African American Principals and the Legacy of Brown

A critical review of race and ethnicity in the leadership literature: Surfacing context, power and the collective dimensions of leadership

“…However, some articles caution against relying on generalizations about black educators (Lomotey, 1993;Reed & Evans, 2008;Tillman, 2004). They reflect a new generation of scholars that build on the reviewed educational tradition but argue for a more complex understanding of the role of race and its interaction with other social identities such as gender.…”

“…Yet Tillman (2004) does find sufficient evidence of this black cultural approach in her thorough review of the literature on leadership roles of African American principals before and after the Brown v. Board of Education decision. Many, though certainly not all black principals, did embody Lomotey's (1993) ethnohumanist role identity.…”

“…Lomotey (1993) thinks of these qualities as reflective of an ethno-humanist role identity that many African American principals assume. To ensure a good education of African American students, these principals draw on their insider status and emphasize a distinct black culture (Tillman, 2004).…”

“…They focus on the response of leaders to rapid demographic change (Evans, 2007), explore responses to racialized environments through leadership enactments (Kezar, 2000;Loder, 2005;Lomotey, 1993;Tillman, 2004) or challenge interpretations of these enactments based on one single identity marker like race (Reed & Evans, 2008). Other studies, in management, document explicit efforts to shape representations of race-ethnicity in these environments (Foldy, Goldman, & Ospina, 2008;Ospina & Su, 2009).…”

Black Superintendents on Educating Black Students in Separate and Unequal Contexts

“…Substantive studies on Black education have captured the voices and perspectives of Black teachers (Beauboeuf-Lafontant 2002;Dixson and Dingus 2008;Foster 1997;Ladson-Billings 1994;Perkins 1989) and contributions of Black principals (Loder 2005;Lomotey 1993;Rodgers 1967;Tillman 2004aTillman , 2008Walker 1996a, b), but few scholars have studied the Black school superintendent (Alston 2005;Horsford 2007;Hunter and Donohoo 2005;Moody 1971;Scott 1980Scott , 1983 in ways that examine the broad range of concerns and issues faced and addressed by this particular type of educational leader. Their wisdom of practice as school system leaders offer an expansive system-wider perspective that is uniquely concerned with the interpersonal and institutional relationships that exist (or do not exist) within and among schools, school systems, and communities.…”