Last year’s heightened awareness of racial injustice, prompted by the state-sanctioned murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and multiple other Black Americans, and subsequent battles over teaching accurate histories of race and racism have prompted school leaders to wrestle with several questions: Should I publicly respond to these crises? If I do respond, what is the right thing to say? How do I balance what I believe, district guidelines, and the needs of the students and families that I serve?
Although aspiring school leaders receive ample training in handling issues related to instructional leadership and teacher supervision, most lack the knowledge required for leading diversity initiatives or navigating racial crises (Davis et al., 2015; Young et al., 2010). And based on the varying levels of quality and depth in school leaders’ recent public responses to these crises, it is clear that the training these leaders received in preparation programs was insufficient.
A Spotlight on Public Responses
My research on how school leaders have responded to racial violence in the past—conducted as part of my PhD studies—provides insight into how to successfully navigate future racial crises. Using media reports and newspapers, I studied 538 incidents of racial violence in K-12 schools that took place from 2014 to 2019. These incidents were spread across 41 states and Washington, D.C.; a majority occurred in the Midwest and the South. Most revolved around the use of racial slurs, racist graffiti or signs, racist social media posts, or racism at athletic events. There were also several incidents that did not neatly fit into one category: racist “promposals,” students holding mock slave auctions, and students wearing Ku Klux Klan robes to school, just to name a few.
Many of these media reports included links to school leaders’ public responses. I studied 140 of these press releases, letters, emails, and social media posts to find commonalities. Although critical race theory (CRT) has recently been at the center of many school board protests and has been characterized as anti-American and revisionist in nature, I found it to be an excellent analysis tool. Critical race theory acknowledges that racism is not a deviation from the norm in our society, but instead has been a feature of our laws, policies, and practices since its founding (Harris, 1993). It also centers counternarratives that detail the experiences of racially minoritized people (Solórzano & Yosso, 2002).
CRT provided the theoretical grounding for me to understand how and why some school leaders chose to address these crises the way they did, especially those who claimed racism was not a part of their community. They often focused the response on protecting their school’s image and reputation, rather than effectively addressing the issue at hand: the persistence of white supremacy and systemic racism in our education systems.
Instances of racial violence in schools require school leaders to be prepared to be bold, courageous, and decisive in their responses.
James Bridgeforth
Many school leaders described the incidents as individual acts of racism that were unrepresentative of their schools and communities. When members of one suburban high school marching band used the letters on their instrument covers to spell out a racial slur, the principal shared his disappointment by saying that the students’ actions were stunning to the community: “As you all know, this is not who we are.”
Statements from school and district leaders often used numbers to demonstrate the isolation of such despicable acts. A district superintendent in the Southwest wrote that “X Public Schools employs more than 14,000 individuals. The unacceptable behavior reported by the students is specific to one employee.” Similarly, a superintendent in the Midwest assured the community that “the actions of one individual do not represent the values of 5,000 students.”
Leaders often highlighted their schools’ values, many of which explicitly celebrated diversity and inclusion. One suburban high school principal who was responding to an act of racial violence stated that “X High School will not be defined by this incident. We will remain one community that celebrates our diversity.” Leaders also underscored the importance of tolerance, kindness, and safety for all by making clear that they had zero tolerance for discrimination and hate. When responding to a threat to kill Black students, an East Coast high school principal wrote, “We must not tolerate any form of bigotry or hate, no matter the race and ethnicity of the suspect or those of the intended victim or victims . . . Hate is hate, and we must eradicate it from our school.”
Making a Statement
At first glance, these responses appear to be strong condemnations of racial hatred and violence, which is exactly what we should expect from our leaders. However, by drawing a bright red line around the school and placing the individuals responsible for racist actions outside it, many school leaders missed a crucial opportunity for race-conscious leadership. Such leadership does not shy away from conversations about race but instead works to create opportunities for staff at every level to openly discuss racial issues and grow in their racial awareness (Flores & Gunzenhauser, 2019).
