While literature on leading for equity has expanded over the past decades, empirical evidence on equity-centered principal practice remains limited, particularly in leadership staffing practices. In this article, I examine my experiences as a school principal striving to lead for equity. Using autoethnographic methods, I explore key staffing strategies, practices, and challenges in building an equity-centered school team, focusing on staffing design, hiring, placement, and evaluation. I conclude that staffing for equity is a crucial aspect of equity leadership and that district policies can either support or hinder this effort. Implications for leadership practice, policy, preparation, and scholarship are discussed.
ChildressS. M.DoyleD. P.ThomasD. A. (2009). Leading for equity: The pursuit of excellence in Montgomery County Public Schools. Harvard Education Press.
5.
CollinsJ. (2001). Good to great. Random House Business Books.
6.
Darling HammondL.WeschslerM. E.LevinS.Leung-GagnéM.TosarS. (2022). Developing effective principals: What kind of learning matters?Wallace Foundation.
7.
DuFourR.DuFourR.EakerR.MattosM.MuhammadA. (2021). Revisiting professional learning communities at work: Proven insights for sustained, substantive school improvement. Solution Tree Press.
8.
FratturaE. M.CapperC. A. (2007). Leading for social justice: Transforming schools for all learners. Corwin.
9.
GayG. (2000). Culturally responsive teaching: Theory, research, and practice. Teachers College Press.
10.
GeertzC. (1973). Thick description: Toward an interpretive theory of culture. In The interpretation of cultures (pp. 3–31). Basic Books.
GrissomJ. A.LoebS.NakashimaN. A. (2014). Strategic involuntary teacher transfers and teacher performance: Examining equity and efficiency. Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, 33(1), 112–140. https://doi.org/10.1002/pam.21732
13.
GümüşS.ArarK.OplatkaI. (2021). Review of international research on school leadership for social justice, equity and diversity. Journal of Educational Administration & History, 53(1), 81–99. https://doi.org/10.1080/00220620.2020.1862767
14.
HammondZ. (2015). Culturally responsive teaching and the brain: Promoting authentic engagement and rigor among culturally and linguistically diverse students. Corwin.
15.
HonigM. I.CoplandM. A.RaineyL.LortonJ. A.NewtonM. (2010). Central office transformation for district-wide teaching and learning improvement. Center for the Study of Teaching and Learning, University of Washington.
16.
HonigM. I.RaineyL. R. (2023). From tinkering to transformation: How school district central offices drive equitable teaching and learning. Harvard Education Press.
17.
KhalifaM. A.GoodenM. A.DavisJ. E. (2016). Culturally responsive school leadership: A synthesis of the literature. Review of Educational Research, 86(4), 1272–1311. https://doi.org/10.3102/0034654316630383
18.
KoseB. W. (2007). Principal leadership for social justice: Uncovering the content of teacher professional development. Journal of School Leadership, 17, 276–312. https://doi.org/10.1177/105268460701700302
19.
KoseB. W. (2009). The principal’s role in professional development for social justice: An empirically-based transformative framework. Urban Education, 44, 628–663. https://doi.org/10.1177/0042085908322707
Ladson-BillingsG. (2009). The dreamkeepers: Successful teachers of African American Children (2nd ed.). Jossey-Bass.
22.
LarssonP.LöwstedtJ. (2023). Distributed school leadership: Making sense of the educational infrastructure. Educational Management Administration & Leadership, 51(1), 138–156. https://doi.org/10.1177/1741143220973668
23.
LeithwoodK.SeashoreK.AndersonS.WahlstromK. (2004). Review of research: How leadership influences student learning. Wallace Foundation.
LevinS.ScottC.YangM.LeungM.BradleyK. (2020). Supporting a strong, stable principal workforce: What matters and what can be done. National Institution of Secondary Principals.
26.
LiebowitzD. D.PorterL. (2019). The effect of principal behaviors on student, teacher, and school outcomes: A systematic review and meta-analysis of the empirical literature. Review of Educational Research, 89(5), 785–827. https://doi.org/10.3102/0034654319866133
27.
LoBueA. (2023). Leadership for educational equity for principals in New York state: Policy challenges and opportunities. Journal of Educational Administration and History, 55(2), 111–127. https://doi.org/10.1080/00220620.2022.2061925
28.
MarshallC.OlivaM. (2010). Leaders for social justice: Making revolutions in education (2nd ed.). Allyn & Bacon.
NASSP. (2022). NASSP’s survey of school leaders and high school students. National Association for Secondary School Principals. https://survey.nassp.org/2022/
31.
PoulosC. N. (2021). Essentials of autoethnography. American Psychological Association.
32.
RaddS. I.GenerettG. G.GoodenM. A.TheoharisG. (2021). Five practices for equity-focused school leadership. Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.
33.
RaskinC.KrullM.FelixA. (2021). Principal leadership for racial equity: A field guide for developing race consciousness. Corwin.
SensoyO.DiAngeloR. (2017). Is everyone really equal? An introduction to key concepts in social justice education (2nd ed.). Teachers College Press.
36.
ShieldsC. M. (2004). Dialogic leadership for social justice: Overcoming pathologies of silence. Educational Administration Quarterly, 40, 109–132. https://doi.org/10.1177/0013161X03258963
37.
ShieldsC. M. (2020). Becoming a transformative leader: A guide to creating equitable schools. Routledge.
38.
ShieldsC. M.BishopR.MazawiA. E. (2005). Pathologizing practices: The impact of deficit thinking on education. Peter Lang.
39.
TenutoP. L.GardinerM. E. (2018). Interactive dimensions for leadership: An integrative literature review and model to promote ethical leadership praxis in a global society. Journal of Leadership in Education, 21(5), 593–607.
40.
TheoharisG.ScanlanM. (Eds.). (2021). Leadership for increasingly diverse schools (2nd ed.). Routledge.
41.
ValenciaR. R. (1997). The evolution of deficit thinking: Educational thought and practice. The Falmer Press.
42.
WilliamsK. (2022). Ruthless equity: Disrupt the status quo and ensure learning for ALL students. Wish in One Hand Press.
43.
WronowskiM. L.VanGronigenB. A.HenryW. L. C.OliveJ. L. (2023). “We’ve been forgotten”: First-hand perspectives on teacher leaders and teacher leadership in urban schools. Education and Urban Society, 55(2), 1–23.
