As schools are growing more diverse and opportunity and achievement gaps remain, educational leaders are called to develop an equity lens to meet the needs of students (Grissom et al., 2021). The Professional Standards for Educational Leadership explicitly outline critical dispositions for educational leaders to act with equity and cultural competence in all decisions (National Policy Board for Educational Administration, 2015). The purpose of this study was to identify principals' self-reported equity leadership practices and their perceptions of their preparedness to lead for equity in one urban school division. For the purposes of this study, equity leadership was defined as "conditions for learning that interrupt historically discriminatory practices, support democratic schooling, and achieve fair, inclusive, and just outcomes. Further, leadership for equity is acting on those beliefs and understandings intentionally, regularly, and systematically" (Rigby and Tredway, 2015, p. 6). The following research questions guided this study: (a) How do principals in one urban school division indicate they demonstrate equity leadership practices outlined in the Leadership for Equity Assessment and Development framework? (b)What are principal perceptions regarding their preparedness to lead for equity? (c)What professional development do principals indicate they need?
This study utilized a convergent-mixed-methods design with self-rated surveys and semistructured interviews. Findings included that while principals (n = 44) felt they were prepared to lead for equity, their practices fell on a continuum with majority of responses associated with the emerging to proficient equitable practices ratings based on the Leadership for Equity Assessment and Development (LEAD) rubric. Moreover, principals noted that personal backgrounds and professional learning helped shape their preparedness to lead for equity most significantly. Principals indicated a need for professional growth relative to developing and evaluating teachers to be more equitable and culturally responsive. Additionally, principals suggested a need for more equitable approaches in engaging families and communities. Implications and recommendations for future studies were provided. / Doctor of Education / As schools are growing more diverse and opportunity and achievement gaps remain, educational leaders are called to develop an equity lens to meet the needs of diverse students (Grissom et al., 2021). The purpose of this study was to identify principals' self-reported equity leadership practices and their perceptions of their preparedness to lead for equity in one urban school division. Through surveys and semistructured interviews, this study examined the current equity leadership practices of 44 principals in one urban school division in southeastern Virginia leveraging the Leadership for Equity Assessment and Development (LEAD) framework (Galloway and Ishimaru, 2017). Additionally, this study examined the perceptions of preparedness of principals to lead for equity and what professional development is still needed in this school division.
The results of this study indicated that while principals felt they were prepared to lead for equity, their practices fell on a continuum, with a majority of responses associated with the emerging to proficient equitable practices ratings outlined on the LEAD rubric. Moreover, principals noted that personal backgrounds and professional learning helped to shape their preparedness to lead for equity. Implications for school division leaders and school leadership preparation programs were described based on the findings, as well as considerations for future research.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:VTETD/oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/115332 |
| Date | 05 June 2023 |
| Creators | Harris, James Terrell |
| Contributors | Educational Leadership and Policy Studies, Cash, Carol S., Haynes, Raymond, Brinkmann, Jodie Lynn, Price, Ted S. |
| Publisher | Virginia Tech |
| Source Sets | Virginia Tech Theses and Dissertation |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Dissertation |
| Format | ETD, application/pdf |
| Rights | In Copyright, http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/ |
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