Navigating the Margins: Race, Power, Gender, and Transformation in International Education

Session Type: Symposium

Abstract

This panel explores the experiences of educators of color in K-12 international school settings, examining how leadership perpetuates white privilege and anti-Black racism. Through narrative inquiry, critical hermeneutic phenomenology, and comparative case studies, the papers investigate how school leaders respond to anti-Black incidents, the unique challenges faced by Black women in leadership roles, and the career advancement experiences of teachers of color. The studies reveal systemic barriers, discrimination, and the preservation of white supremacy in international education. Despite these challenges, educators of color demonstrate resilience and agency. The panel proposes an "intersectional empowerment" framework to understand and amplify the knowledge production and transformative practices of Women of Color Educators in K-12 international schools, drawing on transnational feminism and borderlands theory.

Sub Unit

• SIG-International Studies

Chair

• Cheryl E. Matias, University of San Diego

Papers

• Protecting White Privilege: How American International School Leaders Perpetuate Anti-Black Racism - Teneshia A. Taylor, Self-employed

• Navigating the Continuum: The Experiences of Black Women in International Education Leadership - Manouchka Pierre, George Washington Academy

• Experiences of BIPOC Expatriate International School Educators in China: A Critical Hermeneutic Phenomenology - Lucas J. Roberts, Xi'an Hanova International School

• A Comparative Case Study on the Experiences of Teachers of Color in Career Advancement in International Schools - Josh Almoite, Santa Cruz Cooperative School

• Intersectional Empowerment: A Framework for Understanding Women of Color Educators in International Schools - Nayoung Kim-Weaver, University of San Diego; Jessica Wei Huang, University of San Diego

Discussant

• Teneshia A. Taylor, Self-employed