Current career paths to executive ranks within American public schools reveal that all roads can lead to the superintendency. The myriad of pathways has attracted a diverse candidate pool for many of our nation’s public schools. The most recent decennial study of the superintendency by American Association of School Administrators (Kowalski et al., 2010) report that superintendent career paths remain similar over the past three decades and identify three primary career paths to the office. Forty-nine percent of superintendents matriculated from being a classroom teacher to assistant principal or principal and then to a central office administrative position before becoming a Superintendent. The second pathway indicated that 31 percent of …show more content…
A theory subscribed to by ―a collection of activists and scholars interested in studying and transforming the relationship among race, racism and power” (Delgado & Stefancic, 2001, p. 2). Critical Race Theory confronts the experience of whites as the normative standard and grounds its conceptual framework in the distinctive experiences of people of ethnic minorities (Taylor, 1998, p. 122).
Gatekeepers. This term can be the school boards or other entities hired by school boards to search and recruit candidates for the superintendency (Chase & Bell, 1990)
Glass ceiling. The term "glass ceiling" is generally used to refer to instances where women and minorities have progressed within an organization, but despite their ambitions and qualifications, find it difficult to make the movement into key higher level management positions, or management positions at all. The social disadvantage these glass ceilings is the inability of the most qualified employees to move into the most important positions due to irrelevant criteria such as race or gender (U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, 2006).
Mentoring. A process whereby knowledgeable individuals counsel, guide, and assist individuals of lessor experience and or proficiency (Dunbar & Kinnersley,
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Community building includes working closely with teachers and administrators, the school board, and the various citizen groups that comprise the larger community. This work requires both the political acumen implied in the role of superintendent as democratic leader and the academic skills of the applied social scientist. An important responsibility of democratic leadership is to garner the resources to support district initiatives (Grogan & Brunner, 2005b). Scholars in public education (e.g., Hanson, 2003; Wirt & Kirst, 2001) recognize that even the best education policies usually prove to be ineffective when they are unacceptable to the public. Kowalski (2005a) argue that policy and politics are inextricably joined in a democracy; a reality that promotes democratic administration. Keedy and Bjork (2002) point out that perhaps more so now than in the past, ideological and moral differences among community factions require facilitation and conflict management. Modern superintendent must be aware of and willing to participate in the democratic / geo-political process in order to evidence
The major thesis in this book, are broken down into two components. The first is how we define racism, and the impact that definition has on how we see and understand racism. Dr. Beverly Tatum chooses to use the definition given by “David Wellman that defines racism as a system of advantages based on race” (1470). This definition of racism helps to establish Dr. Tatum’s theories of racial injustice and the advantages either willingly or unwillingly that white privilege plays in our society today. The second major thesis in this book is the significant role that a racial identity has in our society.
In today’s highly litigious society it is of utmost importance for an education leader to have a good understanding of rules and regulations pertaining to the field of education. Knowledge of constitutional provisions and a handle on up to date local, state and federal requirements is a must for someone in educational leadership role. The nature of the population we serve is changing continuously. Educators need to be mindful of the rights of people protected by the constitution and make an effort to develop policies designed to protect those rights.
Critical Race Theory (CRT) is an interdisciplinary framework that emerged in the United States during the late 1970s and seeks to understand how race and racism intersect with other forms of social identity and power relations within society. Proponents of CRT posit that race is not biologically determined but is a social construct created to maintain power and privilege for dominant groups. One of the central tenets of CRT is the recognition that racism is not only an individual problem, but rather an institutionalized and systemic phenomenon that permeates society at all levels. CRT allows individuals to examine how the legal, social, and political systems perpetuate racial inequalities, leading to systemic racism and oppression. Despite its importance as an academic framework, CRT has recently come under attack from conservative pundits who use it as a talking point to promote their fascist ideology.
After entering Chicana and Chicano Studies Introduction to Comparative Ethnic and Global Societies, we, as a class, were introduced to the terms “community cultural wealth” and “critical race theory.” Critical Race theory is the positive aspect of the community using the community cultural wealth capitals navigational, social, linguistic, aspirational, familial and resistance to show the fight for social justice within the community. These capitals help us to analyze how people of color can gain a knowledgeable skill set that is often unnoticed in common society. All people know are the stereotypes. What our group did was show how the African American community is not only involved in a positive way, but also show acts of resistance through
“Why do I even care about this?” has always been a reoccurring question that I’ve thought about and said aloud in classes I have taken throughout my education. I have always had mixed feelings about certain subjects and topics that were taught in school because in all fairness, why do I need to be taught about something that happened years and years ago? In most classes, some students may feel the same as I would; learning about something that we’ll probably forget about within the next couple of days and possibly never need to use again. Nevertheless, if we’re never taught about history, how are we meant to know about how society functions the way it does now? How would we know not to make the same mistakes that people made years ago especially
How does the discourse of whiteness impact upon Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples’ educational outcomes? Due to the white hegemony in modern society even as it continues to change, one thing that remains constant is the representation of ‘normal’ is being white. It is this hidden discourse of whiteness in society which remains invisible, yet, represents unearned power through sustained dominance and unware beneficiary of privilege. The universalisation and normalisation of whiteness as the representation of humanity is enshrined and conveyed in our curricula, television, films, museums, songs, novels, visual arts and other material culture (Moreton-Robinson, 2004). This blindness to whiteness subjects our Aboriginal and Torres Strait
In this book, author Tara J. Yosso demonstrates how institutional power and racism affect the Chicano/a educational pipeline by weaving together critical race theory and counterstories. Critical race theory is a framework used to discover the ways race as well as racism implicitly and explicitly shape social structures, practices, and discourses(Yosso, pg.4). Counterstories refer to any narrative that goes against majoritarian stories, in which only the experiences and views of those with racial and social privilege are told. The counterstory methodology humanizes the need to change our educational system and critical race theory provides a structure for Yosso to base her research. This results in a beautiful hybrid of empirical data, theory, and fascinating narratives that works to analyze how forms of subordination shape the Chicana/o pipeline, while also exposing how institutions, structures, and discourses of education maintain discrimination based on gender, race, class and their intersections.
