“Equity is Student Success:” White Women Leaders Closing the Higher Education Opportunity Gap

This qualitative multi-case study explored the experiences of nine women serving as presidents of community and technical colleges in seven different Midwestern states to understand how they serve students with an increasingly diverse background and ultimately work to close the education opportunity gap. The data collection process consisted of virtual semistructured interviews, reviews of strategic planning documents, and cataloguing posts from the LinkedIn, Twitter, and YouTube social media platforms. Seven themes emerged during the cross-case analysis of the nine narrative case studies including Contribute to the Greater Good, Commit, Cultivate, Advocate, Innovate, Collaborate, and Communicate. The central themes that emerged from the cross-case analysis were interpreted through the lens of the ethics-based leadership model as proposed by Fine (2008) and the inclusive Leadership Framework for Action™ developed by Tyner (2021). The goal of this research was to gain insight into the leadership perspectives held by the participants and how these viewpoints inform behaviors to positively affect the education opportunity gap.