Graduation Year

2024

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree

Ph.D.

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)

Degree Granting Department

Educational Leadership

Major Professor

Vonzell Agosto, Ph.D.

Committee Member

Lauren Braunstein, Ph.D.

Committee Member

Deirdre Cobb-Roberts, Ph.D.

Committee Member

Tanetha Fisher, Ph.D.

Keywords

Coalitions, Resilience, Life History, Mentoring, Transformational Leadership

Abstract

Black women who become school-based administrators are severely understudied in scholarly research (Lomotey, 2019). Studies suggest that Black women in the United States, who ascend into educational leadership positions, rely on professional training(s) associated with their employment and understandings accrued from inter/personal background experiences (cultural, familial) to navigate discrimination while attempting to lead. The purpose of this study was to examine how Black women use personal and professional lessons to reconcile tensions and contradictions in their administrative roles in public schools. Using a life history approach, I gathered data by interviewing seven Black women administrators (all identified as African American), which I interpreted through the lens of Black Feminist Thought, and integrated archival materials to provide historical context to the participants’ narratives. I discerned four interrelated themes: They often narrated their work as (1) Adapting to professional settings while maintaining personal worldviews, (2) Engaging with coalitions to fulfill personal and professional needs, (3) Navigating (gendered-race) politics of potential and (4) Expressing power within power. Based on the themes, I found that reconciliation of tensions among the participants was rooted in the ability to adapt to professional settings while remaining authentic relationships which they found through supportive coalitions they formed, and how those relationships aided them in strategically navigating through the intersection of personal identity and professional roles when met with diverse challenges. I discuss the implications of these findings for the field of educational leadership: preparation, hiring, mentoring, and the retention of Black women administrators. Keywords: Educational Leadership, Black women, Life History, Mentoring, Transformational Leadership

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