A Counternarrative to the Status Quo of Leadership: Positioning Students as Leaders and Change Agents

• In Event: Best Practices for Social Justice Leadership

Abstract

This qualitative case study presents a counternarrative of district and school level leadership highlighting the role of students of color engaged in leadership intended to increase equitable learning opportunities for their peers. Specifically, this case highlights the actions that students of color engaged in while creating a teacher code of conduct, the work required to legitimize the leadership of youth of color, and role that staff and community member allies play in supporting this legitimization. Additionally, this research highlights the moral and ethical imperative that students reported as motivations for engagement in leadership activities. Implications include the need for district and school level leaders to reposition students of color as funds of leadership capacity and agents of change within schools.

Authors

• Jason Salisbury, Iowa State University

• Daniel D. Spikes, Iowa State University