School Leadership, Curriculum Diversity, Social Justice and Critical Perspectives in Education

Abstract

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An evaluation of the “every child can learn, every child must learn” mantra’s alignment with educational policies in Jamaica

“…While the NSC represents a national move to infuse contextually relevant information in the teaching and learning process, ultimately, school leaders and practitioners are responsible for enacting the curriculum in ways that ensure that students’ external environment is valued and their home knowledge and interests are incorporated into classroom activities (White et al, 2014). Consequently, “teachers are crucial for implementing and embedding social justice practices at schools” to transform students’ lives (Miller et al, 2019: 112). The reality is that while the Ministry has done much to ensure that every child has the opportunity to learn, various external factors (socioeconomic status, parent’s educational background, et cetera) create advantage for some students.…”

“A culture of caring”: Leading differently in the twin pandemics

“…First, there must be an agreed upon understanding of social justice. Across the three countries, school leaders understood social justice “as equity, fair treatment and a ‘right’ for everyone” (Miller et al, 2019: 103). Next, culturally responsive leaders must take up the work of “doing social justice leadership” within the school and within the school community.…”

System leadership in Australian and Swedish education: What’s social justice got to do with it?

“…Given the importance education has in enabling participatory parity and aiding the development of a more socially just society (Forde & Torrance, 2017;Gümüş et al, 2021;Papa, 2020;Shaked, 2019), it is important that the system is effective and fosters cohesion between schools, departments and governments (Miller et al, 2019). In the current time of COVID-19, when educational disadvantages are exacerbated (Gümüş et al, 2021;Sonnemann & Goss, 2020), it is timely to evaluate educational leadership at the system level in terms of its ability to positively affect social justice issues.…”