Bringing Community Cultural Wealth to School Improvement: Students of Color as Transformative Change Agents

• In Event: 67.044 - Leaders at Multiple Levels Who Address Issues of Access and Equity

Abstract

This critical qualitative study investigates two different equity-driven school improvement efforts taken up by teams of students of color. Findings demonstrate how students of color were able to activate their community cultural wealth to initiate more equitable practices in their schools, the actions that formalized school leaders engaged in to support youth of color in their leadership work, and the changes that students were able to establish at the building and district level. Implications of this work highlight the need for school leaders to recognize the limitations of their knowledge of their organizations and potential improvement solutions, while recognizing the valuable insights and knowledge that traditionally marginalized youth bring to the space.

Author

• Jason Salisbury, University of Illinois at Chicago