Leadership Actions that Create Equitable Learning Opportunities for Students of Color: Impacting the Success of Freshmen of Color in Urban High Schools

The purpose of this dissertation is to examine both school- and classroom-level conditions that impact the educational opportunities of ninth-graders of color attending urban high schools and highlight the actions that school leaders engage in to create or maintain those conditions. Specifically this research addresses the following three questions: 1) What school- and classroom-level conditions impact the opportunities for success of freshmen of color attending urban high schools? 2) What leadership structures and actions enable schools to create or maintain conditions impacting freshmen of color's opportunities for success? 3) What does a model of support that creates equitable learning conditions for freshmen of color look like? Employing a qualitative multiple case study research design, this study investigates the practices of two urban high schools with a demonstrated commitment to support freshmen of color. Data for this study included over 60 interviews, 200 hours of observations, and document analysis. Data analysis was completed though a constant comparative method as well as the relevant literature and theoretical framework of distributed leadership for social justice. Findings from this research demonstrate 1) The impact that organizational or leadership structure has on the location of supports and the types of data used in developing a system of support for freshmen of color; 2) The importance of and need to involve upperclassmen of color in the design and implementation of system of support for freshmen of color; and 3) That in order to create equitable learning opportunities for freshmen of color, school leaders need to design supports for students at the school and classroom levels as well as design supports for school staff and parents. Finally, the domains of support for freshmen of color present in the model advanced in this research include 1) Bridge domains -- those designed to connect school, classroom, and greater community/family supports; 2) School domains -- those designed to shift school conditions toward more equitable opportunities; and 3) Classroom domains - those designed to shift classroom conditions and professional practices to increase educational opportunities for freshmen of color.