Assistant Professor in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies at the University of Texas at Arlington
About
Dr. Ericka Roland is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies’ Higher Education Administration program at the University of Texas at Arlington. Her research examines critical leadership development in postsecondary educational settings through two interconnected lines of inquiry: 1) The dynamics of dialogical relationships; and 2) The lived leadership experiences of historically minoritized persons.
Current Work:
There is a lack of empirical studies in educational leadership literature concerning faculty role in the capacity development of doctoral students around social justice. Ericka conducts a study aimed to answer how do faculty engage in teaching to encourage doctoral students’ capacity development to understand and transform social oppression affecting education? There are four key findings. The participants (1) integrated critical frameworks and did not claim neutrality, (2) established spaces in and outside of formal classrooms to engage students, (3) centered student-faculty relationships on support and collaboration, and (4) evoked activism through academic practices. This empirical study contributes to critical perspectives on faculty’s teaching that encourage transformative leadership development within educational leadership preparation programs.
Inspired by the previous study, Ericka is preparing a conceptual essay that explores critical mentorship as an essential relationship for doctoral students and faculty to develop transformative leadership. This essay adds to the literature on how relationships assist with developing skills, knowledge, and dispositions to disrupt inequities and enact social equities. She is also preparing three additional manuscripts. The first study focuses on the use of the movie Get Out as a pedagogical tool for guiding discussion on race and racism with educational leaders. Second, she is preparing a book chapter that examines a personal narrative on grief-inspired activism in the graduate experience. Third, Ericka collaborates with a colleague on a manuscript about Black women resident assistants’ navigation of their leadership role and student status at predominantly White institutions (PWIs).
Research Area Keyword(s):
Leadership development, teaching & learning, mentoring, critical theory
