ABSTRACT
The final chapter opens with a profile of a Black female educational leader at the district level, whose story informs the authors’ notion of moving intentionally to achieve their concept of “Authentic Leadership.” This chapter introduces the HEART model as a means to understand the behaviors Black educational leaders, and indeed, all leaders, must embody if they are to move authentically within systems of intersectional racism. To frame individual strategies for professional navigation and transformation, the components of the HEART model (Honesty, Empathy for Equity, Authenticity, Reflection, and Trust) are all described in depth with examples from research participants. The text closes with implications for applying the HEART model in practice, encouraging schools and districts to reconsider approaches to developing and supporting school leaders.
