DISMANTLING THE CYCLE OF UNSEEN SHACKLES: AN AUTOETHNOGRAPHY STUDY OF A FIRST YEAR VICE PRINCIPAL’S REFLECTION TO UNDERSTAND AND DISRUPT THE IMBALANCED POWER DYNAMICS WITHIN THE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL SETTING

This study is focused on exploring ways to disrupt imbalanced power dynamics in educational settings, specifically elementary schools. It includes reflections of the researcher’s journey and experiences as a teacher in District of Columbia public and charter schools and how those experiences shaped who she became when she entered school leadership. The goal of the study was to understand in what ways power dynamics can be shifted to ensure both the teacher and the school leader are being heard and valued within the school system. Transformation learning theory was used to guide the reflection of the school leader and collaborative leadership principles were used to create a more collaborative feedback protocol that created a space where teachers and school leaders can leverage their experiences and create a space for a genuine reciprocal learning relationship.

The journey toward reaching this study’s goal started with an in-depth knowledge review that contextualized the problem of practice and contextualized approaches to intervening in it.

Part one of the knowledge review dived into anti-racist pedagogy and how that pedagogy was used to analyze problematic leadership practices within my school community, it also explored neoliberal practices and how neoliberalism dehumanizes teachers within charter schools. Additionally, the knowledge review dove into humanizing leadership characteristics as a response to the dehumanization of teachers within charter schools including liberatory conscious theory and collaborative leadership principles. Autoethnography was used as the qualitative research method to analyze the personal reflections and experiences of a first-year vice principal as she embarked on a journey to dismantle the imbalanced power dynamic and perpetuation of White supremacy culture characteristics that existed within her leadership practices. Furthermore, the school leader implemented a collaborative feedback loop protocol with one teacher and analyzed the reflection of the teacher as it related to the new leadership practices adopted by the school leader.

The study found that when the leader implemented the collaborative feedback loop, the teacher expressed experiences of feeling valued and uplifted as an expert in her classroom and regaining trust in the leader. The research concludes by outlining the limitations and implications of the study which includes the issue of time management of the leader while implementing the collaborative feedback protocol with multiple teachers. Recommendations include a push for school leaders to closely interrogate their journey in education and how those experiences contribute to their current mindset around school leadership.

Keywords: collaboration, white supremacist culture, power dynamics in education, autoethnography, educational leadership, humanizing leadership practices, neoliberalism