Award Date

1-1-2006

Degree Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Education (EdD)

Department

Educational Leadership

First Committee Member

Edith A. Rusch

Number of Pages

237

Abstract

Research reflecting the diverse thoughts, experiences, and perspectives of the Black school superintendent is scarce despite the noteworthy role Black leaders and educators have demonstrated within and beyond the Black community. Although there is extensive literature on the impacts of segregation, desegregation, and resegregation on Black student achievement and the promise and failures of school choice reform, my review of related literature revealed an absence of voices belonging to those individuals who possess the personal and professional experiences that may inform these very complex issues---Black school superintendents; This qualitative dissertation study documents and explores the reflections and perspectives of eight retired Black school superintendents on desegregation policy and its perceived impact on the self-concept, education, and communities of Black students. The questions guiding this study are. (1) How do the standpoint and lived experiences of Black school superintendents before, during, and after desegregation influence their perspectives on public school choice and Black student achievement? (2) In what ways can the standpoint, lived experiences, and perspectives of Black superintendents provide insight to Black families concerning school choice and achievement? (3) In what ways do the lived experiences of school desegregation provide insight for how Black educators and families respond to school choice policy and policies designed to improve Black student achievement? (4) How should the next generation of Black educators and community leaders move forward to improve Black student achievement?;In-depth interviews, narratives, and counterstorytelling were used to illustrate and examine the promises, both fulfilled and broken, of desegregation policies in the Black community. Standpoint theory and critical race theory (CRT) framed the study, revealing three counternarratives that challenge key assumptions located within mainstream education discourse concerning desegregation and Black education: (1) all Black schools are not inherently bad, (2) many problems attributed to Black education began with desegregation, and (3) schools and school systems have never truly integrated; This study is important because it can inform those concerned with the plight of all students, and Black students in particular, about the personal and professional experiences of Black school superintendents, and give voice to their perspectives concerning desegregation and race-conscious education policy. It is also adds to the growing literature that applies a racial realist perspective of critical race theory to education.

Keywords

Black; Black Administrators; Board; Brown; Brown v. Board Of Education Of Topeka, Kansas; Black Administrators; Critical Race Theory; Desegregation; Education; Legacy; Reflections; Superintendents

Controlled Subject

School management and organization; Blacks--Study and teaching; Education; History

File Format

pdf

File Size

5263.36 KB

Degree Grantor

University of Nevada, Las Vegas

Language

English

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Rights

IN COPYRIGHT. For more information about this rights statement, please visit http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/

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