Arab women’s educational leadership and the implementation of social justice in schools

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to focus on gender and social justice (SJ) among pioneer female principals and superintendents in the Arab education system in Israel. The research questions were: what motivated these women to act for SJ? Are there common personal characteristics and educational values which characterize these women? What actions have they taken to apply SJ through their work? Design/methodology/approach Four superintendents and two principals participated in in-depth interviews, describing their careers in education and their contributions. Findings The findings indicate that these women were highly motivated often by their backgrounds to right social wrongs upholding values of equality and justice and empowering others to succeed. They employed leadership skills that initiate a strong desire to succeed and challenged inegalitarian rules and norms. They brought their unique feminine strengths and experience to promote social goals far beyond requirements of their official job descriptions. Hopefully their views and actions can guide the Arab education system to pedagogy that rectifies social injustice includes students and empowers teachers. Originality/value It is concluded that through their jobs these women leaders were able to initiate a policy of change and promote a new educational agenda.

Lýðræðisleg forysta í leikskólum

“…Fraeðilegt gildi rannsóknarinnar felst í aukinni þekkingu á lýðraeðislegri forystu og tengslum hennar meðal annars við þátttöku og félagslegt réttlaeti í leikskóla. Þeir sem berjast fyrir félagslegu réttlaeti vilja skapa veröld sem er sanngjörn og réttlát fyrir alla en ekki veröld þar sem allir fá það sama til að ná sömu markmiðum (Ryan og Rottmann, 2007). Hagnýtt gildi rannsóknarinnar felst í að varpa ljósi á helstu taekifaeri og áskoranir stjórnenda leikskóla.…”

“Glocalisation” doctrine in the Israeli Public Education System: A contextual analysis of a policy-making process

“…The Israeli education system is essentially public and segregated into different sectors based on religious and ethnic affiliation, namely the Jewish secular, Jewish religious (modern orthodox), Jewish ultra-orthodox and Palestinian-Arab. While core subjects are seemingly shared between sectors, in-effect there exist widening gaps between these various segments of the education system around curricular contents, funding, and how educational policies affect them (Arar, 2018). Gaps are particularly evident between the Jewish secular and the Palestinian-Arab sectors as the latter is significantly deprived in relation to funding received and their ability to shape the curriculum in light of their own language, histories and political values (Bekerman, 2009).…”

Social Justice Leadership in Education: What Do School Principals Do for Social Justice?

“…Examining social justice leadership enables school principals to recognize inequalities among student groups and take steps to address these inequalities. For example, school principals can ensure the equitable distribution of educational resources, combat discrimination and develop policies for diversity and inclusion (Ryan & Rottmann, 2007). The implementation of this leadership approach can reduce achievement gaps among students in schools, provide support to disadvantaged groups and make the school climate more equitable and inclusive.…”