Anti-Racism and Ed Leadership: Reimagining Educational Practice for Equity and Justice

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Wednesday 7:45 am - Gold 1
  In Roundtable Session: Toward an Abolitionist Leadership Theory: Concepts and Cases of Anti-Racist Educational Leadership

Abstract

This paper challenges prevailing assumptions in educational leadership by calling for a fundamental redefinition of how leadership is conceptualized, practiced, and measured. It critiques the persistent dominance of Eurocentric and hierarchical leadership norms and proposes an anti-racist, equity-minded approach grounded in critical self-reflection and identity work. The central purpose is to inspire educational practitioners to adopt leadership models that disrupt structures of privilege and foster inclusive, student-ready school cultures. I adopt a praxis-oriented stance that employs critical synthesis and reflective inquiry. This guided my analysis of leadership discourses through a theoretical lens and proposes a reimagined model grounded in personal identity, social justice, and anti-racism. Drawing on critical autobiographical methodology, the inquiry offers a roadmap for translating theory into equity-driven leadership practice. Results support that meaningful educational transformation requires a move from good intentions to intentional, identity-driven leadership. It contends that equity cannot be achieved without personal and professional critical reflection, and that practitioners must adopt anti-racist values as foundational—not supplementary—to their leadership approach.

Author

• Anthony Walker, Tarrant County College