Congratulations to Nelyda Perez who on Wednesday, April 15, 2026, successfully defended her dissertation
The title of Nelyda’s dissertation is: "THE SHAPE OF SUBURBAN LEADERSHIP: PRINCIPALS’ PERCEPTIONS OF CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE SCHOOL LEADERSHIP IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS."
Overview of Problem: Suburban school districts across the United States are experiencing significant demographic shifts, leading to increasingly diverse student populations that reflect broader societal changes. Many suburban elementary school principals report feeling underprepared to address systemic inequities, cultural disconnects, and the social-emotional needs of students from historically marginalized communities.
Research Purpose: The purpose of this qualitative study is to explore how suburban elementary school principals define and implement CRL practices as reflected through their perspectives and experiences. Grounded in Khalifa et al.’s (2016) CRL framework, this study looks to gain insight into how suburban elementary principals understand the framework and apply its principles in practice.
Research Design: The study employs a basic qualitative research design grounded in an interpretivist paradigm, with purposeful sampling used to select participants who can provide rich, context-specific insights.
Sample: This qualitative study examined how 12 elementary principals define and implement culturally responsive leadership practices to address the social and academic needs of an increasingly diverse student population.
Data Collection and Analysis: Data collection methods including semi-structured interviews and artifact analysis (use of school report card) were detailed, along with strategies for ensuring trustworthiness and credibility through member checking, reflexive journaling, triangulation, and peer debriefing. The data revealed four significant influences on suburban elementary school principals working to enact CRL: (a) individual and personal constructions of CRL, (b) systemic school practices, (c) suburban contextual constraints, and (d) adaptive leadership.
Findings/Results: This research expanded the scholarly understanding of intersectionality and leadership identity, the importance of critical self-awareness as practice, the role of relational trust as protective capital, culturally relevant curricula as equity levers, and family engagement as relational and structural practice.
Conclusions/Implications: It suggests five key areas for policy improvement: codifying CRL within district infrastructure, institutionalizing sustained professional learning, protecting and supporting equity-focused leadership, strengthening student-centered equity systems, and enhancing leadership preparation for CRL in suburban schools.
Dissertation Committee Chair(s):
Dr. Martin Fitzgerald
Dissertation Committee Member(s):
Dr. Shelley B. Wepner
Dr. Elford Rawls-Dill 
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