"Renting Space in These White Spaces": Leaders of Color Leading for Equity in Suburban Schools

• In Event: Confronting Whiteness and Promoting Antiracism

Abstract

Existing research has documented positive, equitable impacts of leaders of color in schools. Building on research on the experiences of leaders of color in PK-12 schools, this study analyzes interviews with 14 leaders of color representing diverse racial and cultural backgrounds who seek to lead for equity and justice in suburban schools. Participants’ counternarratives revealed how they felt an overwhelming sense of navigating white institutional space—what one participant described as “renting space in these white spaces.” This sense of renting white space was felt in four key areas for the participants: (1) Not having “the look” of administration; (2) Challenges to career advancement; (3) Resistance from white educators; and, (4) Politics of equity leadership.

Authors

• Katherine C. Rodela, Washington State University

• Claudia Rodriguez-Mojica, University of California - Davis