The Preparation of Justice-Centered School Leaders

Recently, I have begun to look more deeply at leadership preparation because a key mechanism for promoting justice within schools is to invest in the preparation of justice-centered leaders. This area of work is my next edge of growth on my scholarship journey.

I began this line of work by engaging in a substantial review of the literature across ten key areas of preparation program design (e.g., recruitment of leadership candidates, clinical and field experiences, supports for aspirants) to ascertain what actions programs should take within each area to develop justice-centered leaders. I have a current piece in progress, targeted to JRLE, that will describe findings from this review, including an overview of themes across the literature for each design facet and a description of the state of the literature. I presented preliminary findings from this review at UCEA in 2022. You can access the presentation slides here. Once the initial, overview manuscript is complete, additional manuscripts will explore specific facets of equity-oriented preparation, such as assessments, candidate recruitment, and clinical/field experiences.

Relatedly, I have investigated program improvement efforts meant to strengthen preparation programs’ equity orientation. A book chapter (2022) I co-authored with Dr. Shelby Cosner reports on the literature related to equity-oriented curricular program improvement work and describes the efforts taken within the UIC Ed.D. program to engage in this work.

 Selected Bibliography

  • Alford, B., & Hendricks, S. (2018). Partnering with Districts in Principal Preparation: Key Program Features in Strengthening Aspiring Principals’ Understanding of Issues of Equity and Excellence. School Leadership Review, 8(2), 6.

  • Baecher, L., Knoll, M., & Patti, J. (2016). Targeted observation of ELL instruction as a tool in the preparation of school leaders. International Multilingual Research Journal, 10(3), 201-216.

  • Barakat, M., Reames, E., & Kensler, L. A. W. (2018). Leadership Preparation Programs: Preparing Culturally Competent Educational Leaders: Journal of Research on Leadership Education, 14(3), 212–235.

  • Berkovich, I. (2017). Reflections on leadership preparation programs and social justice: Are the power and the responsibility of the faculty all in the design? Journal of Educational Administration, 55(3), 261–279.

  • Bertrand, M., & Rodela, K. C. (2018). A framework for rethinking educational leadership in the margins: Implications for social justice leadership preparation. Journal of Research on Leadership Education, 13(1), 10–37.

  • Boscardin, M. L., & Lashley, C. (2019). Expanding the leadership framework to support socially just special education policy, preparation, and standards. Handbook of leadership and administration for special education, 2, 39-59.

  • Boske, C. (2011). Educating leaders for social justice. Counterpoints, 409, 362-382.

  • Boske, C. (2012). Sending Forth Tiny Ripples of Hope that Build the Mightiest of Currents: Understanding How to Prepare School Leaders to Interrupt Oppressive Practices. Planning and Changing, 43, 183-197.

  • Brown, K. (2004). Leadership for social justice and equity: Weaving a transformative framework and pedagogy. Educational Administration Quarterly, 40(1), 77-108.

  • Brown, K. M. (2006). Leadership for social justice and equity: Evaluating a transformative framework and andragogy. Educational administration quarterly, 42(5), 700-745.

  • Burciaga, R. (2015). Presuming Incompetence from Preschool to the Professoriate: How Leadership Preparation Programs Perpetuate or Prevent Deficit Thinking. Educational Leadership and Administration: Teaching and Program Development, 26, 4-9.

  • Byrne-Jimenez, M., & Orr, M.T. (2013). Evaluating social justice leadership preparation. In L. Tillman and J. Scheurich (Eds.), Handbook of Research on Educational Leadership for Equity and Diversity, pp. 670-702.

  • Cambron-McCabe, N., & McCarthy, M. (2005). Educating school leaders for social justice. Educational Policy, 19(1), 201–222.

  • Capper, C. A., & Young, M. D. (2014). Ironies and imitations of educational leadership for social justice: A call to social justice educators. Theory Into Practice, 53(2), 158–164.

  • Capper, C., Theoharis, G., & Sebastian, J. (2006). Toward a framework for preparing leaders for social justice. Journal of Educational Administration, 44(3), 209–224.

