The Leaders Behind the Instructional Leaders: A Literature Review of Principal Supervisors as a Lever for Anti-Racism

This article presents findings from a literature review examining the role of principal supervisors through the lens of anti-racist district leadership (Shah et al., 2022). Analysis of peer-reviewed studies and professional standards revealed that research on principal supervisors largely emphasizes technical functions like coaching and evaluation while neglecting the racialized dimensions of these practices. Similarly, professional standards often invoked “equity” in vague terms, with minimal engagement with race, racism, or anti-racist competencies. Few professional standards addressed the structural redistribution of resources needed to remedy entrenched anti-Black inequities in school funding and instructional quality. These findings highlight a significant gap in the literature and professional standards, raising questions about whether and how principal supervisors are poised to support principals in anti-racist practices. We argue for more robust, race-conscious research, clearer professional standards, and aligned policy efforts to develop principal supervisors as agents of anti-racist change—especially in a sociopolitical climate increasingly hostile to educational equity.