leadership as a Necessary Component to Public Education

Abstract

The marginalized students who have been historically overlooked are the faces of poverty, disability, English language learners, and cultural and ethnic difference. Principals who work to lead schools as places where opportunities are provided to all children amid socially just practices are the subject of this paper. This qualitative study explores the articulations of two principals as they describe the intersection of their commitment to socially just practices in multicultural schools and the challenges they face while doing so. Both principals articulated that to lead multicultural schools effectively the needs of both the student and teachers must be met, along with embracing the surrounding community to do so.

Authors

• Ashton Ryan Cooper, The University of Tennessee - Knoxville

• Pamela S. Angelle, The University of Tennessee