  • Capper, C.A., Alston, J., Gause, C.P., Koschoreck, J., Lopez, G., Lugg, C.A., & McKenzie, K. B., (2006). Integrating Gay/Lesbian/Bisexual/Transgender topics and their intersections with other areas of difference into the leadership preparation curriculum: Practical ideas and strategies. Journal of School Leadership, 16, (2). 142-157.

  • Carpenter, B. W., & Diem, S. (2013). Talking race: Facilitating critical conversations in educational leadership preparation programs. Journal of School Leadership, 23(6), 902-931.

  • Celoria, D. (2016). The preparation of inclusive social justice eduation leaders. Educational Leadership and Admnistration: Teaching and Program Development, 27, 199-219.

  • Crockett, J. B. (2018). The preparation of leaders for special education in the twenty-first century. In Handbook of leadership and administration for special education (pp. 60-78). Routledge.

  • Dantley, M. (2013). Promoting the preparation of successful leaders for diverse, equitable schools. In L. Tillman & J.J. Scheurich (Eds.), Handbook of research on educational leadership for equity and diversity, (pp. 597-602). Routledge.

  • Darling-Hammond, L., LaPointe, M., Meyerson, D., & Orr, M. (2007). Preparing school leaders for a changing world: Lessons from exemplary leadership development programs.

  • DeMatthews, D., Kotok, S., & Serafini, A. (2019). Leadership preparation for special education and inclusive schools: Beliefs and recommendations from successful principals. Journal of Research on Leadership Education, 15(4), 303–329.

  • Diem, S., & Carpenter, D. (2012). Social justice & leadership preparation: Developing a transformative curriculum. Planning and Changing, 43(1/2), 96-112.

  • Diem, S., Carpenter, B. W., & Lewis-Durham, T. (2019). Preparing antiracist school leaders in a school choice context. Urban Education, 54(5), 706–731.

  • Evans, A. (2007). Horton, Highlander, and leadership education: Lessons for preparing educational leaders for social justice. Journal of School Leadership, 17, 250–275.

  • Furman, G. (2012). Social justice leadership as praxis: Developing capacities through preparation programs. Educational administration quarterly, 48(2), 191-229.

  • Galloway, M. K., & Ishimaru, A. M. (2015). Radical recentering: Equity in educational leadership standards. Educational Administration Quarterly, 51(3), 372–408.

  • Garver, R., & Maloney, T. (2019). Redefining Supervision: A Joint Inquiry Into Preparing School-Based Leaders to Supervise for Equity. Journal of Research on Leadership Education, 194277511983830. https://doi.org/10.1177/1942775119838301

  • Garza Jr, E. (2015). The Urban School Leaders Collaborative An Alternative and Effective Model for Leadership Preparation and Practice. Handbook of Urban Educational Leadership, 412.

  • George, P. (2017). Toward a social justice model for an EdD program in higher education. Impacting Education: Journal on Transforming Professional Practice, 2(1).

  • Goldring, E., & Sims, P. (2005). Modeling creative and courageous school leadership through district-community-university partnerships. Educational Policy, 19(1), 223-249.

  • Gooden, M. A., & Dantley, M. (2012). Centering race in a framework for leadership preparation. Journal of Research on Leadership Education, 7(2), 237–253.

  • Gordon, S. P. (2012). Beyond Convention, beyond Critique: Toward a Third Way of Preparing Educational Leaders to Promote Equity and Social Justice (Part 1 and 2). International Journal of Educational Leadership Preparation, 7(2), n2.

  • Guerra, P. L., & Pazey, B. L. (2016). Transforming educational leadership preparation: Starting with ourselves. The Qualitative Report, 21(10), 1751.

  • Guerra, P. L., Nelson, S. W., Jacobs, J., & Yamamura, E. (2013). Developing educational leaders for social justice: programmatic elements that work or need improvement. Education Research and Perspectives, 40(2013), 124-149.

