Storying School Leadership Toward Racial Equity: A Critical Narrative Inquiry

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Thursday 1:45 pm Four Seasons Ballroom 2-3
  In Roundtable Session: Reexamining Leadership for (Racial) Equity Challenges in K-12 and Higher Ed Contexts (Table 3)

Abstract

Principals play a crucial role in shaping educational in/equity for students (DeMatthews et al., 2020; Grissom et al., 2021). This critical narrative inquiry asks: How do principals make sense of their experiences in the sociopolitical context of educational racial in/equity? The principals in this study understood the sociopolitical context through their own racialized development while situating the COVID-19 pandemic to understand ongoing in/equities in the educational system. They also historicized the challenges as part of a long arc, about which they were determined to be hopeful. Unfortunately, they faced the enduring white supremacy of their sociopolitical realities. These narratives can support principals doing this work and build a better tapestry upon which we can create more equitable schools.

Author

• Sarah Wenneker Walters, University of Missouri