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This article features in-depth interviews and ethnographic vignettes that explore collectivism, social cohesion, and Black educational leadership as a strategy to infuse liberatory practices in the educational process. The article examines how the social foundation of African-centered ethos of collectivism can shift how marginalized students approach and experience learning and socialization inside mainstream K-12 educational systems. Additionally, this article introduces a new theoretical concept entitled Ethno-Cultural Responsiveness. This theory explains how sub-culture groups socialize new members into their particular ideological and sub-cultural communities. This research demonstrates how African-centered leaders shape their schools through an ideological inquiry designed to challenge what they perceive as the cultural negation of African histories and understandings. Moreover, the leaders featured in this article use their public-facing political project (an African-centered institution) grounded in the politics of Black Nationalism and Pan Africanism to design and shape their institutional cultures to be responsive to people racialized in western counties as Black.

Purpose: This article explores the connection between Culturally Responsive School Leadership (CRSL) and Positive School Leadership (PSL) and how both engage with a concept that deeply connects both leadership expressions -- trust. Design/methodology/approach: A multi-year, single site case study method examined a district-level equity leader, and her struggles and successes with promoting equity and positive culture throughout a large suburban district in the US. Findings Trust, established through regular interactions, allowed the district's leadership equity team to build positive relationships with building leaders. Trust was not only a mitigating factor on the relationships themselves, but also regulated the extent to which equitable practices were discussed and implemented in the district. Trust allowed conflicts to surface and be addressed that led to individual and organizational change. Research limitations/implications: The case highlights the importance of both CRSL and PSL principals, along with the idea of "soft power" in cultural change, to foster equity in schools. Established trust does not erase the difficulties of enacting CRSL/PSL, but allows the difficulties to be addressed. The authors found that dynamic, iterative, regular interactions over a long period reinforced trust allowed CRPSL to take root in the district. Originality/value: The authors use a single subject case to argue that the core of empirical work moving forward should draw on an integration of culturally responsive leadership.

The experiences of underrepresented women and ethnic minorities in computer science (CS) fields are at the heart of understanding the factors that impact the critical transitions students face when entering into Science, Technology, Engineering, or Mathematics (STEM) careers. The research, conducted using a grounded theory approach, gauges student and teacher perspectives, specifically investigating minoritized student perspectives that influence their entrance and continuation into an educational pathway. The study's outcomes underscore the crucial roles of (1) Student Family Encouragement, (2) School and Community Engagement, and (3) Professional/Teacher Mentorship as critical junctions that school districts should be aware of when creating student pathways into college and career, particularly for underrepresented groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]