Delgado and Stefancic (2011) stated that Critical Race Theory explores how “race, racism, and power intersect to create different circumstances for people of color within society [...] and in postsecondary institutions” (as cited in Quaye, 2013, p. 172). Within the field of higher education, it is important for student affairs professionals to recognize how race permeates all aspects of an individual’s life to fully understand their students’ experiences. Unlike other student development theories, such as Baxter-Magolda’s (2008) self-authorship and Abes, Jones, and McEwen’s (2007) Model of Multiple Identities, CRT places race at the “center of the analysis and assumes that race is omnipresent” in an individual’s life (Quaye, 2013, p. 167).
W.E.B. DuBois, one of the pioneers in Critical Whiteness Studies, emphasizes the interrelation between “the relative invisibility of whiteness” (ibid.) and the maintenance of white supremacy, which underlines the political nature of Critical Whiteness Studies insofar as its premise is to question and challenge existing societal structures. According to Frankenberg, whiteness is a construction or an identity that is inseparable from racialized dominance (ibid.: 9). White therefore refers to a position in racism as a system for categorizing racialized groups and for the identity formation of the subject positions within racism
Looking at the modern office there are many “glass ceilings” that Steele refers to not only apply to minorities but to genders in general. Some bosses may stop people from being promoted because they are intimidated by women and do not think they should be placed on the same level as themselves, even though they are equally qualified for the position. Steele also talks about how a misused privileged can turn out to be a disadvantage such as the concept of welfare, because people use it to their advantage so much that it become a crutch for the rest of their lives. Wiley addresses a more individual process of failing to meet educational standards hence; “You get ballplayers who could barely form a compound sentence to keep a dog off them.” This statement is still true to this day due to the fact that so many people get accepted on full ride sports scholarships but their academics are below par, so that if something happens that keeps them from competing in sports they can not afford to stay in college nor can they keep their grades
Race has always been a problem in America and other countries. But developments such as Critical Race Theory (CRT) has helped challenge race and racial power and its representation in American society. Articles such as Critical Race Theory: An Introduction by Richard Delgado and Jean Stefancic; White Privilege, Color, and Crime: A Personal Account by Peggy McIntosh have helped CRT develop further. Along with the documentary White Like Me by filmmaker Tim Wise. These articles and film explore the race and racism in the United States, along with critical race theory.
The study of racism has a profound potential to become an ambiguous sociological endeavor. Incidentally, accounting for the multitude of factors which encompass this subject appear to make it the very heart of the matter and consequently the most time consuming. Although, it is my belief that all three of the main sociological theories (Functionalism, Conflict Theory and Symbolic Interactionism) should be integrated in order to achieve a legitimate and quantifiable outcome, for obvious reasons the “Conflict Theory” logically renders the best possible method to obtain a valid micro analysis of specific agents in this case. The oxford dictionary defines racism as being: prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism directed against someone of a different race based on the belief that one’s own race is superior; a belief that all members of each race possesses characteristics or abilities specific to that race, especially so as to distinguish it as inferior or superior to another race or races.
The composite principals I have observed, struggle with conflict resolution among staff members. They often choose to ignore it. However, I have watched as the tension grew and spread, sometimes causing a rift within the staff. I feel that the collection of data on school culture and collaboration about the data are areas of weakness that could be addressed to strengthen the school culture and resolve these conflicts. For our school to function as a team these issues cannot be ignored, they must be dealt with.
The text states, “The superintendent did have enormous power of initiative in virtually all matters concerning the schools: the appointment of staff, the selection of textbooks, plans and contracts for buildings, the determination of the curriculum, and normal decisions about everyday running of the schools” (159). When examining the formal education of our current educational institutions, it is evident that the power structure lies with superintendents, school boards and principals who share expectations on how classrooms should be run as well as decision making for the betterment of the institution and students. Overall, formal education has evolved and will continue to evolve as educators search for their perception of the “one best system” for their students. Throughout the history of education, power structure and social class matters have influenced how educators implement regulations, interact with community members and fellow educators, but most importantly, the education of students so that they may be instilled with the skills and confidence to further themselves as
The Analysis of “The Ballad of the Landlord” Utilizing Critical Race Theory “The Ballad of the Landlord” is a poem by Langston Hughes, published in 1940, that tells the story of a tenant and a landlord in a run-down tenement building in Harlem. The poem is a powerful commentary on the racist attitudes and policies that were prevalent in the United States at the time. “The Ballad of the Landlord” can be analyzed from a critical race theory perspective to better understand its underlying themes. Critical race theory is a framework for understanding how race and racism operate in society, and how they intersect with other forms of oppression such as class, gender, and sexuality.