Description
The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine the actions, words, emotions, and moves that a principal engages when disrupting deficit thinking. As part of this exploration, the researcher sought to understand what impacted the leader’s decision to disrupt, how the leader engaged emotion during the incident, and what equitable leadership practices disrupted deficit thinking. Using a Critique Incident Technique, six public school principals participated in four semistructured interviews weekly or bimonthly. During each interview, principals were asked to describe how they had disrupted deficit thinking recently. This study found that disrupting deficit thinking was an intentional act for these courageous leaders. Although each leader had a unique approach, all principals described their awareness of perception, emotion, and action. Through this research, a framework emerged conceptualizing how a leader leverages emotional courage as an equitable leadership practice when disrupting thinking. This study offers practical strategies that a leader can apply when advocating for all students.
