Abstract
Educational leaders are called to action by the very nature of their jobs, to address issues of social inequity and injustice. Their leadership is key to revealing, disrupting and subverting institutional arrangements which marginalize individuals, reorienting educational engagement towards inclusion, transformation and equity. This chapter examines ways New Zealand educational leaders lead for social justice. It outlines social, moral, cultural and personal dimensions which support and constrain their socially just leadership overall. Exploring the situated meanings and understandings of socially just leadership, and how it manifests in these key areas across different education settings may illuminate possibilities for other leaders to address injustices within their institutions and broader education contexts overall.
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Notes
- 1.
Translated in indigenous Māori language to mean ‘proverb’.
- 2.
Early years education centre where all education and instruction is delivered in te reo māori (Māori language), the indigenous language of New Zealand.
- 3.
Pseudonyms are used for the names of the school leaders and their schools.
- 4.
Ethnic description of European decent.
- 5.
Indigenous peoples of Aotearoa New Zealand.
- 6.
Ethnic description of European decent.
- 7.
Indigenous peoples of Aotearoa New Zealand.
- 8.
The Education Review Office (ERO) is the New Zealand government department that evaluates and reports on the education and care of students in schools and early childhood services. ERO’s reports are used by parents, teachers, early childhood education managers, school principals and trustees, and by government policy makers.
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McNae, R., Barnard, S. (2021). Educational Leadership for Social Justice: Bringing Connection, Collaboration and Care from Margins to Centre. In: Normand, R., Moos, L., Liu, M., Tulowitzki, P. (eds) The Cultural and Social Foundations of Educational Leadership. Educational Governance Research, vol 16. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-74497-7_11
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