This volume offers the personal narratives of school, district, and state education leaders engaged in ongoing pursuits of equity, as well as findings from research and from research-practice partnerships. The chapters offer glimmers of hope through glimpses into the experiences of education leaders in the US and New Zealand. None of the stories told offer a fool-proof formula for achieving the goal of culturally responsive, socially just, equity-minded schools. They each present the inherent complexities of enacting change in schools and school systems, and the blunders that happen along the way. Each chapter begins with guiding questions to focus readers' attention as they listen to - and really hear - the lived experiences of these authors. Chapters end with reflection questions to push others to work to move aspiration into action, to build ideas of how to engage with communities in meaningful and productive ways, and how to keep stoking the passion and dedication to face the next hurdle. Taken as a whole, the book offers a reminder to pause and celebrate small successes along the way. The disproportionate impact of the pandemic on communities of color make an edited volume with accessible stories of culturally responsive leadership for social justice particularly relevant, even necessary.
Jo Smith, PhD is a Senior Lecturer in education policy and leadership in the University of Auckland's Faculty of Education and Social Work. Her research is situated at the intersection of policy and practice, and examines the structures that both hinder and help schools enact reforms aimed at improving outcomes for all students. Elisabeth Crowell Kim, PhD is Assistant Professor of Educational Leadership at California State University, Monterey Bay. Her research uses a mixed-methods approach to explore the links between education policy and educational equity, with a particular focus on how contemporary policies moderate or exacerbate inequities for low-income Latinx and BIPOC students.
Foreword: Decoteau Irby Introduction: Jo Smith, University of Auckland. Chapter 1 Motivations and Mechanisms: Stories of education leadership pathways: Elisabeth Kim, California State University, Monterey Bay. Chapter 2 Toward culturally responsive district leadership: Institutional change processes: Iton Udosenata, Salem-Keizer Public Schools, Oregon. Chapter 3 Equity audits to enhance culturally-responsive leadership: George Theoharis and Christine Ashby, Syracuse University; Sarah Gentile, West Genesee Central School District; Nate Franz, Jamesville-DeWitt School District; Corey Williams, Syracuse City School District; Ben Steuerwalt; Rory Edwards, Syracuse City School District & Meredith Devennie, Liverpool Central School District. Chapter 4 Flipping the script through virtual reality perspective-taking to increase the culture of belonging: Wendy Morgan, SHIFT and Heather McClure, University of Oregon. Chapter 5: Equity in action: Efforts and challenges of retaining BIPOC leaders: Gustavo Balderas, Beaverton School District, Oregon Chapter 6: Culturally responsive service delivery: George Theoharis, Syracuse University, Sarah D. Lent, University of Wisconsin-Madison & Kimana Kibriani, Syracuse University. Chapter 7: Tribe-school district relationships for policy change toward social justice: Mona Halcomb, Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction. Chapter 8: Challenging Leadership to Meet the Needs of Muslim Students in New Zealand Schools: Deborah J. Lomax, University of Auckland About the Authors Index
