A Critique of School Board Selection Practices and the Under-representation of Racialized Educators in the Principalship
Year: 2018
Type: dissertation
Abstract: School leaders are “ultimately responsible for how well students are doing and the extent to which achievement is improving” (Ontario. Ministry of Education, 2012b, p. 2). With changing demographics leading to an increased population of racialized stakeholders, schools must be responsive to the diverse needs of students and ensure equity of outcomes. This qualitative study identified factors contributing to continued under-representation of racialized educators in formal school leadership roles. Interview data collected from senior level personnel of three Greater Toronto Area (GTA) school boards was used to consider the question: How might current school board selection, identification, and subsequent hiring practices contribute to the under-representation of racialized school principals? This research utilizes anti-racism and critical race theories and Whiteness studies as conceptual frames for analysis. The twelve participants who were identified by their respective school board and/or colleagues, articulated their understanding of their district’s recruitment, identification and selection process for school leadership. Participants also shared their perceptions regarding the outcomes and/or patterns of under-represented racialized educators promoted into the principalship for their board. An analysis of the responses and an in-depth review of the literature uncovered prevailing dominant conceptualizations of leadership, derived from mainstream educational leadership scholarship. Problematically, the unique knowledges, perspectives, and lived experiences of racialized educators are siloed in the educational leadership scholarship and excluded from the mainstream literature used to identify and select school leaders. These findings have significant implications for who and how school leaders are selected, given that leaders who demonstrate Equity-based leadership models have particular competencies and skills that include identifying and removing barriers for marginalized students. Understanding the relationship between hiring and the under-representation of racialized educators in the cadre of school leaders is imperative, given Ministry mandates to close achievement gaps. This research contributes to greater understanding of the ways social identities can be determinants of advancement within systems of education that reflect an absence of marginalized identities within the ranks of school leadership.
Source: TSpace (University of Toronto)
Author: Camille Logan
Language: English
Subfield: Sociology and Political Science
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W3108006550