The criticality of consciousness in leadership preparation and professional development

• In Event: Transformational Leadership Growth and Critical Consciousness: Learning Across Sectors, Systems, and States

Abstract

This conceptual paper examines the development of critical consciousness in school leaders through the Culturally Responsive Instructional Supervision (CRIS) Framework. Grounded in critical theory, Freirean pedagogy, and Critical Race Theory, CRIS emphasizes self-examination, reflection, interrogation, and awareness as essential leadership practices. Drawing on literature and participant data from a professional development summit, findings demonstrate that traditional, compliance-based leadership models are insufficient for cultivating equity-centered leadership. In contrast, the CRIS Framework offers a liberatory, practice-informed approach that directly challenges white supremacist ideologies—particularly anti-Blackness—in education. It reimagines professional learning as a site of ethical responsibility and collective empowerment, equipping leaders to disrupt systemic inequities and foster justice-centered, inclusive school environments.

Author

• Shannon Renee Waite, Howard University