Additionally, race-conscious leaders must be willing to acknowledge and then work to counter the ways that racism functions within their schools. Although leaders may not want to believe that the perpetrators are representative of our communities, it is important to recognize two things: 1) Whether representative or not, the individuals responsible for racist actions are still a part of our communities, and 2) systemic racism is absolutely embedded in our organizations and institutions (Ray, 2019).
If school leaders can begin to accept these statements as fact, it can empower them to address incidents more courageously and compassionately.
My research also revealed multiple examples of educational leaders engaging in equity-minded school leadership—a reform approach that “foregrounds the policies and practices contributing to disparities in educational achievement and abstains from blaming students for those accumulated disparities” (Bensimon et al., 2016). An example of this form of leadership was evident in a joint statement by a Midwest principal and district superintendent. The statement read in part:
“We will not be silent in the face of racist language in our schools—and we cannot perpetuate it. We will not make excuses for actions that hurt the students . . . we have a lot of work to do to repair harm and rebuild trust with our students and our community. We take that responsibility seriously.”
A similar statement was made by a middle school principal in the West, who wrote:
“We are beginning our own work to open a dialogue and take real steps towards being our best selves as well. We have just created an Equity Committee that will be examining our curriculum and our practices to look for our own biases and to seek out new perspectives. I would also like to invite our parents to join us in these conversations to lend their voices and expertise. We are limited to our own experience, and the only way to grow is to invite others in.”
These school leaders not only called attention to the racist incidents and took responsibility for those actions but also centered the experiences of those harmed by racial violence by acknowledging the devastating impacts of racial violence for students of color. Most importantly, they worked to develop specific and targeted shifts in policies and practices. These statements are necessary, but they are only the first step. How do we make sure that school leaders are empowered to do this work?
Centering Equity and Justice Over Reputation
Empowering leaders will involve transforming educational leadership preparation programs to be explicitly race-conscious and equity-minded. Just as we predict the arrival of hurricane and flu seasons, we must also treat racial crises as predictable occurrences and proactively train school leaders to successfully address them. Trainings might focus on developing racial awareness and identity; cultivating racially inclusive educational spaces that encourage people to bring their whole selves into the room; or creating meaningful partnerships with culturally specific community-based organizations (like the Black Parent Initiative in Portland, Oregon). Although programs may not be able to prepare school leaders for every crisis, a comprehensive focus on racial equity and justice within curricula can ensure that leaders begin with a strong foundation in race-conscious leadership.
We must also provide meaningful opportunities for practicing school leaders to learn with and from each other through professional learning communities specifically dedicated to racial justice. These spaces would benefit from including leaders who have navigated racial crises in their schools and can provide genuine insight into the challenges and opportunities that came from their experiences. Discussing potential failures, particularly when those failures are public, can be difficult. However, openly sharing those experiences in a supportive, collaborative space, could provide leaders with a critical support system to share best practices.
For example, the USC Race and Equity Center, where I am currently a research associate, recently launched the inaugural Racial Equity Leadership Academy with more than 80 principals from the Los Angeles Unified School District. Over the course of the year, these school leaders took part in monthly, virtual PD sessions focused on topics related to racial equity, including addressing implicit bias, cultivating relationships with families and communities of color, and addressing racial violence in schools by incorporating racial equity plans into everyday policies and practices. This work is critical for effectively responding to racial violence in schools and must center equity and justice, rather than reputation management.
Every day, families of all races, backgrounds, and experiences entrust their community’s principals with their children’s growth and development. Instances of racial violence in schools require school leaders to be prepared to be bold, courageous, and decisive in their responses. It is not enough to condemn the act of racism. Leaders must also commit to taking actionable steps to ensure the safety and well-being of those harmed. The vision of a more equitable society depends on this type of leadership and our children, particularly children of color, deserve nothing less.
