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Rod Bowen, Ph.D. is a 2024 graduate of the PHD Program in Leadership and Change at Antioch University.

Rod Bowen at his Dissertation Defense.

From L-R: Dr. Lemuel Watson, Committee Chair, Dr. Philomena Essed, Committee Member, Dr. Shannon R. Waite, Committee Member

Dissertation Committee

  • Lemuel W. Watson, EdD, Committee Chair
  • Philomena Essed, PhD, Committee Member
  • Shannon R. Waite, EdD, Committee Member

Keywords

social justice in schools, school leadership, teacher professional development, culturally responsive, culturally relevant, case study

Document Type

Dissertation

Publication Date

2024

Abstract

The racial diversity of children in US public schools continues to increase while most teachers and school leaders are White. In addition, systemic racism, whitewashing of curricula, microaggressions, and deficit mindsets persist within schools across the country. These pervasive injustices that plague the student experiences of children of the Global Majority must be addressed with focused, sustained intention. This study offers social justice school leadership as an effective strategy to dismantle oppressive approaches to schooling. Specifically, it explores how social justice-oriented school leaders set the conditions for impactful, sustained staff development in social justice practice. By employing multiple case study methodology, the experiences of leaders within two New York City public middle schools that have established commitments to culturally responsive/relevant teaching (CR/RT) will be explored. Semi-structured interviews were used to uncover how school leaders leveraged both adaptive and technical leadership to enact school-wide efforts to embed CR/RT into instructional practice. Analysis was built on an existing framework to identify specific leadership roles that best support impactful social justice professional development over time. This study seeks to understand frequently overlooked aspects of this topic by delving into mindsets and actions, acknowledging both formal and informal school leadership and how such efforts play out within multiracial staff. This dissertation is available in open access at AURA: Antioch University Repository and Archive (https://aura.antioch.edu/) and OhioLINK ETD Center (https://etd.ohiolink.edu).

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Rod Bowen

ORCID: #0009-0003-1496-2825

Rod is an educational leader with over thirty years of experience in K-12 public education. He currently works as a coach/consultant supporting education leaders in approaches to anti-racist leadership, district-wide strategic planning, career-based learning, change management, and school improvement. He is also a founding board member of Impact Reading, an organization committed to delivering literacy programs in schools where students have the least access to book choice and ownership.

He has served as Chief of High Schools and Regional Superintendent for a Charter Management Organization with schools across three states. Prior to that, he led the New York City (NYC) Department of Education’s (DOE’s) Office of Teacher Development in designing professional learning experiences for teachers, and those who support them, with a focus on rigorous instruction and racial equity. He also led the NYC DOE’s Office of School Quality, providing public schools across NYC with invaluable feedback related to instruction, school culture and structures for improvement. Rod was the founding principal of the DreamYard Preparatory School, a small arts high school in the Bronx committed to cultivating scholarship, artistry, and character within its students.

Rod earned a MSE in Education Administration and Supervision from Pace University, an MFA in Visual Arts from The City College of New York - CUNY, and a BA in Visual Arts as well as in Architectural Studies from Brown University. He holds a permanent New York State certification as a district level leader.

He resides in New Haven CT, with his wife, two children, mother, dog, and two cats.

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