“It Scared the Crap Out of Me”: Taking Risks and Talking About Race in a Principal Preparation Course

Abstract

University faculty have fixated on ways to adequately prepare social justice-oriented school leaders for quite some time. This teacher action research project documents the experiences of 14 aspiring school leaders in a principal preparation course focused on a critical race pedagogy curriculum. Using interview data, this qualitative study examines how white and Latinx students experience coursework grounded in the notion of risk-taking rather than safety. Findings from this study illustrate the following: (A) participants most resistant to the curriculum entered coursework having internalized dominant ideologies regarding merit and achievement; (B) these same students had adverse views regarding their critically conscious classmates and instructor; and lastly (C) all participants in this study demonstrated growth in their thinking regarding racial justice and educational equity. The discussion and implications address the nuances and complexities of promoting a pedagogy framed as risk-taking in preparation programs, particularly in mixed-race settings.