A Collective Embrace for an Educational Future Worthy of Us All: A Womanist Caring for Thriving

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Thursday 4:15 pm
  In Roundtable Session: Critical Theory in Educational Research and Praxis

Abstract

This study explores how womanist caring manifests among K-12 school leaders. Helping to clarify what caring looks like in an educational setting, womanist caring, as a framework, emphasizes relational engagement, political clarity, and an ethic of risk (Beauboeuf-Lafontant, 2002). In light of persistent racial and systemic inequities, this research examines whether and to what extent school leaders embody womanist caring in their practice. We follow a qualitative design, drawing on interviews with 27 school leaders. The study provides insights as to what it looks like for school leaders to enact aspects of womanist caring and build capacity for caring in educational settings.

Authors

• Sierra Stern, University of Pittsburgh

• Keanna Cash, University of Pittsburgh

• Michael G. Gunzenhauser, University of Pittsburgh