Superintendent perspectives and practice of accountability, democratic voice and social justice

Abstract

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to report on the superintendent portion of the UCEA Voices III project.Design/methodology/approachA four‐year study to determine how school leaders, from several locations and contexts, describe their perceptions of and experiences with educational leadership related to the study themes, school improvement, democratic community, and social justice.FindingsStudy findings indicate that superintendents articulated these study themes in more general and practical terms than found in the academic literature, and share a belief that the themes may be mutually exclusive, and require contextual interpretation to be functional. The paper concludes by calling for extending our ideas of how to practice social justice, solicit broader community voice, employ shared decision making, and measure accountability.Originality/valueAuthors recommend that practitioners place more emphasis on individualized contextual and cultural realities that can minimize or even counter the intended effects of these leadership approaches in practice. Conclusions suggest that superintendents understand and practice a more inclusive form of social justice, sometimes having to control and filter majority stakeholder inputs to achieve more ethical, socially just, educational decisions. The study provides a critical and needed empirical evaluation of the theoretical concepts of shared decision‐making, inclusion of community stakeholders, and practicing social justice. As superintendents attempt to practice these concepts in a real‐world context, they have discovered and provided insights into the limitations of these ideas.

Principals’ perceptions of public schools’ professional development changes during NCLB

“…Schools with low-SES and higher levels of enrolled minority students reported more focus on local, building-level goal-setting. The literature has shown how local-level leaders often deflect the influence and control of top-down policies, choosing to focus more on local school and community concerns and student data (Alsbury & Whitaker, 2007;Malen, 2003;Miller, 2010;Mintrop, 2012;Sherman, 2008).…”

Righting past wrongs: A superintendent’s social justice leadership for dual language education along the U.S.-Mexico border

“…Superintendents are placed in the midst of controversial and competing political interests, which "describe the rough-and-tumble world in which superintendents will invariably be forced to make unpopular decisions" (Björk et al, 2014, p. 458). Leadership in this context necessitates a situational awareness related to local politics and challenges coupled with a community, regional, and national awareness of marginalization (Alsbury & Whitaker, 2007;Furman, 2012;Larson & Murtadha, 2002;Ryan, 2016). This situational awareness informs and relates to advocacy and praxis.…”

Engaging Difference and Racial Equity: What School Leaders Need to Know and Do

“…For the most part, social justice was seen as developing remedial programs with the goal of equitable outcomes or helping disadvantaged people outside of the school community. Alsbury and Whitaker (2006) Solomon (2002), and Ryan (2003) found leaders had varying views of what an antiracist approach to education involved, and how it could be integrated in their schools. Often antiracism was associated with initiatives that prevent and address individual acts of racism (McMahon, 2007), and was equated with multiculturalism (Solomon, 2002).…”

“…Related to this, many researchers consider the connection between school leaders' knowledge of racial issues, and their ability to enact strategies and promote racial equity in schools (e.g., see Alsbury and Whitaker, 2006;Carr and Lund, 2009;Evans, 2007;McMahon, 2007;Ryan, 2003;Solomon, 2002). For the most part, this research shows that school leaders are unprepared for the challenges of achieving racial equity, and are uncomfortable naming race and racism (Aveling, 2007;McMahon, 2007;Ryan, 2012).…”