Leading Socially Just Schools: The Role of Professional Learning and Growth

Equity and social justice have become central to the work of schools. Teachers and leaders are at the forefront of building socially just schools. Issues related to equity and social justice in education, however, are complex and deeply contested. Professional learning is critical to enable teachers and school leaders to develop the understandings, skills and confidence to grapple with often challenging issues. This book brings together a range of contributions from different systems. The contributors to this book explore ways in which professional learning can support efforts to bring about socially just schools. The authors adopt a variety of perspectives, with some looking at professional learning around a broad concept of social justice and the task of the gap between advantaged and disadvantaged learners. Other contributors explore the question of professional learning in relation to a specific issue or area of practice to raise awareness and deepen knowledge and skills. Barring one, all the chapters in this book were originally published as a special issue in the journal Professional Development in Education.

Table of Contents:
Foreword 1 Introduction Leadership development and leading socially just schools 2 Anti- racist school leadership: making ‘race’ count in leadership preparation and development 3 What is the problem? A critical review of social justice leadership preparation and development 4 Learning to lead socially just schools: an exploration of candidate readiness for equity- focused principal preparation in the United States 5 The need for career- long professional learning for social justice leaders in affluent school contexts 6 Professional development for school leaders in England: decision- making for social justice Leading in socially just schools 7 Promoting socially just schools through professional learning: lessons from four US principals in rural contexts 8 Critical professional development and the racial justice leadership possibilities of teachers of colour in K- 12 schools 9 The role of trade union provision for critical professional learning in supporting member teachers’ social justice leadership practice Teacher development to build practice in socially just schools 10 Promoting professional growth to build a socially just school through participation in ethnographic research 11 ‘Every single student counts’: leadership of professional development underpinned by social justice for sessional staff in a South Australian university 12 A cross- school PLC: how could teacher professional development of robot- based pedagogies for all students build a social- justice school? 13 Supporting gender- inclusive schools: educators’ beliefs about gender diversity training and implementation plans 14 Learning about culture together: enhancing educators cultural competence through collaborative teacher study groups 15 The professional development needs of primary teachers in special classes for children with autism in the Republic of Ireland Afterword: inserting social justice into professional development