‘You guys are bilingual aren’t you?’ Latinx educational leadership pathways in the New Latinx Diaspora

Abstract

Existing research suggests that Latinx educational leaders in the US positively impact Latinx student outcomes and home-school relationships. Yet, much of this research has been conducted in traditional US Latinx immigrant destinations. We know little about the Latinx leadership experiences in regions where Latinx communities are smaller, yet growing quickly such as the New Latinx Diaspora. Using Latina/o Critical Race Theory, this study analyzed in-depth interviews with five Latinx administrators in the US Pacific Northwest. Participants' counterstories revealed three key findings: their bilingualism was an asset and liability in their early careers, they demonstrated deep persistence in the face of racism and sexism, and they often experienced isolation as either the one or one of a few leaders of color in their districts. Their counter-stories illustrate how changing demographic contexts such as those in the New Latinx Diaspora can impact teaching and leadership demands on bilingual Latinx leaders. Findings from this study suggest a need for the field to reconsider more critically race conscious, equityfocused leadership preparation programs and practices, which can support leaders of color to be prepared to face systemic racism and sexism in their careers.

Equity Leadership Informed by Community Cultural Wealth: Counterstories of Latinx School Administrators

“…As a field, we need to consider the practical, on-the-ground support provided to in-practice and in-preparation leaders of color (Jean-Marie, Norman, & Brooks, 2009; McKenzie et al, 2008; Rodela et al, 2019). School administrators in the United States are disproportionately White.…”

“…We recognize that the specific counterstories shared in this article do not capture the whole of their educational or professional journeys. We describe some of these pathways in other published work (Rodela et al, 2019). Our intention in this article is to illustrate how the Community Cultural Wealth the four Latinx administrators in our study developed as children and students of color informed their equity leadership as administrators.…”

“…A majoritarian narrative is “one that privileges Whites, men, the middle and/or upper class, and heterosexuals by naming these social locations as natural or normative points of reference” (Solórzano & Yosso, 2002, p. 28). Within a field like educational administration in the United States, majoritarian narratives often reify the majority White administrative and teacher experience as normal or “natural” (Rodela, Rodriguez-Mojica, & Cochrun, 2019). The four Latinx administrators in our study acutely felt their difference to their mostly White colleagues, particularly in the White dominant administrative spaces they occupied in Oregon and Washington.…”

“…Other research has found that both in the Pacific Northwest and other regions of the United States where there has been a growth of Latinx students and families recently, often bilingual and Latinx teachers bare the brunt of addressing the needs of Spanish-speaking students and families (Amos, 2016; Harklau & Colomer, 2015; Rodela et al, 2019). In previous work, we found that Latinx administrators in the Pacific Northwest “were often charged with serving bilingual students and English language learners with limited school support or district infrastructure, particularly in the early years of dramatic Latinx student population growth” (Rodela et al, 2019, p. 17). This is an experience unique to our research participants and other bilingual Latinx educators in the Pacific Northwest since the 1990s.…”

Teacher-Principal Ethnoracial Matching, Geography, and Novice Teacher Career Outcomes

“…Overall, our findings indicate a need to reduce career barriers for Latinx educators interested in moving into school leadership positions. Rodela et al (2019) discussed how Latinx leaders in their study experienced “lukewarm and uneven” forms of mentorship, were rarely encouraged to pursue educational leadership positions, and did not feel as if their cultural strengths were valued by those in power who were mostly White district-level leaders (p. 101). Such discriminatory work environments and exclusive leadership pipelines are harmful to school communities that stand to benefit the most from recruiting, hiring, and retaining more novice Latinx teachers.…”