In this article, I use an autobiographical narrative case study to discuss my journey with my mental health and the ways that being a part of a Black men's initiative--first as a member, next as a peer mentor, and lastly, as the teaching assistant--helped me to undo some of the neglectful and toxic ways that I was avoiding my body, mind, and soul…

Leveraging the education system for Black and Brown students has been an ongoing occurrence in the United States. This dissertation explores how Black women principals use leadership practices to create a safe learning environment that promotes learning in a caring and nourishing manner. The purpose of this qualitative descriptive study was to…

According to the 2020 U.S. Census, 62.1 million people identify as Hispanic/ Latiné in the United States. Of the 49.6 million students enrolled in public elementary and secondary schools in fall 2022, 14.4 million students identified as Hispanic (National Center for Education Statistics [NCES], 2024a). Factors such as poverty, health issues, and…

Rural, urban, and suburban school principals faced distinct challenges in engaging families and fostering positive school climates. Recognizing the need for tailored leadership strategies, it was essential for principal preparation programs to provide context-specific training. The purpose of basic interpretive qualitative study was to explore the…

Middle level scholars and educators have begun to examine dominant narratives and conceptual traditions around middle level history and philosophy with careful attention to diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice (DEIJ) (Harrison et al., 2018). Across these critical shifts in focus for middle grades education, myriad questions have arisen about…

The topic of achievement gaps between students of color and White students is much discussed and analyzed throughout our country. Schools that have a diverse student population and have subgroup achievement gaps are slow to adopt change that can close these gaps. One area schools need to examine is the diversity of their teacher workforce. The…

School principals must play a vital role in facilitating homeplace and Black joy by promoting, modeling, and holding educators responsible for their roles in contributing to homeplace. We argue that principals can enact homeplace by embodying the tenets of culturally responsive school leadership (CSRL). The purpose of this paper is to make meaning…

Narrative inquiry is my research method, and my goal is to validate the use of narratives, including my reflective memos, journal reflections, and interpretations of various artifacts that share my students' experiences. As a Black woman and an educator, I emphasize the importance of culturally responsive school leadership for K-12 principals,…

Every line of inquiry on the role of the principal tells us that the role needs an overhaul. Schools are dealing with historic educational disruption associated with the pandemic. Young people face record levels of anxiety and depression, unsustainably high income inequality, a painful reckoning with systemic racism, and a declining commitment to…

Every moment counts (EMC) is a multi-tiered mental health promotion initiative designed to build the capacity of practitioners to address the mental health needs of children and youth in school settings. This study evaluated the impact and cultural relevance of EMC workshops in supporting practitioners to apply a public health approach to…

School facilities are increasingly seen as essential to achieving educational equity. By foregrounding often taken-for-granted school spaces, this conceptual article seeks to situate school design within broader antiracist efforts in education. To that end, I make a few critical contributions: (a) I shift attention to the social construction and…

Educational spaces, both formal and informal, are not always welcoming to queer Métis youth, especially to those youth who connect more to hip-hop cultures than those activities like jigging and beading which are often held up as pillars of Métis culture. This article draws on conversations with youth, conducted as part of doctoral research using…

Culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) students who are English learners (ELs) represent over 10% of the overall student population in U.S. public schools. Nevertheless, this population is highly underserved in schools and has some of the lowest graduation rates. This phenomenological research interviewed eight principals to examine how they…

Demographics of suburban schools are shifting from predominantly White families to include more individuals and families of color, immigrants, and those who are economically vulnerable (Diamond & Posey-Maddox, 2020). In order to lead their changing communities in pursuit of equity, school administrators need support and guidance to recognize…

It is important for school leaders to understand how students who identify as belonging to specific races, ethnicities, or cultures experience school climate. The purpose of this quantitative study was to investigate the perceptions of school leaders on their culturally responsive leadership (CRSL) practices and discipline actions. This study…