In this essay, we contend that there continues to be a lack of attentiveness in educational leadership and policy to addressing how critical educators "emotionally" navigate social and political issues generally, and racism particularly--both of which are emotional issues. As such, using brief examples of reflections from critical…

This counternarrative study positions two distinct bodies of literature in conversation: mid-level district leadership in the literature on educational change and anti-racist approaches to leadership framed through Critical Race Theory and Critical Whiteness Studies. Interviews with twelve, mid-level district leaders committed to anti-racism in…

Recent education policies and laws such as a new rule to "Title IX" by the U.S. Department of Education (2020) and the "Parental Rights in Education" (HB 1557, 2022) also known as the "Don't Say Gay" law in Florida have important implications for how educational leaders are expected to address issues of gender,…

This article builds from scholarship on anti-Blackness in education and spatial imaginaries in geography to theorize an anti-Black spatial imaginary as the prevailing spatial logic that has shaped the configuration and character of American social intuitions, including K-12 schools. As a spatial imaginary, anti-Blackness is circulated through…

Leadership is a critical component of creating and sustaining a school culture that promotes the inclusion and success of students. The purpose of this study was to examine how school leaders helped to enact and sustain a reformed Advanced Placement (AP) culture designed to increase participation and success of students of color. Building on…

Purpose: "Abbeville v. South Carolina" was a nearly three-decade long school funding lawsuit initiated by the education leaders of South Carolina's most rural and impoverished school districts that primarily educated students of color. Recently, the State Supreme Court dismissed the entire case. Guided by a multiperspective framework of…

In this article, we outline some of the vital measurements of racism and anti-blackness as a macro system in education. We contend that principal preparation programs have not explicitly prioritized anti-racist school leadership, while often resisting the possibilities of solidarity or "one mic" of knowledge to increase anti-racist…

Metaphors are deeply embedded in educational discourse, yet few studies examine how educators use these linguistic devices to conceptualize, articulate, and make sense of their professional practice. This article examines the metaphors that 38 Canadian and American school leaders used to describe how they accomplished their social justice work in…

Sybil Jordan Hampton's lived experience as the only African American in her class at Little Rock (AR) Central High School from 1959 to 1962 is presented. Sybil valued assets within her family and community, exhibited critical consciousness, and had courage in the face of being shunned. Leaders who aim to interrupt inequitable outcomes in schools…

Anti-Black racism and White supremacy continue to have dire impact on the lives and educational outcomes of Black people and students in educational spaces. Examining ways in which this form of racism is disrupted, confronted, and challenged in education and schooling is important not only to Black students, scholars, practitioners, and staff, but…

Research into equity leadership has been a growing focus within educational leadership. Few studies explore the role of the superintendent in equity work. Drawing from interview data and observation of monthly regional leadership meetings, this article examines how 12 superintendents describe their equity leadership practices. Focusing on the ways…

The rallying, clarion call to #SayHerName has prompted the United States to intentionally include the lives, voices, struggles, and contributions of Black women and countless others of her ilk who have suffered and strived in the midst of anti-Black racism. To advance a leadership framework that is rooted in the historicity of brilliance embodied…

In their 2007 article, Pounder and Johnson addressed the need for the discipline of Educational Administration to link more qualitative works to quantitative works and critical and social justice frameworks to the traditional ones, to help dispel the notion that the Educational Leadership/Administration discipline "is narrow in its…

This research answers the question, "How did pre-Brown African American school leaders lead their schools?" After conducting a metasynthesis on the leadership practices of pre-Brown African American school leaders, I constructed the Pre-Brown African American School Leadership Paradigm (PAASLP) and model. The PAASLP describes a paradigm…

This study examined Indiana public middle school principals' perceptions of school conditions and stakeholders' attitudes regarding middle-grade lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning (LGBTQ) students. Principals' responses revealed that inclusive school environments and caring faculty members were prominent factors in successfully…