Congratulations to Erica Naughton, who on Friday, February 13, 2026, successfully defended her dissertation proposal.
The title of Erica’s dissertation is "STORIES OF STRENGTH: BLACK WOMEN PRINCIPALS LEADING IN MARGINALIZED SCHOOL COMMUNITIES."
Overview of Problem: Tenured Black female administrators who lead in marginalized communities are often identified as “clean-up women,” by improving instructional outcomes for underserved students (Peters, 2011). These women often face challenges such as limited resources, intergenerational trauma, and low student achievement data (Tillman, 2008). Bailes and Guthery (2020) found that women and people of color experience delays in attaining the principalship and/or being promoted from assistant principal. Despite these challenges, Black female administrators have experienced professional success in marginalized communities.
Research Purpose: The purpose of this critical qualitative inquiry is to amplify the stories of tenured Black Women school principals who have served as leaders for 4+ years in marginalized communities. Drawing upon Collins’ theory of other mothering, comprised of ethics of care, institutional guardianship, and cultural advancement, this study seeks to make visible how these principals’ persistence in and commitment to marginalized communities offer a counternarrative to the dominant deficit framing.
Research Design: critical qualitative inquiry
Sample: Black (anyone who is within the African diaspora) women principals with 4+ years of experience leading (School Building Leadership or equivalent) in marginalized K-12 school communities in the contiguous 48 United States.
Data Collection: Data will be collected through a semi-structured interview with questions aligned with each research question and theory, along with additional probes when necessary. Each 60 to 90-minute interview will be conducted, transcribed, and recorded via Zoom.
DISSERTATION COMMITTEE CHAIR:
Dr. Susan V. Iverson
DISSERTATION COMMITTEE MEMBERS:
Dr. Nicole Joseph
Dr. Sagario Rudecindo-O’Neill
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