(Re)Visioning an Emancipatory School Leadership Program Through Critical Race Feminista Praxis

• In Event: Pedagogies of Re: Toward a Decolonial, Emancipatory Framework of Educational Leadership

Abstract

Using Critical Race Feminista Praxis (Delgado Bernal & Alemán, 2017), this study weaves Critical Race Theory with Chicana/Latina feminist theories to explore, how a leadership preparation program can build curriculum that contributes to the dismantling of practices that maintain coloniality (Burciaga & Kohli, 2018) in K-12 schools? Grounded in the methodology of testimonio (Delgado Bernal, Burciaga, & Flores Carmona, 2012) and Chicana Feminist Epistemology (Delgado Bernal, 1998) this research centers the lived experiences of leaders of Color, educators of Color, community engaged advocates, and students of Color in and out of K-12 schools, their experiences with educational leaders, and their insights on (re)visioning an educational leadership program that better prepares leaders to challenge traditional, colonial practices and policies.

The researcher used a snowball sampling methodology to identify participants who are considered, by their peers, advocates for racial justice. Findings reflect participants’ dismay at the narrow definition of educational leadership to mostly refer and defer to principals, district employees, and superintendents. In contrast, participants note how historically marginalized students, teachers, and leaders, and community engaged advocates contribute an array of insights and innovative approaches to school leadership that is more responsive to Black and Brown communities. This research also uncovered at least three components to emancipatory leadership approaches - challenging one’s epistemic framings or “blind spots,” engaging in experiential learning with communities, and radically reimagining systems to center historically minoritized perspectives. Implications for scholarship in the field of Educational Leadership include an expansion of how we approach leadership preparation.

This research was used as the foundation to (re)vision an Educational Leadership MA program in the Southwest grounded in Emancipatory Leadership approaches. Across the state, county offices of education are offering paths to preliminary administrative services credentialing (PASC). As such, enrollment in PASC programs in colleges and universities is dwindling. Developing a stand-alone MA program presented an opportunity to address the realities faced by many educators - namely the challenges and opportunities that arise in addressing issues of equity and social justice in schools. Included in this presentation is an overview of the findings, a review of the new program, and lessons learned from the first year.

Author

• Rebeca Burciaga, San José State University