A Phenomenological Study on the Lived Experiences of African American School Board Members
Abstract
In American public schools, students of color make up nearly 50% of the student population (National Center for Education Statistics, 2017). Contrarily, African Americans represent only 10% of school boards (National School Boards Association, 2018). School board members make decisions that affect policies, budget allocations, personnel, curriculum, and assessments. As a result, the demographics of school board members should reflect the demographics of students they serve. The researcher conducted qualitative phenomenological study to study the lived experiences of African American school board members. The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to understand how race may impact African American school board members in their roles as district leaders and explore how their experiences influenced their responsibilities of developing and implementing school board policies and procedures. The researcher conducted semi-structured, open-ended individual interviews and a focus group to collect data for the study. Five common themes emerged from the study: equity and advocacy, student-centered focus, integrity, political challenges, and mentorship and succession. This qualitative study utilized the phenomenological approach to explore the lived experiences of African American school board members.
Subject Area
Educational leadership|Occupational psychology
Recommended Citation
Allen, Latreicia, "A Phenomenological Study on the Lived Experiences of African American School Board Members" (2022). ETD Collection for Fayetteville State University. AAI29169678.
https://digitalcommons.uncfsu.edu/dissertations/AAI29169678