Ethnic Studies Leadership Praxis: An Analysis of Leadership for Ethnic Studies in California

• In Event: We Didn’t Just Happen: Toward Critical Educational Leadership as Renewal

Abstract

Purpose
California school districts are mandated by Assembly Bill 101 to implement Ethnic Studies courses as a graduation requirement. School administrators are responsible for guiding implementation and providing resources. These key decision-makers will have a direct affect on the efficacy and authenticity of their Ethnic Studies courses. This research explored how school leaders understand Ethnic Studies content and pedagogy. It also critically examined the attributes and leadership skills needed to support principled Ethnic Studies.


Theoretical Framework
Ladson-Billings & Tate (1995), through Critical Race Theory (CRT), discusses the continued inequalities in education, as “logical and predictable results of a racialized society in which discussions of race and racism continue to be muted and marginalized” (p.17). Ethnic Studies discusses race and racism but continues to be silenced. Whiteness as property, a tenet of CRT is explained by Capper (2015), that whiteness affords power and privilege over the right to own and exclude. Ladson-Billings & Tate (1995) base their discussions on understanding school inequity with these concepts, 1) race is a primary factor, 2) the U.S. construct is based on who owns property and 3) we use this intersection of race and property to analyze school inequities. If whiteness owns U.S. society, then curriculum, ways of teaching, and leadership behaviors are “property.” Thus, backlash ensues when the stories and experiences of People of Color are uplifted. Using CRT and whiteness as property, as the framework, I proposed that through Ethnic Studies professional development and the examination of leadership, educational leaders will increase their knowledge of Ethnic Studies content and pedagogy, and exhibit leadership skills toward creating conditions for principled Ethnic Studies. In these conditions, whiteness can no longer claim curriculum, pedagogy, and leadership as “property.”


Method and Data Sources
Eight school leaders from across California, attended a series of professional development sessions facilitated by Ethnic Studies experts, which included the recommended components for preparing Ethnic Studies teachers: racial identity development, critical consciousness development, and youth-centered concepts (Ladson-Billings, 2014; Sleeter, 2017; Tintiangco-Cubales et al., 2015). Using a mixed method approach, participants filled out pre-post surveys that included likert scale type and open-ended questions. Professional development discussions and kuwentos (Filipino talk-story), and post professional development interviews were utilized as data sources.


Results
CRT, specifically, whiteness as property, served as a lens for understanding what is needed by leaders for their Ethnic Studies programs. The findings birthed a new framework: Ethnic Studies Leadership Praxis. It encapsulates the type of leadership and actions needed to create conditions for principled Ethnic Studies. Leaders engaged in Ethnic Studies Leadership Praxis understand Ethnic Studies concepts and pedagogy; consistently reflect on identity; are community responsive; have navigational capital; focus on community; exhibit collectivism through shared leadership; and promote healing through their actions.


Scholarly Significance
The methodology of professional development sessions, supported the emergence of a new framework: Ethnic Studies Leadership Praxis. Via their kuwentos, participants provided examples of resilience, resistance, and healing. This study and new framework provide a model for Ethnic Studies professional development and recommendations for educational policies.

Author

• Tracie Noriega, Association of California School Administrators