In this timely and thought-provoking blog, Shanna Peeples and Mandi Palmer illuminate the often-unspoken emotional and developmental realities of leading racial equity work in schools. Drawing on their research, the authors challenge deficit interpretations of discomfort and declining confidence, reframing them instead as signals of deep learning and growth.
By centring assistant principals as uniquely positioned catalysts for courageous conversations, the piece offers both conceptual insight and practical implications for leadership development. It reminds us that equity leadership is not linear, comfortable, or quick – but it is essential, necessary, and worthy of sustained collective commitment.
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Despite decades of reform efforts, racial achievement disparities persist in American schools. Recent data reveals that 84% of Black students and 80% of Hispanic students read below fourth-grade proficiency, compared to 59% of White students (Annie E. Casey Foundation, 2024). When confronted with such data, educators often respond defensively, hindering productive discussions about race and achievement. Our research with elementary assistant principals reveals a paradox: as leaders develop greater racial awareness, they initially experience decreased confidence before developing facilitation capacity, suggesting temporary regression signals growth when supported by appropriate structures.
Assistant principals occupy a unique position to facilitate these difficult conversations. Unlike principals, whose evaluative role may inhibit vulnerability, assistant principals develop closer relationships with teachers enabling authentic dialogue (Goldring et al., 2021). This positioning makes them potential catalysts for equity work, particularly when equipped with structured protocols. Research confirms assistant principals are “uniquely positioned” to promote success for students of color through their direct work with students, teachers, and families (Clayton & Goodwin, 2015).
Our qualitative study employed participatory action research with ten elementary assistant principals from a Texas district serving 32,000 students. Participants engaged with Singleton’s (2021) courageous conversations protocol through four focus group sessions. Through reflective journals documenting experiences, analyzed using systematic coding, we explored their developmental journey. Drawing on Critical Race Theory (Ladson-Billings & Tate, 1995) and racial identity development frameworks (Helms, 1990), we investigated how leaders develop capacity for racial equity conversations.
The Paradox Unfolds
Our finding was that participants consistently reported feeling less confident even as they demonstrated growing awareness and sophistication. This aligns with Helms’ (1990) disintegration stage where increased awareness brings temporary discomfort and uncertainty. Rather than indicating failure, this pattern suggests deep learning is occurring. One participant captured this perfectly when asked about readiness to lead racial equity conversations: “confident, no. Necessary, yes.”
This pattern varied meaningfully across racial identities. White participants’ decreased confidence aligned with confronting previously unexamined realities about privilege. As one White participant reflected, “I’m realizing how much I didn’t know I didn’t know.” This recognition, while destabilizing, represents significant growth in racial consciousness.
Participants of color expressed different reasons for decreased confidence: not learning about racism for the first time but appreciating how entrenched these systems are. One noted, “I’ve always known these problems exist, but now I’m wondering if I have the emotional energy to keep explaining this to people who don’t want to hear it.” This exhaustion reflects racial battle fatigue—the psychological cost of confronting racism regularly.
Trust as Foundation
Trust development emerged as an evolving process developing alongside racial awareness. Singleton’s (2021) four agreements, staying engaged, speaking truth, experiencing discomfort, expecting non-closure, created psychological safety essential for vulnerable dialogue. These agreements provided scaffolding enabling participants to navigate difficult conversations.
Progression from surface observations to deep vulnerability was evident in our smallest session. Participants of color drew upon lived experiences to provide insights into racism in schools. Their willingness to share difficult experiences reflected growing confidence in leading transformative conversations, demonstrating how personal experience becomes a professional asset in equity leadership.
Implications for Leadership Development
This trajectory suggests sustained, scaffolded professional learning rather than isolated workshops. Programs must establish communities of practice where leaders process experiences collectively, building what Singleton (2021) calls “racial stamina,” or the ability to sustain engagement despite discomfort.
Leadership development should offer coaching (not mentoring) through periods of decreased confidence. While Aguilar (2017) defines mentoring as support from “an insider in a system, an expert in a field, who supports a novice,” coaching serves a different purpose: “professional development… to help an adult learner improve their practice—whether that is teaching or leadership.” Leaders navigating racial consciousness development need coaches who can provide this targeted, goal-oriented support for developing specific competencies like facilitating racial equity conversations, helping them navigate emotional and practical challenges as their awareness grows.
Schools implementing equity initiatives should recognize initial discomfort may signal growth rather than failure. Protected time for reflection, combined with institutional support, proves essential. Districts must move beyond one-time sessions to create sustained opportunities acknowledging the complex, developmental nature of building racial consciousness.
Moving Forward
While focusing on assistant principals, these insights apply broadly across educational leadership roles. The temporary confidence regression appears necessary for developing authentic capacity to lead racial equity conversations, challenging traditional models emphasizing steady confidence building.
As schools work toward equity, preparing leaders for courageous conversations becomes increasingly urgent. Research demonstrates disparities persist despite reform efforts (Ladson-Billings, 2006). By understanding this developmental pattern of temporary regression signaling growth, we can better prepare educational leaders as catalysts for meaningful change.
The path forward requires courage, structure, and patience. Leaders must be supported through developing racial consciousness, understanding that temporary confidence regression signals deep growth necessary for authentic equity leadership. Only through this journey can we create schools where all students thrive, regardless of racial identity. The work is difficult, but as our participants reminded us, it remains necessary.
Dr. Shanna Peeples, 2015 U.S. National Teacher of the Year, is Assistant Professor of Educational Leadership at West Texas A&M University.
Dr. Mandi Palmer is an elementary school principal in the Texas Panhandle.
Annie E. Casey Foundation. (2024). Race for results: Building a pathway to opportunity for all children. https://www.aecf.org/resources/2024-race-for-results
Aguilar, E. (2017). What’s the difference between coaching and mentoring? Education Week, 27 July. https://www.edweek.org/education/opinion-whats-the-difference-between-coaching-and-mentoring/2017/07
Clayton, J. K., & Goodwin, M. (2015). Culturally competent leadership through empowering relationships: A case study of two assistant principals. Education Leadership Review, 16(2), 131-144.
Goldring, E., Rubin, M., & Herrmann, M. (2021). The role of assistant principals: Evidence and insights for advancing school leadership. The Wallace Foundation.
Helms, J. E. (1990). Black and White racial identity attitudes: Theory, research, and practice. Greenwood Press.
Ladson-Billings, G. (2006). From the achievement gap to the education debt: Understanding achievement in U.S. schools. Educational Researcher, 35(7), 3-12.
Ladson-Billings, G., & Tate, W. F. (1995). Toward a critical race theory of education. Teachers College Record, 97(1), 47-68.
Singleton, G. E. (2021). Courageous conversations about race (3rd ed.). Corwin Press.
