a qualitative critical autoethnography of a principal's lived experience with having courageous ...

200 Pages·2017·1.44 MB·English

by  S. Fowler

BREAKING THE SILENCE: A QUALITATIVE CRITICAL AUTOETHNOGRAPHY OF
A PRINCIPAL’S LIVED EXPERIENCE WITH HAVING COURAGEOUS
CONVERSATIONS ABOUT RACE

A DISSERTATION IN
Educational Leadership, Policy & Foundations
and
Curriculum and Instruction

Presented to the Faculty of the University
of Missouri-Kansas City in partial fulfillment of
the requirements for the degree

DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY

by
SHAUNDA FOWLER

B.A., San Diego State, 1986
M.A., University of Missouri-Kansas City, 1990
Ed.S., University of Missouri-Kansas City, 1992

Kansas City, Missouri
2016
©2016

SHAUNDA FOWLER

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
BREAKING THE SILENCE: A QUALITATIVE CRITICAL AUTOETHNOGRAPHY
OF A PRINCIPAL’S LIVED EXPERIENCE WITH HAVING COURAGEOUS
CONVERSATIONS ABOUT RACE

Shaunda Fowler, Candidate for the Doctor of Philosophy Degree

University of Missouri-Kansas City, 2016

ABSTRACT

This qualitative critical autoethnography represents a highly personalized account of
the intricacies and reflections of a Black female educational leader engaging in courageous
conversations about race with a predominately White staff. Using myself as the subject and
the researcher, my personal experiences with race, racism, and intolerance in a White socially
constructed educational system is depicted autoethnographically as I learned to have
courageous conversations about race. Exploring the development of my critical
consciousness affected how I see race as a Black, female administrator. Singleton’s (2015)
Courageous Conversations about Race was the foundation for this critical autoethnography.
As a Black female educational leader of a Midwestern early learning center, I reveal my story
as an insider-outsider…trapped; as I tried to figure out how I fit at the Aranbe Learning
Center (ALC, pseudonym), where the staff was 87% White and the students were 90% of
color, as it related to having courageous conversations. This critical autoethnography reflects
my lived experience as an administrator trying to engage, sustain, and deepen interracial
dialogue about race. My commitment to stay engaged, experience discomfort, speak my
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truth, and expect and/or accept non-closure is clear as I traversed a White socially
constructed educational system.
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APPROVAL PAGE
The faculty listed below, appointed by the Dean of the School of Graduate Studies,
have examined a dissertation titled, “Breaking the Silence: A Qualitative Critical
Autoethnography of a Principal’s Lived Experience with Having Courageous Conversations
about Race,” presented by Shaunda Fowler, candidate for the Doctor of Philosophy Degree,
and certify that in their opinion it is worthy of acceptance.
Supervisory Committee

Dr. Dianne Smith, Ph.D., Committee Chair
Educational Leadership, Policy & Foundations

Dr. Loyce Caruthers, Ph.D.
Educational Leadership, Policy & Foundations

Dr. Jennifer Friend, Ph.D.
Associate Dean, School of Graduate Studies

Dr. Candace Schlein, Ph.D.
Education (Curriculum & Instruction)

Dr. Kindel Nash, Ph.D.
Education (Language & Literacy)

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CONTENTS
ABSTRACT ............................................................................................................................. iii
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS ................................................................................................... ix
LIST OF TABLES .....................................................................................................................x
Acknowledgements ................................................................................................................. xi
Dedication .............................................................................................................................. xiii
Foreword ................................................................................................................................ xiv
Chapter
1. INTRODUCTION ...........................................................................................................1
Background .....................................................................................................4
My Personal Background .......................................................................5
Microaggression .....................................................................................9
Racial Conflict .....................................................................................11
Leadership and Race ............................................................................14
The Problem ..................................................................................................15
The Purpose and Research Question.............................................................21
Theoretical Frameworks ...............................................................................23
Design and Methods Overview .....................................................................25
Significance of the Study ..............................................................................28
Summary .......................................................................................................30
2. THEORETICAL FRAMEWORKS AND LITERATURE REVIEW .........................33
Theoretical Frameworks ...............................................................................35
Understanding White Privilege ............................................................36
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Critical Race Theory (CRT).................................................................41
Narrative Story Telling ........................................................................43
Autoethnography..................................................................................47
Literature Review..........................................................................................52
History of Race as a Social Construct..................................................53
Racial Inequality ..................................................................................56
Constructivist Professional Development ............................................61
Beyond Diversity Leadership for a Race Conscious Professional
Development ........................................................................................68

Summary .......................................................................................................76
3. METHODOLOGY ........................................................................................................77
Introspection of the Study: How One Small School District Embarked
upon Beyond Diversity .................................................................................78

Design of the Study .......................................................................................81
Methodological Framework for the Study ...........................................81
Knowledge Paradigm and Theoretical Traditions ...............................82
Research Site ........................................................................................85
Data Collection ....................................................................................90
Data Analysis .....................................................................................100
Limitations, Validity, and Ethical Implications ..........................................103
Summary .....................................................................................................106
4. PEOPLE GET READY ...............................................................................................107
My Racial Experiences ...............................................................................111
Understanding Race in My Life .........................................................113
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Engaging in Race Conscious Conversations......................................115
Interpretive Insights ....................................................................................116
Interpretive Insight 1: The Theme People of Color (93) ...................119
Interpretive Insight 2: The Theme Stereotypes (13) ..........................122
Interpretive Insight 3: The Theme Black and Race Talk (34) ...........123
Interpretive Insight 4: The Theme Race (21) .....................................127
Interpretive Insight 5: The Theme White and Black (21) ..................132
Summary .....................................................................................................143
5. IMPLICATIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS FOR FUTURE STUDY ..............145
Epilogue of My Journey..............................................................................145
Implications of Interpretive Insights ...........................................................149
Misperceptions about Race and Student Achivement .......................149
Race Consciousness ...........................................................................153
Recommendations for Future Research ......................................................155
Summary .....................................................................................................157
POSTSCRIPT: ROOM 307 ...................................................................................................159
Appendix
A. UMKC IRB Approval Letter .....................................................................................161
B. IRB Communication Regarding Title Change of Dissertation ...................................162
REFERENCES ......................................................................................................................164
VITA ......................................................................................................................................182

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ILLUSTRATIONS
Figure Page

1. Research Question and Data Sources .........................................................................91

2. The Courageous Conversation Mindset Compass......................................................94

3. Beyond Diversity: The Four Agreements and The Six Conditions ............................95

4. Collage of My Racialized Life .................................................................................100

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TABLES
Table Page

1. School Ethnicity Analysis 2015-2016 .........................................................................86
2. Demographic Statistics of Students with One or More Disciplinary Events
during the 2015-2016 School Year ..............................................................................87

3. STAR Testing ..............................................................................................................88
4. Definitions and Frequency of Themes .......................................................................118

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