Date of Submission

8-27-2024

Document Type

DiP

Degree

Doctor of Education

Department

Education

Keywords

decolonize, settler colonialism, transformative leadership, equity, third-order change, critical theory

Abstract

Addressing the inequitable educational outcomes of Indigenous students in K-12 education in Alberta is a moral imperative, a mandate of the provincial government and a response to Call to Action #10 of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. This dissertation-in-practice, viewed through the lens of critical theory, interrogates systemic barriers within Three Bear Hills School Division (a pseudonym) that hinder Indigenous students' graduation and post-secondary transition rates. Indigenous students in K-12 education are adversely impacted by the influence of settler colonialism on leadership praxis, as evidenced by the achievement gap discourse, deficit thinking, and unconscious bias. These factors lead to the over-representation of Indigenous students in lower academic streams and special education classes. Historical efforts to address these issues through decolonizing reforms at provincial and national levels have been largely unsuccessful. This dissertation-in-practice employs transformative and adaptive leadership approaches, utilizing Stroh’s 4-stage change model to dismantle leadership’s colonial mental models. Education partners collaboratively create a shared vision of a preferred future using an appreciative inquiry methodology. Transformative learning theory supports third-order change among school leaders through reflexivity and dialogic practices. Third-order change, grounded in the decolonization of leadership, must precede second-order decolonizing practices such as land-based learning and language programming to achieve equitable educational outcomes for Indigenous students. Through personal transformation, educational leaders can reconsider their mental models and develop critical consciousness, paving the way for meaningful, systemic change.

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