Understanding and acting on issues of diversity and social justice in education

Forde, C. (2014) Understanding and acting on issues of diversity and social justice in education. In: Diverse Teachers for Diverse Learners, Glasgow, UK, 28 - 30 May 2014,

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Publisher's URL: http://www.strath.ac.uk/humanities/schoolofeducation/diverseteachers/

Abstract

This paper argues for a clearer focus on social justice and cultural diversity in leadership development programmes. Leadership development has become a key element of career long teacher education in Scotland where it is recognized that leadership is vital in shaping school cultures and the experiences of learners. The Scottish Qualification for Headship (SQH) is used as an example of a leadership development programme to explore ways in which the concepts of equality, fairness and social justice can be embedded as core elements of leadership development intended to foster inclusive pedagogies that recognize greater social and cultural diversity. Since the early 1990s there have been several public articulations of values in education particularly around issues of inclusion, equality and fairness both as self-standing documents (SCCC 1991) and as part of other policy frameworks such as curricular guidelines (SE, 2004) quality assurance frameworks (HMIe, 2006) and professional standards (GTCS 2012). With the re-establishment of the Scottish Parliament in 1999 and as part of ‘nation building’, there was a recognition of not only the increasingly diverse and pluralist nature of Scottish society but also of the experience of exclusion and marginalization particularly in poor communities (SE 1999, Iannelli and Paterson 2005). Bogotch (2008) sees the project for education as one of “seeking a pedagogy and leadership that might guide us towards change and social justice” (p 94). However, what drives education policy currently in Scotland as elsewhere, is the search for ‘effective practice’ that will improve pupil attainment scores. If we are to realize the intentions underpinning the several articulations of social justice and fairness we need to enable leaders through their development programmes to shape the conditions in schools and classrooms that foster inclusive and culturally responsive teaching. There is an increasing academic interest in educational leadership and social justice both theoretically and in terms of professional practice. While one of the policy concerns in Scotland is educational inclusion there are questions about how far such ideas underpin the dominant constructions of leadership in leadership development programmes. This paper explores the place of leadership in realizing the ambitions related to social justice and education and considers the implications for leadership development. The paper will begin by examining the current policy context of education and the expected contribution of leadership in achieving the policy aspirations. The paper then moves on to consider the question of social justice in education and the contribution of school leadership. The paper ends by proposing ways in which discourses around ‘leadership and effective learning’ can be imbued with ideas of diversity and social justice to ensure equality and fairness in both the experiences of all young people in school and the outcomes they achieve.

Item Type:Conference Proceedings
Keywords:leadership and social justice, leadership and diversity, professional standards, social justice in education
Status:Published
Refereed:Yes
Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID:Forde, Prof Christine
Authors: Forde, C.
Subjects:L Education > L Education (General)
College/School:College of Social Sciences > School of Education > Professional Learning and Leadership
Research Group:Professional Learning and Leadership
Copyright Holders:Copyright © 2014 The Author
Publisher Policy:Reproduced with the permission of the author

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