Navigating Rurality, Race, and Community: The Work of Southern School Leaders Building Equitable Schools

• In Event: 28.080 - Navigating the Challenges of Rural Educational Leadership

Abstract

Rural southern school leaders who want to create equitable schooling environments must negotiate contemporary and historical legacies of racial and socioeconomic discrimination, while maintaining support of the local community. This case study examines different expectations rural community members hold for their schools, and how school leaders navigate those expectations in their work to create equitable school environments. Employing critical place-based leadership theory as a framework, we seek to expand the theory by evaluating how dimensions of race and power influence leaders’ work. Our goal is to expose the hidden expectations of rural southern communities, so that school leaders have a guide to address the needs for every student, especially those who have been overlooked by power and privilege.

Authors

• Daniella Hall Sutherland, Clemson University

• Jacquelyn Williams, Clemson University