Antiracism in Educational Leadership: An Ethnographic Study of Antiracist Educational Practices in Boston Public Schools

• In Event: Disrupting the Status Quo: Race and Identity in School Leadership

Abstract

This paper examines anti-racism alongside teacher and administrative reception in Boston Public Schools (BPS). Anti-racism in the context of educational leadership remains undertheorized, but beyond its loose definition, teacher and administrative buy-ins remain pivotal in the conceptualization of anti-racist leadership and programs. Through ethnographic methods, this study analyzed teachers and administrators’ perspectives of anti-racism, and showed important actions undertaken to challenge racism. Results also revealed how some teachers and administrators were able to dismiss anti-racism as a rational instructional model due to biases and loose constructions of race. Similarly, school staff claimed anti-racist agendas without truly targeting institutionalized racism. Revealed through this research is the necessity to ensure that school leaders actively challenge white hegemony and do actively and collaboratively.

Author

• Rocío Sánchez Ares, Tufts University
  Presenting Author