Black Principals as Other Mothers: An Ethnographic Case Study of Two First-Year Black Female Principals in School Counter-Spaces

• In Event: Black Women in Education: Shifting the Gaze

Abstract

According to Wane (2000), “othermothers look after children whom they have no blood relations or legal obligation” (p. 105). The principal as othermother in secondary schools has been underexplored and this paper aims to explore the methods utilized by two first-year Black female principals who are self-proclaimed othermothers. Using ethnographic methods including go-alongs, observations and semi-structured interviews, it was found that both women navigate the space using similar techniques aimed at protecting students in ways that enact othermotherhood.

Author

• Kristen Jackson, Stanford University
  Presenting Author