ERIC Number: EJ963844
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2012
Pages: 13
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0951-8398
EISSN: N/A
Making the Case for the Outlier: Researcher Reflections of an African-American Female Deputy Superintendent Who Decided to Close the Achievement Gap
Beard, Karen Stansberry
International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education (QSE), v25 n1 p59-71 2012
This article presents researcher reflections of a case study of a Black female deputy superintendent who made the value-driven decision to close the achievement gap in her district. I posit that she is an outlier because she is Black and female in a predominantly white male field of practice, she effectively closed the achievement gap through her knowledge of curriculum and teacher quality, and she allowed her standpoint, life experiences, and ethic of care to inform her decision-making, yielding unique success resolving an all too common problem in education--the inequity of educational opportunity. Using Black feminist theory and the ethic of care as a theoretical framework, I examine her positionality, values, and decision-making as a Black female educational leader. This reflective essay aims to advance Black feminist theory, while emphasizing the ethic of care, and contributing to the qualitative research literature on Black female superintendents. (Contains 2 notes.)
Descriptors: Achievement Gap, Feminism, Qualitative Research, Females, Academic Achievement, Educational Opportunities, Women Administrators, African Americans, Case Studies, School Districts, Gender Issues, Racial Bias, Equal Opportunities (Jobs), Equal Education, Social Theories, Ethics, Altruism, Values, Decision Making, Superintendents, Instructional Leadership
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Evaluative
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
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