Race-Conscious Caring in Educational Leadership: A Narrative Ethics

By Michael G. Gunzenhauser, Michael W. Quigley, Osly J. Flores

This book describes a model for educational leadership ethics that provides a critical, reflective vision of what education can be for all children in K-12 schools.

The authors of Race-Conscious Caring in Educational Leadership conducted interviews with 22 school leaders who shared their visions toward serving students of color. The resulting model is built around the four features demonstrated by the strongest leaders: race-consciousness, critical caring, justice leadership, and ethical praxis .

Race-conscious caring leaders go beyond their good intentions to develop deep understanding of the needs and interests of their students, they learn about racial identities and histories as strengths and sources of learning, and they provide opportunities for educational experiences that are routinely denied to marginalized and minoritized students.

This book provides numerous examples of race-conscious caring leaders, with key analysis of where leaders fall short. It is designed to help future and current leaders to critically reflect on their own experiences, challenging them to build their capacity for transformative change.

Book Features:

Provides instructors with a unique text that integrates equity leadership and professional ethics. Describes a comprehensive model that challenges leaders to improve across multiple dimensions, especially if they are strong in some areas and not as strong in others. Presents the ideal for each part of the model, along with examples of partial fulfillment and what it looks like when a leader evidences very few of the ideals. Incorporates examples and excerpts from school leaders who demonstrate varied levels of engagement with the model to help readers see themselves in the various categories. Addresses the challenges today's leaders are facing due to policies and political climates working to pull back on equity work.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0807787434
• ISBN13: 9780807787434
• Release Date: September 2025
• Publisher: Teachers College Press
• Length: 224 Pages
• Weight: 0.96 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 6.4" x 9.2"