Addressing Long-Standing Disparities in Roma Students' Education: Emergent Teacher Leadership During the Pandemic

• In Event: Social Justice in an International Context

Abstract

Consistent with the AERA 2022 theme, this presentation will focus on identifying strategies, initiated by 12 educators in Bulgaria, to support Roma students’ learning during the pandemic, that show the potential of these strategies to foster equity, disrupt systemic inequality, and deepen learning. The qualitative project frames the discussion within a two-fold theoretical frame that encompasses teacher leadership theories and adaptive leadership theory. The analysis found three main dimensions of teacher leadership practices: collaborative improvement of practice; nurturing a culture of success; and translating ideas into systems of action. This study adds a counter-narrative to the views that Roma “do not value education” and highlights the role of asset-based teacher approaches for empowerment of Roma students.

Authors

• Veselina Lambrev, University of South Florida

• Anna Kirova, University of Alberta