A Forgotten Leader: Exploring the Experiences of African American Male School Leaders in Addressing the Disciplinary Outcomes of African American Students

Abstract

The purpose of this research study was to explore the stories and experiences African American male school administrators have in addressing the disciplinary outcomes of African American students in the state of Alabama using a culturally responsive school leadership lens. Through semi-structured interviews, six African American male school leaders shared their stories and experiences of leadership and how they made disciplinary decisions for African American students. The participants in the study had experience in elementary, middle, or high school grade levels. Using a lens of culturally responsive school leadership (CSRL), I was able to explore how African American male administrators used critical self-reflection, teacher preparation, inclusive school environment, and the needs of the community they served to make disciplinary decisions for African American students. As the researcher, I used flirtation to delve into the data collected to perform a narrative analysis. Key findings of the research provided an overview of how leadership, mentoring, student engagement, communicating with parents, equitable decision making, empathy, and advocacy were some contributing factors in determining discipline for African American students. Finally, implications of research highlighted that African Americans male administrators need a safe space to share their stories, African American men need to be recruited to leadership positions, and African American male school leaders have valuable experience to change leadership practices that impact the disciplinary outcomes for African American students.