P-12 Education Studies - MIDWEST BLACK, INDIGENOUS, PEOPLE OF COLOR LEADERS SERVING IN WHITE SPACES

Oct 15, 2026

The narrative inquiry examines leadership in a time of change by correlating it with stories of 10 Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) school leaders serving in White suburban schools. The study explores experiences of eight Black and two Latinx leaders in K-12 districts after the 2020 racial reckoning, when racial tensions rose. It addresses the limited research on BIPOC leaders in predominately White institutions, analyzing data through Critical Race Theory. Three themes emerge: racism, microaggressions, and pressure plus.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages21

Reading Time53 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Introduction

Suburban demographics and leadership recruitment

Job stress and additional burdens for principals of color

Critical Race Theory and policy controversy

P-12 Education Studies MIDWEST BLACK, INDIGENOUS, PEOPLE OF COLOR LEADERS SERVING IN WHITE SPACES Brett A. Burton Xavier University Abstract The narrative inquiry correlates to the Leadership in a Time of Change theme by examining the stories of 10 Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) school leaders serving in White suburban schools. The research study explores the experiences of eight Black and two Latinx school leaders that serve in K-12 school districts after the racial reckoning of 2020 when elevated racial tensions were significant. Limited research has been explored related to BIPOC school leaders’ experiences in predominately White school institutions where they are underrepresented among educational stakeholder groups. The inquiry analyzes the data through the Critical Race Theory from Delgado and Stefancic (2017). The stories of the 10 BIPOC school leaders revealed three themes: racism, microaggressions, and pressure plus. The study is relevant to predominately White school district leaders attempting to hire and retain diverse school leaders. Author Note: The authors provide permission to publish this manuscript. Correspondence concerning this [article should be addressed to Dr. Burton at ](article should be addressed to Dr. Burton at burtonb4@xavier.edu)[burtonb4@xavier.edu](article should be addressed to Dr. Burton at burtonb4@xavier.edu),(513) 745-4230. Key Words: Critical Race Theory, narrative inquiry, BIPOC, affinity groups, professional development Introduction In some areas of the United States, "suburban education has become regarded as the idealand urban education as the cautionary tale" (Lewis-McCoy, 2018, p. 146). When one imagines a suburban school setting, one pictures a modern facility surrounded by single-family homes with pristine fenced-in yards and newer vehicles parked in the driveways. The (mostly White) children from these families make up the majority of students attending the local suburban school. Nevertheless, in the last three decades, suburban America has seen a demographic change among the student population in suburban schools, where the Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) student population has increased in White suburbia (Diamond & Posey-Maddox, 2019) . As the demographics change among the student population, not much has changed in the recruitment and retention ofBIPOC educational leaders serving in suburban public schools. School leadership at the building and central office levels continues to be monopolized by White educators. As of 2017-2018, 78 % of public school administrators were White, 10 percent were Black, 8.6 percent were Latinx, and 54% of that population was female (Diamond & Posey, 2019). Most BIPOC school administrators serve in public schools where most students identify as BIPOC. Schaeffer (2021) found that 37.5% ofBIPOC school administrators are employed in urban schools, and 75 % of urban school students identify as BIPOC and qualify for free-reduced breakfast and lunch. While most BIPOC school administrators lead schools where most students are BIPOC themselves, few studies have examined the experiences ofBIPOC school leaders serving in predominately White suburban public schools. The central theme of this journal is Leadership in a Time of Change. This study investigation is warranted based on the lack of research regarding the experiences ofBIPOC educational leaders serving predominantly White school districts. Limited narratives describe the opportunities and challenge BIPOC school leaders endure when working in a predominantly White school setting. In addition, educators serving in school leadership roles are under immense pressure . Job stress has escalated due to increased expectations, public scrutiny, and resolving stakeholder conflicts (Mahfouz, 2018). Scholars have argued that principals of color have additional job stress due to being school leaders of color (Steiner et al., 2022). Steiner et al. (2022) concluded

FAQs

What is the central research focus of the study?

The study correlates leadership in a time of change with the experiences of 10 BIPOC school leaders serving in predominantly White suburban K-12 schools.

Which theoretical framework is used to analyze the data?

The inquiry analyzes the data through Critical Race Theory from Delgado and Stefancic (2017).

What themes emerged from the leaders' stories?

The stories revealed three themes: racism, microaggressions, and pressure plus.

Oct 15, 2026

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