Purpose: The purpose of this article is to suggest the structure and content of an educational leadership program whose aim is to prepare principals for social justice work. Research Design: The authors have conceptualized foundational components for a comprehensive principalship program focused on social justice. They assert that educational leaders for social justice must have three goals at the forefront of their efforts: (a) They must raise the academic achievement of all the students in their school, that is, high test scores do matter; (b) they must prepare their students to live as critical citizens in society; and (c) both of these goals can only be achieved when leaders assign students to inclusive, heterogeneous classrooms that provide all students access to a rich and engaging curriculum. The components addressed for this social justice—oriented principalship preparation program include (a) how students should be selected for such a program and (b) an outline of the knowledge and content for educating social justice leaders. The importance of induction/praxis after students graduate from these programs is discussed. Conclusions: The aim of this article is to provoke a discussion in the field and spark faculty to engage in ongoing conversations and thinking about their own programs and to imagine new avenues for future research in this area. Faculty also can use these suggestions as a guide to assess their efforts and to bolster program quality, sensitive to the unique needs and schooling contexts of their particular students.
In this study, the role that racial identity plays among Latina school principals is examined through a case study of a principal in a K-3 elementary school. Based on a Latina/o critical race framework and a phenomenological research approach, the study explores the degree to which having a strong understanding of one's racial identity formation may fuel leadership practices geared toward social justice. The sociocultural and historical implications of how race, class, and gender get operationalized in the identity of this Latina leader are surfaced through the following: growing up living and understanding students' experiences; understanding the Latino family and advocating for community engagement; having high expectations for students of color by creating bridges between White teachers and students of color, as well as between families of color and White teachers; and having high expectations for students and an acute awareness of discriminatory practices in education. This study brings lessons related to improving the conditions of students of color through principals who are willing to reflect on their values, beliefs, and practices and to explore how these values and beliefs influence their work with students, families, and communities.
It is well documented that the achievement gap between affluent students and economically disadvantaged students and between White students and students of color continues to widen. In addition to these achievement gaps, marginalizing practices are often imbedded in the structures of schooling. These challenges require educational leadership programs that effectively prepare school principals who can meet our most pressing school challenges and who, in particular, strive for social justice ends; however, the literature on leadership for social justice provides no clear consensus on what an entire educational leadership program oriented toward social justice would include. This study attempts to fill the gap in the literature by critically examining a curriculum and instruction leadership program that has social justice embedded into the program's core practices. Specifically we ask the following questions: What critical elements underlie programs that prepare professionals for social justice in fields outside of educational leadership? What can we learn from these programs in support of educational leadership programs whose aim is to prepare leaders for social justice? What possible resistance was faced by these programs, and what can we learn from these experiences that can inform our practice of preparing educational leaders for social justice? There were several key findings that range from how students were selected into the program to the way in which faculty worked with each other in their teaching responsibility. The paper concludes with implications and recommendations for principal-preparation programs.
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