Chapter 9 Standing Still is no Longer an Option: Understanding how to Prepare School Leaders to Interrupt Oppressive Practices

Abstract

The author examines how school leaders understood issues of social justice. Despite rising standards for excellence and equity, increasing demands on teachers and school leaders to raise standardized test scores, and the push for schools to achieve equal educational outcomes, many US public schools have not eliminated long-standing achievement gaps for those who live on the margins (i.e., race, class, gender, immigration status, ability (both mental and physical), and native language). The study, based in grounded theory, examined how 72 aspiring school leaders understood what was meant by leading for social justice in US public schools. Participants were more successful when they internalized an increased critical consciousness that encouraged a dialogue around issues of social justice work in schools in order to utilize their new understanding as a platform to promote this work.

Citation

Boske, C. (2012), "Chapter 9 Standing Still is no Longer an Option: Understanding how to Prepare School Leaders to Interrupt Oppressive Practices", Boske, C. and Diem, S. (Ed.) Global Leadership for Social Justice: Taking it from the Field to Practice (Advances in Educational Administration, Vol. 14), Emerald Group Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 159-172. https://doi.org/10.1108/S1479-3660(2012)0000014013