Leading with Purpose: Storying the Barriers and Strengths of Indigenous Women in K-12 Education Leadership

Abstract

This qualitative scholarship examines the strengths and challenges encountered by Indigenous women serving as K–12 public school administrators on or near Montana Indian reservations. Guided by Tribal Critical Race Theory and Indigenous Feminism, and grounded in Indigenous principles of relational accountability, this study employed story-based interviews to illuminate the lived experiences of Indigenous women educational leaders. Through these narratives, the research investigated the complexities Indigenous women confront within colonial structures and educational spaces originally established to colonize and assimilate their peoples—systems that inflicted harm upon their ancestors and aimed to eradicate Indigenous identities. Currently, as leaders within these same institutions, participants articulate both the barriers they face and the ancestral strengths, resilience, and relational responsibilities they uphold while leading their school communities. By centering Indigenous women’s leadership perspectives, this study advances educational leadership scholarship by integrating Indigenous women into the historical and contemporary narratives of schooling and promoting Indigenous resurgence through education.