Research Symposium

BIO

I am a second-year student at Florida State University majoring in Political Science with a minor in Environmental Science & Policy. I was born in Portland, Maine and lived there until I was 11, after which I moved to Jacksonville, Florida. My research interests include public policy, equity in education, and environmental justice. I am involved in the Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program and a member of the Pre-Law Phi Alpha Delta Chapter here at FSU. After completing my undergraduate studies, I hope to enter law school with a focus on Environmental Law.

Public School Leadership in Times of Uncertainty: A Rendering of the Influence of Education Policy on Leadership Practice in Florida Schools

Abstract

Abstract
In the United States, there have been increasing efforts to draw back diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs in public education. In response, educational leadership is dealing with the consequences of attempting to create equitable environments for all students within schools while appealing to the politics of their state. Current research has looked at political atmospheres and teacher attitudes but has not identified any solutions for how educational leaders should respond. We hope to discover how educational leaders feel in response to these initiatives and how we, as educational leadership trainers, can adapt our training methods to help leaders prepare to handle politically charged school environments. For the purpose of this study, we decided to look at 2 counties in Florida (referred to as River County and Forest County). We solely focused on K-12 public schools. In order to discover the attitudes of educational leaders, we conducted 30-minute semi-structured interviews with 5 principals. After conducting the interviews, we developed transcripts and completed a data analysis. The results of this study indicate difficulties educational leadership experience managing teachers and faculty in implementing culturally responsive education. We were interested to discover that in majority-minority schools, administrators experience an atypical protection from state mandates, and as a result, feel that they do not need to comply with anti-DEI legislation.​

Keywords: equity, diversity, inclusion, turbulence theory, anti-racism