Abstract
Rural communities in the Southern US are shaped by a legacy of racial oppression carried out through educational systems, in tandem with contemporary policies that perpetuate the marginalization of minoritized students. In this qualitative, revelatory case study, we examine the experiences of rural, southern school leaders who are tasked with ensuring educational equity. Using critical place-based leadership and bonding/bridging theory, we examine the social construction of belonging in a rural southern community, and the implications for equity-centered educational leadership. We find the community maintains tight-knit bonding capital that is rooted in land ownership and racial exclusion, which is conceptualized as southernness. Educational leaders who develop bridging capital were best positioned to shift community perceptions necessary to enact educational equity.
Highlights
Rural communities in the Southern US are shaped by a legacy of racial oppression carried out through educational systems, in tandem with contemporary policies that perpetuate the marginalization of minoritized students
Revelatory case study, we examine the experiences of rural, southern school leaders who are tasked with ensuring educational equity
We ask the following questions: (1) how do rural, southern community members discuss educational equity in their communities; and (2) how do rural, southern school leaders tasked with developing equitable school environments negotiate these community narratives? With this research, we aim to advance the field of rural educational research by providing analysis of how rural southern school leaders can negotiate community expectations to create equitable schools in a culture of long-standing systemic racism
Summary
Rural communities in the Southern US are shaped by a legacy of racial oppression carried out through educational systems, in tandem with contemporary policies that perpetuate the marginalization of minoritized students In this qualitative, revelatory case study, we examine the experiences of rural, southern school leaders who are tasked with ensuring educational equity. Rural minority students underperform on standardized academic measures (Showalter et al, 2019), are significantly less likely to be identified for gifted and talented programs (Morris & Monroe, 2009), and face higher rates of disciplinary interventions than their non-minority peers (Graham, 2015) Each of these dimensions reflects significant gaps in educational opportunities for rural communities, which have been “plagued by geographic isolation, loss of economic bases, and lack of capital (both financial and political) to voice the need for resources” Each of these dimensions reflects significant gaps in educational opportunities for rural communities, which have been “plagued by geographic isolation, loss of economic bases, and lack of capital (both financial and political) to voice the need for resources” (Williams & Grooms, 2016, p. viii)
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