Reimagining a Catholic Educational Leadership Program: Developing Antiracist Leaders in Catholic Education

• In Event: “How Do I Move Forward . . .?” Catholic Colleges and Universities' Efforts to Transform Systemic Racism

Abstract

In this paper, we examine how we reimagined a Catholic educational leadership program of higher education and centered racial justice as a core tenet of the program. This work aims to dismantle racial injustice both within and outside the university (Love 2019): a multi-year project including redesigning curriculum and institutional practices with the goal of developing a cadre of antiracist Catholic educational leaders in the pre-K to 20 global context.
We use critical race theory in education (Ladson-Billings, 2009) as a core framework given that race/ethnicity continues to predict inequality and injustice in education. Ricketts (2021) explanation of white supremacy elucidates on the choice to center racial justice:
White supremacy is complex, entailing multiple forms of oppression. It is first and foremost a form of racial oppression including anti-Blackness and anti-Indigeneity but it also includes heteropatriarchy, homophobia, transphobia, classism, ableism, fatphobia, xenophobia, anti-Semitism and all forms of oppression. (p. xxiii)
Studies of Catholic schools point to issues of racism and marginalization for BIPOC students in Catholic schools (Author 2015,2016; Author 2014; Irvine & Foster 1996; Simmons 2012). Black Catholics warn us of the racism inherent in the Catholic Church but also reminds us of the possibility of Catholic Social Teaching and our religious responsibility to combat racism (Massingale 2014; Segura 2020). This research aims to disrupt the injustice and inequality perpetuated in the context of Catholic education.
We employ a case study methodology (Merriam 1998) to document the redesign of the first and oldest Catholic Educational Leadership (CEL) program in the USA. A case study analysis facilitated an examination of the masters and doctoral programs teaching and learning goals, as well as the progress and the unique challenges the researchers experienced as they engaged in a collective reimagination of the CEL program. We utilized qualitative approaches to understand curriculum documents and student/alumni feedback via surveys and interviews.
We collected and examined curriculum redesign documents to demonstrate curricular changes. We reviewed each set of documents separately with a focus on how race was present in the curriculum. We collected annual questionnaires from students to understand their perception of the program changes. Interview data revealed how racial justice efforts were experienced by CEL students and alumni.
Results from the curriculum analysis demonstrate a focus on racial justice as part of the course learning texts and goals. Revised program learning outcomes and student learning outcomes were lauded by external program reviewers for accreditation as well as the university’ mission integration review in 2022. Student responses indicate a desire to engage in acti-racist practices in response to issues in their school context. Interview data with alumni noted the focus on racial justice throughout the program and the tension that arises when engaging in this work at their Catholic school/universities.
This study calls attention to the ways in which Catholic universities can promote racial justice in Catholic education. A focus on anti-racism in the curriculum has prompted students to engage in their own racial justice research and praxis (Arriola 2022; Tapia 2020).

Authors

• Ursula S. Aldana, University of San Francisco

• Jane Bleasdale, University of San Francisco