Navigating Barriers to Equitable Learning Opportunities
Open Access DepositedThe Role of Title I Elementary Principals
(1) Barriers to equitable learning opportunities
For more than a century, the U.S. education system has grappled with equitable access to learning opportunities for economically disadvantaged and minority students. Despite decades of educational reform, these inequities continue to impact our most marginalized students. Public school systems are becoming increasingly diversified, necessitating leaders to ensure all students are provided an equitable education. While there is existing research regarding the intersection of instructional leadership and transformational leadership, a gap exists in the literature addressing the impact of instructional leadership in conjunction with transformative leadership. In this study, I interviewed principals to investigate how, if at all, school leaders address barriers to equitable learning opportunities, and to determine contextually based practices leaders implement to promote equity and access within their schools and communities. Data analysis yielded three major themes
(2) Leadership identity, approaches, and practices
and (3) Solutions to barriers. The major findings that emerged from the data highlight the need for Title I principals to have a critical consciousness of the inequitable societal conditions that impact a child’s ability to learn and thrive. Furthermore, school leaders must take critical action against these injustices, promoting social justice, democracy, and working towards the promise of a more equitable future.
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