Reclaiming Community Histories of Trauma and Transformation for Educational Justice: A Critical Race Leadership Perspective

• In Event: School Leadership and the Public Good: Reclaiming Community, Advocacy, and Justice

Abstract

Although there have been numerous and varied educational policy efforts to improve “urban schooling” and achievement among Black and Latino children and youth, these student populations continue to rank at the top of every bad list (e.g., special education, reading below grade level, disciplinary action, high school drop outs, cradle-to-prison pipeline, unemployment) and bottom of every good list (e.g., student achievement scores; college participation and retention; participation and achievement in AP classes and exams) (Love, 2004; Zarawsky, 2004). Numerous efforts to “close the achievement gap” through educational policy and programs have been enacted, however research on the impact that Black and Brown critical race leaders can make on the education of Black and Latino students is limited. Despite the numerous similarities concerning the historical legacy of exclusion, segregation, and discrimination experienced by Black and Latino children, families, and communities, strategies for coalition-building, critical raced leadership have not been pursued.

By reviewing and incorporating findings from two distinct research projects on school superintendents – this paper also seeks to identify shared experiences, themes, and/or perspectives that may positively inform and transform educational opportunities, experiences, and outcomes for Black and Latino children in the U.S. In discussing the ways that Black and Brown district leaders enact their leadership, we argue that a form of critical raced leadership and coalition-building are methods for combating racism and oppression embedded in U.S. society and schools. In building upon the theoretical conceptualization of political race, this study hopes to not only document the demographic trends and contexts that inform the educational opportunities and outcomes for Black and Latino children, but also explore how multiracial coalition-building, and making connections with Black and Latino educational leaders, can work to improve educational experiences and results for both communities. While there is some discourse interrogating the value and viability of race-conscious education policies today (Moses, 2002; Parker, 2003), it is important to inform and enrich this conversation with scholarship that broadens our understanding of the implications of shifting racial contexts for communities of color from various perspectives.

Conceptualizing and operationalizing political race in education and educational leadership can potentially create opportunities for parents, schools, and communities who feel powerless and disenfranchised, to engage in conversations and create venues designed to identify and develop strategies that will improve educational access and outcomes for racially marginalized children. Findings may also have implications for educational leaders and community stakeholders in ways that inform the current discourse surrounding race-conscious education policies, critical race praxis, and strategies that advance racial equity and social justice in education. In fact, the application of a critical raced leadership framework to community coalition-building and leadership practice that seeks to improve the schooling conditions of Black and Latino students may hold the most promise.

Authors

• Sonya Douglass Horsford, Teachers College, Columbia University

• Enrique Aleman, The University of Texas - San Antonio

• Phillip A Smith, Teachers College, Columbia University