Bamboo and Glass: Portraits of Asian American Women Heads of Independent Schools

While there are over 1,500 PreK-12 independent schools in the United States that are members of the National Association of Independent Schools, there were only seven Asian American women heads of schools in 2019. This paper explores the intersectional impact of race and gender on educational leadership development with a focus on Asian American women school leaders within the unique context of independent schools. Aiming to contribute to existing organizational and leadership research by complicating the narratives of a small group of women of color school leaders, this study employs intersectionality theory as the conceptual framework, culturally responsive school leadership as the leadership framework, and elements of portraiture, critical Indigenous studies and critical race theory as the research methodologies and analytical tools. This study shines a light on Asian American women heads of schools’ lived experience and leadership styles by analyzing qualitative data gathered through a background survey and semi-structured interviews. In addition to examining how their intersectional identities have informed the arcs of their leadership journeys, this paper also describes characteristics of culturally responsive school leadership, how culture and epistemologies influence leadership practice, and how these Asian American women heads of schools negotiate the transactional nature of independent schools to harness the transformational power of educational leadership, despite experiencing stereotype threats, microaggressions and oppositions. This study connects to the history of Asian American feminism and previous research on Asian American women leadership in public schools and higher education to show that Asian American women heads of schools – as a part of a larger group of women of color school leaders – make powerful contributions to resisting systemic forces in order to reimagine and transform schools into places with radical possibilities for the future.