  • Guillaume, R. O. (2021). Formal Knowledge Acquisition and Socialization to Educational Leadership by Program Graduates: The Intersection of Social Justice and the Role of Program Faculty: Https://Doi.Org/10.1177/19427751211002223, 16(2), 107–121. https://doi.org/10.1177/19427751211002223

  • Guillaume, R. O., Saiz, M. S., & Amador, A. G. (2019). Prepared to Lead: Educational Leadership Graduates as Catalysts for Social Justice Praxis: Https://Doi.Org/10.1177/1942775119829887, 15(4), 283–302. https://doi.org/10.1177/1942775119829887

  • Hernandez, F. (2010). Critical Components of Preparing Professionals for Social Justice Across Three Disciplines: Implications for School Leadership Programs: Http://Dx.Doi.Org/10.1177/194277511000500301, 5(3), 43–47. https://doi.org/10.1177/194277511000500301

  • Hernandez, F., & Marshall, J. M. (2009). “Where I came from, Where I am Now, and Where I'd like to Be”: Aspiring Administrators Reflect on Issues Related to Equity, Diversity, and Social Justice. Journal of School Leadership, 19(3), 299-333.

  • Hernandez, F., & McKenzie, K. B. (2010). Resisting Social Justice in Leadership Preparation Programs: Mechanisms that Subvert. Journal of Research on Leadership Education, 5(3), 48–72. https://doi.org/10.1177/194277511000500302

  • Hewitt, K. K., Davis, A. W., & Lashley, C. (2014). Transformational and Transformative Leadership in a Research-Informed Leadership Preparation Program: Journal of Research on Leadership Education, 9(3), 225–253.

  • Hoff, D.L., Yoder, N. and Hoff, P.S. (2006), "Preparing educational leaders to embrace the “public” in public schools", Journal of Educational Administration, 44(3), 239-249.

  • Honig, M. I., & Donaldson Walsh, E. (2018). Learning to lead the learning of leaders: The evolution of the University of Washington’s education doctorate. Journal of Research on Leadership Education, 14(1), 51–73.

  • Honig, M. I., & Honsa, A. (2020). Systems-focused equity leadership learning: Shifting practice through practice. Journal of Research on Leadership Education, 15(3), 192–209.

  • Israel, M. S., & Fine, J. (2012). Moving outside the comfort zone: An innovative approach to principal preparation. Planning & Changing, 43 (3/4), 294-308.

  • Israel, M., Stewart, F., Sostak, S., & Bazzi-Moughania, A. (2016). Creating an EdD Structure, Program, and Process Fulfilling the Needs of Doctoral Candidates and the Communities They Will Serve: Applying Lessons Learned from the Redesign of a Principal Preparation Program. In V. Storey & K. Hesbol (Eds.), Contemporary Approaches to Dissertation Development and Research Methods (pp. 70–87). IGI Global.

  • Jean-Marie, G., Normore, A. H., & Brooks, J. S. (2009). Leadership for social justice: Preparing 21st century school leaders for a new social order. Journal of Research on Leadership Education, 4(1), 1–31.

  • Jean-Marie, G., Normore, A. H., Brooks, J. S., Khalifa, C. G. M., Arnold, N., & Osaloo, A. (2015). Learning to lead for social justice: How leadership preparation programs can improve equity in schools. Handbook of urban educational leadership, 303-319.

  • Johnson, L., & Campbell-Stephens, R. (2014). Beyond the Colorblind Perspective: Centering Issues of Race and Culture in Leadership Preparation Programs in Britain and the United States. In I. Bogotch & C.M. Shields (Eds.), International Handbook of Educational Leadership and Social (In)Justice, Springer.

  • Johnson, L., Møller, J., Ottesen, E., Pashiardis, P., Savvides, V., & Vedøy, G. (2011). Leadership preparation for culturally diverse schools in Cyprus, Norway, and the United States. US and cross-national policies, practices, and preparation, 153-177.

  • Jones, K. D., Ransom, H., & Chambers, C. R. (2020). Teaching Ethics in Educational Leadership Using the Values–Issues–Action (VIA) Model. Journal of Research on Leadership Education, 15(2), 150–163.

  • Karanxha, Z., Agosto, V., & Bellara, A. P. (2014). The hidden curriculum: Candidate diversity in educational leadership preparation. Journal of Research on Leadership Education, 9(1), 34-58.

  • Kemp-Graham, K. Y. (2015). Missed Opportunities: Preparing Aspiring School Leaders for Bold Social Justice School Leadership Needed for 21st Century Schools. International Journal of Educational Leadership Preparation, 10(1), 99-129.

