Promoting social justice in schools: principals’ political strategies

Authentic leadership praxis for democracy: a narrative inquiry of one state superintendency

“…Scholars have addressed the resistance, advocacy and micropolitical dimensions of social justice leadership (Anderson, 2009;Brown, 2006;Canfield-Davis, Gardiner, & Joki, 2009;Ryan, 2010;Theoharris, 2007). Leadership practice is thus inherently political and involves risk-taking (Ryan, 2010;Ylimachi, 2005).…”

“…Leadership practice is thus inherently political and involves risk-taking (Ryan, 2010;Ylimachi, 2005). Ryan (2010) concluded in the study of school principals that social justice initiatives frequently face political opposition; therefore, principals who wish to be social justice leaders must 'play the political game' (p. 374). We suggest that politics of democracy and inclusiveness in the USA must guide a leader's decision-making and actions.…”

Autoevaluación institucional y dirección de centros inclusivos

“…Por una parte, porque estudiar el desempeño de las funciones, tareas y roles asociados a la dirección escolar es, en general, investigar un sistema complejo de actuaciones; y, en particular y cuando se trata de la dirección en contextos socioeducativos de desventaja, porque es enfrentarse, además, a problemáticas sociales y cometidos de especial dificultad. Existe, por otra parte, poco conocimiento específico porque acceder a tal complejidad requiere investigar desde dentro a través de metodologías de investigación cualitativa y colaborativa que pongan de manifiesto cómo formulan los profesionales sus problemas y limitaciones y cómo toman decisiones orientadas a la mejora, en la línea de Carpenter y Cooper (2007), Ryan (2010) y Archambault y Garon (2012). Es más, debe llevarse a cabo una profunda autoevaluación institucional como proceso autónomo de análisis de las concepciones, valores y praxis de la institución orientado a la transformación social.…”

Social justice and leadership development

“…In responding to context, much of the literature relating to leadership development points to the significance of the personal skills and attributes of school leaders, including political skills (Ryan 2010). Theoharris (2010, p. 341) found in his study, that school principals who sought to challenge injustice, looked to achieve a fundamental reshaping of the school questioning practices and 'school structures which marginalize, segregate and impede achievement'.…”

“…This engagement Hynds explores, has a strong political character. Ryan (2010) looks at this political dimension from a different perspective. He argues that the use of political skills or acumen is critical in enacting equality policies.…”