The Racial Politics of Leadership, Culture, and Community

Abstract

An African American community and an all-White school board struggled along racial lines over re-naming an elementary school. In opposition to the name change, the school district enforced its school naming policy via a race-neutral approach in practice. The study chronicles an African American community’s successful political actions in challenging its local school board to rename the elementary school Rosa Parks. These actions facilitate pedagogical conditions that augment the cultural identity of the school, bolster community involvement, and improve academic achievement. Implications suggest school leaders should account for diverse contexts where schools are situated when making policy decisions.