  • Knight, D. S., & DeMatthews, D. E. (2018). Expanding the Use of Educational Data for Social Justice: Lessons From the Texas Cap on Special Education and Implications for Practitioner–Scholar Preparation: Journal of Research on Leadership Education, 15(2), 109–119.

  • López, J. A., Magdaleno, K. R., & Reis, N. M. (2006). Developing Leadership for Equity: What Is the Role of Leadership Preparation Programs?. Educational leadership and administration: teaching and program development, 18, 11-19.

  • Marshall, & Hernandez, F. (2013). I Would Not Consider Myself a Homophobe: Learning and Teaching About Sexual Orientation in a Principal Preparation Program. Educational Administration Quarterly, 49(3), 451–488.

  • Marshall, J. M., & Theoharis, G. (2016). Moving Beyond being Nice: Teaching and Learning about Social Justice in a Predominantly White Educational Leadership Program. Journal of Research on Leadership Education, 2(2), 1-31.

  • McClellan, R. and Dominguez, R. (2006), "The uneven march toward social justice: Diversity, conflict, and complexity in educational administration programs", Journal of Educational Administration, Vol. 44 No. 3, pp. 225-238.

  • McKenzie, K., & Scheurich, J. (2004). Equity traps: useful construct for preparing principals to lead schools that are successful with racially diverse students. Educational Administration Quarterly, 40(5), 606–632.

  • McKenzie, K., Christman, D., Hernandez, F., Fierro, E., Capper, C., Dantley, M., Gonzalez, M., Cambron-McCabe, N., & Scheurich, J. (2008). From the field: A proposal for educating leaders for social justice. Educational Administration Quarterly, 44(1), 111–138.

  • McKinney, S. A., & Capper, C. A. (2010). Preparing Leaders for Social Justice: Lessons from an Exemplary Counseling Psychology Department. Journal of Research on Leadership Education, 5(3), 73–106.

  • Melloy, K. J. (2018). Preparing Educational Leaders for 21st Century Inclusive School Communities: Transforming University Preparation Programs. Journal of Transformative Leadership & Policy Studies, 7(2), 13-24.

  • Merchant, B., & Garza, E. (2015). The urban school leaders collaborative: Twelve years of promoting leadership for social justice. Journal of Research on Leadership Education, 10(1), 39-62.

  • Miller, C., & Martin, B. (2015). Principal preparedness for leading in demographically changing schools: Where is the social justice training? Educational Management Administration & Leadership, 43(1), 129–151.

  • Mullen, C. A. (2017). What’s Ethics Got to Do With It? Pedagogical Support for Ethical Student Learning in a Principal Preparation Program. Journal of Research on Leadership Education, 12(3), 239–272.

  • O’Malley, M. P., & Capper, C. A. (2015). A measure of the quality of educational leadership programs for social justice: Integrating LGBTIQ identities into principal preparation. Educational Administration Quarterly, 51(2), 290-330.

  • Oplatka, I. (2009). Shall our leadership preparation programs be focused on proactive leadership for social justice? A rejoinder to Jean-Marie, Normore, and Brooks. Journal of Research on Leadership Education, 4(1), 1-5.

  • Pazey, B. L., & Cole, H. A. (2013). The role of special education training in the development of socially just leaders: Building an equity consciousness in educational leadership programs. Educational Administration Quarterly, 49(2), 243-271.

  • Pazey, B. L., Cole, H. A., & Garcia, S. B. (2012). Toward a framework for an inclusive model of social justice leadership preparation: Equity-oriented leadership for students with disabilities. Advances in Educational Administration, 14, 193–216.

  • Polizzi, J. A., & Frick, W. C. (2012). Transformative preparation and professional development: authentic reflective practice for school leadership. Teaching and Learning, 26(1), 20+.

  • Pounder, D., Reitzug, U., & Young, M. (2002). Preparing school leaders for school improvement, social justice, and community. In J. Murphy (Ed.), The educational leadership challenge: Redefining leadership for the 21st century (pp. 261–288). University of Chicago Press.

  • Rasmussen, N., & Raskin, C. (2021). Men’s Voices: Black and White Aspiring Principals Reflect on Their Preparation to be Racial Equity Leaders. Journal of Research on Leadership Education, 19427751211069149.

