Educational Leadership and Social Justice: Practice into Theory

Abstract

In this article Dewey's conceptions of theory and practice provide a conceptual framework for understanding the moral and political possibilities of educational leadership. Specifically, the differences among craft knowledge, professional reflective practice, and intellectual activities are discussed. Through the use of historical illustrations, two educational leadership paths demonstrate connections between educational leadership and social justice. The first path illustrates how an educational leader continuously builds a just school community under changing demographic and political conditions. The leadership challenge is ongoing in terms of building a new educational community rather than replicating a community of the past. The second path illustrates how single-minded visions for a just school society emerge through the heroic efforts of individual educational leaders. The leadership challenge here is to intellectually construct a meaningful consensus rather than to assume or assert it apart from experience. The article concludes with a critique of the theory-practice consequences of each leadership path.

From preservice leaders to advocacy leaders: exploring intersections in standards for advocacy in educational leadership and school counselling

“…Along with Goldfarb and Grinberg (2002), and Theoharis (2007), we believe that leadership for social justice is 'the exercise of altering [institutional and organizational] arrangements by actively engaging in reclaiming, appropriating, sustaining, and advancing inherent human rights of equity, equality, and fairness in social, economic, education, and personal dimensions' (Theoharis, 2007, p. 162). We agree with Bogotch (2002) that educational leadership theory and practice and social justice are inextricably linked.…”

“…According to Bogotch (2002) and Theoharis (2007), if there is no action, there is no social justice. We share this view.…”

Leadership styles and multicultural education approaches: an exploration of their relationship

“…On the other hand, there is the discourse premised on social justice and critical transformative perspectives on multiculturalism as values placed at the heart of educational leadership (Hodgkinson 1991, Greenfield and Ribbins 1993, Gewirtz 1998, Bogotch 2002. In their review of literature on educational leadership and social justice, Larson and Murtadha (2002) call for school leaders to collectively work towards 'social justice leadership'.…”

“…Theoharis, after Ladson-Billings' similar effort to redefine the distinction between 'good teaching' and 'social justice teaching', argues that social justice leadership goes beyond good leadership. It is, therefore, important to re-examine the historic norm of what is considered good leadership to understand how leadership may not always serve all students (Bogotch 2002, Scheurich and Skrla 2003, Dimmock and Walker 2005.…”

How principals cultivate a culture of critical spirituality

“…race, class, gender, sexual orientation, ability), foster critical perspectives, and promote social action' (p. 56). Educational leaders are called on to critically investigate how schools reproduce societal inequities and, in response, work to reverse these trends (Bogotch 2002;Dantley and Tillman 2006).…”