Engaging and Cultivating Imagination in Equity-Focused School Leadership

Abstract

Research on equity-focused school leadership reveals how it is relational, emotional, and activist. This paper adds imaginative to this set of leadership qualities. First, imagination is conceptualized as soil. Thinking of imagination in this grounded, ecological way can help address misconceptions around what imagination is and does in the context of school leadership. The next section outlines some of the relational, emotional, and activist features of equity-focused school leadership that are rooted in imagination. Imaginative Education is introduced as a theoretical framework that offers a practical set of (cognitive) tools that leaders may employ to cultivate imagination in pursuit of equity in their schools. The paper concludes with recommendations for future research.

Imagination as a catalyst for Relational Leadership: Educational leaders’ perspectives.

“…Humanizing leadership involves connection and relationality; engaging in the risky and vulnerable collaborative work of the possible requires connection. Imagination is necessary for collectively envisioning an equitable and just education system and connection is necessary to work towards possible futurities (Judson, 2022). These findings add to understanding of what constitutes and drives humanizing processes.…”

“…, 2002 extensive work in the realm of business ethics identifies the imagination-specifically the moral imagination-as essential to ethical decision-making. By enabling understanding of other perspectives' and advocating for others, imagination helps equip leaders to address issues of ethics and social justice (Ciulla, 2015;Judson, 2022;Novak et al, 2014;Rapp, 2002). Our research digs more deeply into the role of imagination in relational leadership, and how this contributes to more inclusive, humanizing space for leaders.…”

“…It is important to remember that imagination, on its own, does not guarantee ethical leadership practice-using imagination says nothing of how this imagination is used (Asma, 2017). Imagination can be put to use to support action for social justice (Greene, 1995)-it offers a shared emotional space to envision the not-yet (Judson, 2022) 1 . Rapp (2002) suggests that leaders have a responsibility to engage the "oppositional imagination" in support of social justice (p. 226).…”

A Dirty Little Secret

“…Imagination supports and enriches relationships and thus enables relational leadership practices that emphasize and promote empathy and humanization of meaning-making (Judson & Dougherty, under review). Imagination supports the creation of ethical and socially just communities (Judson, 2022;Strom, et al, 2023;Thomas & Koscheck 2023).…”

“…The cultivation of imagination is increasingly acknowledged as a vital capacity for leadership (Curtis & Cerni, 2015;Curtis, et al, 2017;Judson, 2020Judson, , 2022Judson, , 2023Raptis et al, 2021). However, resistance and scepticism about its value in leadership remain strong.…”