Beyond Tokenism

How Do Racialized School Leaders Respond to Ethnocultural Diversities in Their Schools

Bibliographic Data

ID22046702
AuthorsMarianne Jacquet (University of Alberta, corresponding author), Gwénaëlle André (0000-0002-2972-8623, Concordia University)
Year2026
Volume16
Issue5
Pages733
Publication date2026-05-06
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueEducation Sciences (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 2227-7102 • E-ISSN: 2227-7102
PublisherMDPI AG (PUBLISHER • IT)
DOI10.3390/educsci16050733
OpenAlexW7160515077
LanguageEN
References cited17

The increasing presence of racialized and immigrant students and educators challenges school institutions to critically examine whose knowledge, leadership, and practices are recognized, legitimized, and valued. Within this context, the integration of immigrant and racialized professionals becomes critical and raises questions about equity, representation, and the reproduction—or disruption—of racial hierarchies. Institutional ethnography is used to analyze how ethnocultural diversity is addressed by three school principals of immigrant origin as well as on a systemic level. The findings highlight how these leaders navigate, negotiate, and reshape leadership practices within normatively white Francophone minority institutions, illuminating both the constraints imposed by institutional norms and the varied ways leaders mobilize their positionality to enact change. As such, the study reveals contrasting conceptions of leadership as modeling. Hélène leads by example, seeking to inspire teachers and students by embodying an alternative leadership, which might be labeled as “quiet leadership”. By contrast, Sylvain and Armand lead primarily through rules, structures, and institutional alignment. As such, their leadership may be labeled legitimate and uncontestable. The study suggests that transformation is negotiated differently depending on leaders’ socialization, institutional positioning, and perceived freedom to act

Cultural diversity · Educational leadership · Ethnic group · Ethnography · Immigration · Institutional racism · Qualitative research · Critical Race Theory in Education · Racial and Ethnic Identity Research · Teacher Education and Leadership Studies

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Open DOIOpen Access