Culturally Responsive Leadership to Create Inclusive School Culture: Experiences of Principals in Implementing Extracurricular Activities

• In Event: Teacher and School Leaders Building Culture, Belonging, and Inclusion for Students

Abstract

Extracurricular activities (ECAs) increase students' sense of belonging resulting in positive school and developmental outcomes - academic motivation, achievement, and mental and physical health (Osterman, 2000). If participation in ECAs leads to success in school and social capital development, then access to these activities for students of all backgrounds becomes an equity issue. ECAs have the potential to serve as a path to social mobility for those able to participate, but they also can widen the gaps among diverse groups in society who face barriers to access. School leaders must be aware of how school traditions perpetuate systemic oppression and cause marginalization, and disrupt the status quo through culturally responsive school leadership to create more inclusive schools.

Author

• Francis Rojas, University of California - Berkeley