Representation Matters: Elevating Diverse Voices in a Predominantly White High School

Abstract

Suburban high schools have grown increasingly diverse in the past twenty years while the leadership within has remained majority White. Recently, political action committees have financially supported White candidates in suburban school board races across the country to protect and maintain White power at the highest local decision-making level. In addition, the growth of neoliberal, market-based reforms, such as charter schools and school choice policies, threaten the long-term viability of publicly funded schools. The confluence of these forces suggests that predominantly White high schools are not likely to meet the needs of multicultural students anytime soon. Too often, the experiences and voices of Students of Color remain invisible. It is critically important, therefore, that high school leaders develop and empower them to take on leadership roles for long-term transformation to take effect. This study was undertaken with the belief that elevating the voices of Students of Color should be one of the highest priorities of school leaders. Critical race theory, LatCrit theory, and Yosso’s (2005) theory of community cultural wealth (CCW), principles of the Black spatial imaginary, and empirical evidence from social justice and transformative leadership studies and counternarrative studies elevating student voice form the theoretical framework of this study which explored the CCW and perceptions of a group of racially and linguistically diverse high school students participating in a Youth Participatory Action Research (YPAR) group. Through exposure to counternarratives, critical research, CCW, and daily proactive circles, findings indicated that Students of Color represent promise for sustainable change.