Journal Article

Race and Racism: How Does an Aspiring Social Justice Principal Support Black Student Leaders for Racial Equity Among a Resistant White Staff

Van T. Lac and Gwendolyn S. Baxley
June 2019 | University Council for Educational Administration (UCEA); Journal of Cases in Educational Leadership

This journal article from the Journal of Cases in Educational Leadership describes how youth researchers engaged in a semester-long research project that included anonymous student surveys, focus groups for Black students, and semistructured interviews with Black youth known with the most disciplinary issues. The leaders of the Black Student Union (BSU) at Liberty High School share their school climate and culture survey with Mia Nguyen, their Asian American principal. Black youth leaders reveal a hostile and unwelcoming climate in the form of anti-blackness for Black students at a school staffed with primarily White teachers. BSU students request to share their findings with the entire school staff. This case study could be used in educational leadership programs as coursework to emphasize equity and decision making.

Program and Curricular Materials