  • Rodriguez, M., Chambers, T., Gonzalez, M., & Scheurich, J. (2010). A cross-case analysis of three social justice-oriented education programs. Journal of Research on Leadership Education, 5(3.5), 138-153.

  • Roegman, R., Kolman, J., Goodwin, A. L., & Soles, B. (2021). Complexity and Transformative Learning: A Review of the Principal and Teacher Preparation Literature on Race. Teachers College Record, 123(8), 202–247.

  • Rusch. (2004). Gender and Race in Leadership Preparation: A Constrained Discourse. Educational Administration Quarterly, 40(1), 14–46.

  • Salisbury, J. D., & Irby, D. J. (2020). Leveraging active learning pedagogy in a scaffolded approach: Reconceptualizing instructional leadership learning. Journal of Research on Leadership Education, 15(3), 210–226.

  • Skousen. (2020). Hegemony, Principal Preparation, and the Language of the Oppressor: The Elusive Preparation of Socially Just School Leaders. In Handbook on Promoting Social Justice in Education (pp. 1085–1111). Springer International Publishing.

  • Stone-Johnson, C., & Wright, C. (2020). Leadership preparation for social justice in educational administration. Handbook on Promoting Social Justice in Education, 1065-1084.

  • The Buck Stops Here-In Our Preparation Programs: Educative Leadership for all Children (No Exceptions Allowed)

  • Thornton, M. E., Barakat, M., Grooms, A. A., Locke, L. A., & Reyes-Guerra, D. (2020). Revolutionary Perspectives for Leadership Preparation: A Case of a Networked Improvement Community. Journal of Research on Leadership Education.

  • Trujillo, T., & Cooper, R. (2014). Framing social justice leadership in a university-based preparation program: The University of California’s Principal Leadership Institute. Journal of Research on Leadership Education, 9(2), 142–167.

  • Waite, S. R. (2021). Disrupting Dysconsciousness: Confronting Anti-Blackness in Educational Leadership Preparation Programs. Journal of School Leadership, 31(1–2), 66–84.

  • Wang, E., Gates, S., Herman, R., Mean, M., Perera, R., Tsai, T., Whipkey, K., & Andrew, M. (2018). Launching a redesign of university principal preparation programs: Partners collaborate for change.

  • Weiler, J. R., & Lomotey, K. (2022). Defining Rigor in Justice-Oriented EdD Programs: Preparing Leaders to Disrupt and Transform Schools. Educational Administration Quarterly, 58(1), 110–140.

  • Whitenack, D. A., Golloher, A. N., & Burciaga, R. (2019). Intersectional Reculturing for All Students: Preparation and Practices for Educational Leaders. Educational Leadership and Administration: Teaching and Program Development, 31, 33-53.

  • Woods, R., & Hauser, L. (2013). University Preparation of K-12 Social Justice Leaders: Examination of Intended, Implemented, and Assessed Curriculum. Educational Leadership and Administration: Teaching and Program Development, 24, 16-34.

  • Wright, J., Fisher, D., & Frey, N. (2020). Reflective Writing in a Principal Preparation Program. Journal of School Administration Research and Development, 5(1), 16-24.

  • Ylimaki, R. and Jacobson, S. (2013), "School leadership practice and preparation: Comparative perspectives on organizational learning (OL), instructional leadership (IL) and culturally responsive practices (CRP)", Journal of Educational Administration, Vol. 51 No. 1, pp. 6-23.

  • Young, M. D., Gooden, M. A., & O’Doherty, A. (2015). Preparing leaders to support the education of diverse learners. Handbook of urban educational leadership, 441-449.

  • Young, M., Mountford, M., & Skrla, L. (2006). Infusing gender and diversity issues into educational leadership programs. Journal of Educational Administration, 44(3), 264–277.

  • Zarate, M. E., & Mendoza, Y. (2018). Reflections on Race and Privilege in an Educational Leadership Course: Journal of Research on Leadership Education, 15(1), 56–80.

  • Zembylas, M. (2010). The emotional aspects of leadership for social justice: Implications for leadership preparation programs. Journal of Educational Administration, 48(5), 611-625.

Note: Zotero auto-generated formatting and references may contain errors.