Changing Social Context of Education in the United States: social justice and the superintendency

Educational Reform in the USA: Superintendents’ Role in Promoting Social Justice Through Organizational Justice

“…Although demographic shifts are not evenly distributed across all states and communities in the nation, they reflect an important dimension of education reform that is national in scope, resonate with intrinsic values of democracy, and reflect the nation's concern for its economic well-being . In sum, reformers are guided by a framework that is both equitable and ethical (Björk & Keedy, 2001) and advances the notion of accomplishing more socially just schools.…”

“…Superintendents are central to assuring that this work becomes an integral part of the ongoing work of the school district. Accomplishing social justice in school districts contributes to building the nation's social and human capital will that in turn define our collective future (Björk & Keedy, 2001).…”

“…Superintendents must consider how social and human capital work in order to prioritize ways to increase learning opportunities for all students, thus insuring both social justice and equitable opportunity. As described by Björk and Keedy (2001), the notion of social justice:…”

“…Superintendents clearly carry great power when considering equity and justice in schools. Hence, to assure all children receive appropriate support for learning at their highest ability, district leaders must sometimes make decisions that may not align with majority perspectives (Björk & Keedy, 2001). Organizational justice signifies the meaningful rules for distributive and procedural justice, processes that essentially select who gets what resources and with the fairness through which resources are distributed (Greenberg, 1990).…”

Women’s Choices Within Market Constraints: Re-Visioning Access to and Participation in the Superintendency

“…The alarming differences between the representation of women generally, and women of color particularly, in the teaching and administrative ranks of public schools mirrors the representation of women in senior management and leadership positions in more male-dominated fields such as law, business, or academia. 5 However, as Björk and Keedy (2001) noted, "the superintendency (the chief executive officer of our over 14,000 local school districts) [is] the most maledominated executive position of any profession" (p. 406). The absence of women at senior levels of administration, particularly the superintendency, in K-12 education means that women's influence on policy changes, decisions, and practice in the field is limited.…”