Equity-Focused School Leaders in Action: Applying a Critical Race Institutional Logics Perspective

• In Event: From State Agencies to Middle Managers: Theorizing Organizational Processes

Abstract

This study examines how equity-focused K -12 school leaders navigate racialized institutional contexts. Through 21 interviews with school leaders across different roles (e.g., principals, superintendents, directors), this study explores their strategies for addressing inequities and challenges as they navigate complex, often contentious environments. I use a Critical Race Institutional Logics (CRIL) perspective (Squire, 2015) as an analytic framework for understanding how school leaders navigate spaces shaped by societal forces such as racism and neoliberalism. Understanding how school leaders navigate racialized institutional logics in their individualized contexts offers insight into how leaders effectively understand and respond to their complex environments.

Author

• Sierra Stern, University of Pittsburgh