Practicing Equity-Centered Leadership: School Leader Perceptions of Readiness

• In Event: Building Equity-Centered Leadership: Readiness, Reflection, and Systemic Support

Abstract

This study explored school leaders’ perceptions of their readiness to practice equity-centered leadership. The introduction of Pennsylvania’s Culturally Relevant and Sustaining Education (CR-SE) standards required school leaders to implement equitable practices. Fifty school leaders completed a survey exploring their readiness, and six school leaders participated in semi-structured interviews following the survey.
The quantitative results indicated that black male school leaders had the highest perceptions of readiness, while all other racial and gender groups expressed moderate levels. Qualitative data demonstrated school leaders’ concerns about the lack of practice in equity-centered leadership during their preparation programs. Most notably, participants called for additional training to navigate policies that conflict with the fundamental principles of equity-centered leadership.

Authors

• Michelle Palmer-Felton, Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania

• Wendy Kubasko, Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania

• Tiffany Wright, Millersville University of Pennsylvania