Social justice early college high school principals disrupting inequitable systems for Latinx students

Research on early college high schools exists, however a gap in literature reveals that “there is an absence of studies that specifically address the ways in which leaders enact justice” (Theoharis,2007, pg. 222). Numerous stakeholder groups such as educational leaders, public servants, and researchers can benefit from the outcomes of social justice leadership and practices that impact marginalized student preparedness. This qualitative case study explores the strategies implemented by four Texas early college social justice high school principals about their social justice initiatives and efforts to disrupt the inequities faced by underserved, underrepresented Latinx students. Emergent design flexibility was implemented in this naturalistic inquiry. After interviewing the four participants and coding their responses, a thick description of the participants’ background and motivation depicted a shared identity to lead for social justice. Additionally, four major themes emerged: Leading for Social Justice, Addressing Inequities, Engaging Latinx Parents, and Preparing Principals for Leading Social Justice. The findings of this study are anticipated to contribute to the research literature in order to improve underrepresented, underserved students’ postsecondary success as well as to inform principal preparation programs that prepare social justice leaders.