Discourse surrounding culturally responsive leadership : how school principals implement change

UNCG Author/Contributor (non-UNCG co-authors, if there are any, appear on document)
Jamie Davis-Burgins (Creator)
Institution
The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG )
Web Site: http://library.uncg.edu/
Advisor
Kathy Hytten

Abstract: The central purposes of this research study were to understand how school principals define and enact culturally responsive leadership (CRL). I was also interested in the challenges they have experienced in trying to lead in culturally responsive ways, as well as the successes that they have had in practice. In this qualitative research study, I interviewed eight school principals in a school district located in North Carolina. Through interviews and document analysis, I used my findings to answer my research questions. First, research participants described their definition of CRL and how their lived experiences impact how they serve students of color. Participants then shared the challenges of moving from theory to practice, while describing the successes of programs and strategies that support historically underserved student populations. As I made sense of my findings, I found that many of the principals perceived themselves as culturally responsive leaders, however, they struggled to fully implement culturally responsive practices in their schools. In addition to interviews, I analyzed documents to help me to better understand how they assess and implement CRL in their schools. A few documents I analyzed include, the North Carolina Teacher Working Conditions Survey, North Carolina School Report Cards, and school district websites. Currently there is little research on how school principals enact culturally responsive leadership. With that in mind, this study will add to the research on how school leaders implement cultural responsiveness in K-12 schools, while challenging the educational disparities historically marginalized students encounter.

Additional Information

Publication
Dissertation
Language: English
Date: 2022
Keywords
Culturally Responsive Leadership, Definitions of culturally responsive leadership, Historically underserved populations, School Principals, Special populations, Success in K-12 settings
Subjects
School principals $z North Carolina
Educational leadership $z North Carolina
Educational equalization $z North Carolina
Culturally relevant pedagogy $z North Carolina

Email this document to