Examining Leadership as Public Pedagogy for Social Justice

Written by Oakhurst, P., & Oakhurst, K. (October 2012). Social Justice; Doctoral Programs

Summary

The authors’ purpose in this study was to report on research that examined the meaning of leadership as a public pedagogy of socially just practice. Drawing on practitioners’ voices, the authors’ focused on what social justice means in the world of schools, what socially just practice is from a practitioner’s perspective, and the role that educational leaders play in connecting social justice and democracy in the educational setting. The authors engaged in an analysis of the narrative discourse related to social justice practices of practicing school leaders. As example, political issues that work to de-democratize social practice affect socially just practices in schools; narrowing equity for some and generating marginalizing spaces within the school culture. The authors posit that advancing “leadership as public pedagogy” presents students of educational leadership with an opportunity to examine the social text of their experience, drawing on them to ask not only what the social text means but also how it means, what its epistemological and theoretical grounds are as enacted in practice. The authors present a set of considerations for leadership preparation and practice that argue the importance of a public pedagogy orientation and the relevance of socially just practice for school leaders.