A Critical Race Analysis of School Leadership Responses to a Racist Incident

• In Event: Critical Views and Leadership: Understanding, Analyzing, and Acting

Abstract

This critical qualitative study grounded in critical race theory unpacks the differences in how students of color and white students experience a racist event a suburban high school, and how both groups understood leadership’s attempts to repair school culture following the event. Youth of color experienced leadership’s actions as further manifestations of school-sanctioned racism and recognized that it was connected to previous racist incidents within the school community. Whereas, White youth saw the event as isolated and disconnected from the school learning environment. Furthermore, students of color saw leadership actions as colorblind and unable to address underlying issues. Implications point to the need for preparation programs to prepare leaders to engage with the racialized history of their schools and communities.

Authors

• Jason Salisbury, University of Illinois at Chicago

• Manali J. Sheth, Connecticut College