Competing Priorities and Challenges: Principal Leadership for Social Justice along the U.S.-Mexico Border

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Autor/in	DeMatthews, David Edward
Titel	Competing Priorities and Challenges: Principal Leadership for Social Justice along the U.S.-Mexico Border
Quelle	In: Teachers College Record, 118 (2016) 8Infoseite zur Zeitschrift PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	0161-4681
Schlagwörter	Principals; Social Justice; Administrator Role; Foreign Countries; Leadership Responsibility; Elementary Schools; Poverty; Environmental Influences; Hispanic American Students; Qualitative Research; Case Studies; Interviews; Observation; Assistant Principals; Educational Environment; Mexico; Texas + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Principal; Schulleiter; Soziale Gerechtigkeit; Ausland; Elementary school; Grundschule; Volksschule; Armut; Environmental influence; Umwelteinfluss; Hispanic; Hispanic Americans; Student; Students; Hispanoamerikaner; Schüler; Schülerin; Studentin; Qualitative Forschung; Case study; Fallstudie; Case Study; Interviewing; Interviewtechnik; Beobachtung; Principals; Stellvertretende Schulleitung; Lernumgebung; Pädagogische Umwelt; Schulumwelt; Mexiko
Abstract	Background/Context: Previous research has focused on the importance of a social justice leadership approach to improve schools that serve marginalized students, but less attention has been focused on potential dilemmas associated with social justice leadership and the ways in which principals prioritize when dilemmas or challenges arise. Principals may be frequently confronting challenges and dilemmas when they lead for social justice, especially considering the pressures and unintended consequences of high-stakes accountability, dwindling school budgets, and increased teacher turnover rates. By examining the nature of social justice leadership in a high-poverty elementary school located along the U.S./Texas-Mexico border, this study explores how certain facets of social justice generate contradictions, tradeoffs, and dilemmas that have implications for marginalized student groups and communities. Purpose/Objective/Research Question/Focus of Study: The purpose of this study is to explore one principal's enactment of social justice leadership, particularly in relation to how emergent circumstances influence the way social justice challenges are identified, prioritized, and addressed. Setting: Data were collected at one predominantly Hispanic serving elementary school located along the border: Saenz Elementary Schools (pseudonym). Research Design: In this study, I employed a qualitative case study methodology and conducted ongoing interviews and observations with the school's principal (Ms. Uribe) to see how she enacted social justice leadership over the course of one school year. Additionally, I interviewed and observed teachers, the school's assistant principal, and other staff to explore alternative perspectives of Ms. Uribe's leadership. Findings: Findings reveal the specific leadership actions Ms. Uribe applied to create a more socially just school, but also highlights the complicated nature of social justice leadership. Contextual circumstances associated with the school and community, as well as Ms. Uribe's own personal and professional experiences and worldviews influenced the way she identified, prioritized, and addressed the many social justice challenges present in her school. Conclusions/Recommendations: Major conclusions and recommendations from this study include the importance to further explore the way school context and principal experience influence the enactment of social justice leadership, the importance of ongoing critical reflection for school leaders addressing issues of marginalization, and the necessity to further consider how principal preparation programs can prepare principals with the knowledge, expertise, experience, and habits of mind to recognize and grapple with competing facets of social justice as well as the challenges and barriers to educational equity. (As Provided).
Anmerkungen	Teachers College, Columbia University. P.O. Box 103, 525 West 120th Street, New York, NY 10027. Tel: 212-678-3774; Fax: 212-678-6619; e-mail: tcr@tc.edu; Web site: http://www.tcrecord.org
Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2020/1/01