Leading for Equity: How Principals Create Change and the Factors That Sustain It

• In Event: Saturday Roundtable Session 3:05 pm
  In Roundtable Session: Principals as Changemakers in Domestic and International Contexts (Table 17)

Abstract

To address inequities in schools, principals must be prepared to lead work around equity, bias, and culturally sustaining pedagogies. Over four years, the California Principals Support Network (CAPS Network) engaged 400 principals and their teacher teams in building critical leadership skills. We asked, a.) What equity orientations are taken up by principals?, and b.) How do these play out in school improvement efforts? Many principal actions were focused on special education and intervention strategies. Others included supporting multilingual learners, restorative practices, and engaging with families. Most of principals' actions were framed as access or achievement dimensions of equity, while fewer addressed identity or power dimensions (Gutiérrez, 2012). We report on barriers and contributors to success.

Authors

• Leslie C. Banes, California State University - Sacramento

• Christina Murdoch Mills, University of California - Davis

• Dominic Campos, California State University - Sacramento