| dc.description.abstract | The opportunity gap is an ongoing battle for Black Americans that continues to limit success in various aspects of life such as education, employment, housing, and more. Addressing the opportunity gap for Black Americans through school leadership is a critical approach that will significantly impact Black students, teachers, leaders, and Black Americans more broadly. The purpose of this study was to shed light on the experiences and perspectives of Black educators and to offer guidance on how a non-profit educational organization can provide meaningful support to Black educators who aspire to leadership, particularly in an urban context. The unit of analysis was The Collective, the national association for Native, Indigenous, and people of color within Teach for America, a non-profit educational organization. Using a convergent parallel mixed-methods approach, this study aimed to answer the following questions: What are the perspectives and experiences of urban Black educators who aspire to leadership? How might a non-profit educational organization support urban Black educators as they seek leadership opportunities? Three findings emerged from this study: first, Black educators at all levels are committed to supporting other educators; second, although Black educators share a commitment to support other educators and believe that mentorship matters, their experiences of support from current leaders are inconsistent, impacting their access and opportunity; and, lastly, there is a lack of awareness and access to instructional leadership positions beyond traditional school administrator roles. | en_US |
