Resisting Market Reform Through Radical Care: The Experiences of One Elementary School Principal

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Wednesday 2:30 pm Four Seasons Ballroom 2-3
  In Roundtable Session: Repairing Stress and Harm Through the Practice of Centering Well-Being and Sense of Belonging (Table 2)

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to develop an understanding of how principals resist market-based school reform and the influence of this resistance. Drawing on data from a more extensive qualitative interview study exploring how principals mediate gentrification, this study highlights Dr. Miranda's unique story. Dr. Miranda’s account illustrates the use of activist and organizing strategies and an ethos of radical care as she advocates for her community and mediates school gentrification despite the pressure from district leadership that prioritized test scores, metrics, and managerialism (DeMatthews, 2019; Ishimaru, 2020; Khalifa, 2018; Rivera-McCutchen, 2021).

Author

• Chy McGhee, Catholic University of America