In combination, social emotional learning and social justice education lead to higher student engagement. Higher student engagement will lead to better analysis, application, and problem solving of the social justice issues discussed with learners. 

Another step towards this that Leaders in education must must take is to actively recruit and retain teachers of color. The leader must encompass and share in the values of each stakeholder groups- teachers, learners, families, and the community and vice versa. Shared values of equity and justice will allow for power structures to be broken down thus creating an environment in which the leader is not seen as the only holder of knowledge of power. Leaders must inspire and fuel that passion for social justice. 

April L. Peters (2010) mentions leaders must engage staff and learners, but I believe each stakeholder (including families and community members) needs to be engaged, in a way in which we are transforming and changing them for the better. Leaders must inspire others with their actions.

A social justice leader should lead by example, making day to day action that move toward engaging themselves and others in social justice learning experiences. Leaders should lead in a way in which they build relationships founded on trust & perspective understanding. Social Justice leaders must value equity, justice, dedication, and vulnerability.


One might assume that there needs to be a certain level of “wokeness” and knowledge regarding social justice and its branching topics in order to engage in equitable change. As a leader and promoter of social justice education, one must come to the realization that it is a learning process that involves the breaking down of one's own biases as advantaged individuals and the reflection of one’s own understandings/misunderstanding. 

Leaders need to engage stakeholders in Anti deficit thinking.  Social justice work can often lead to burnout and frustration or hopelessness therefore it is important for leaders to stop and think about what has worked and how can we create equitable systems/structures to support each learner and stakeholder in our learning community. Keeping the anti deficit perspective will allow leaders to provide the proper supports for teachers of color. With the proper cultural, social and emotional supports for educators of color, leaders will be able to increase recruitment and retention rates. Increased retention rates of teachers of color will allow for better learner engagement and a more diverse learning community. In order to lead and manage and effective learning community, leaders need to assure that it is composed of diverse individuals on all aspects and realms of diversity- in regards to culture, education/knowledge, gender, experience, etc. A diverse learning community will create an environment in which different perspectives can be involved to assure equity and justice at a school level. Community partnerships with families, businesses, etc are crucial in order to lead and manage an effective learning community. Leaders need to incorporate all stakeholders by provided opportunities for their voices to be heard. Specifically for stakeholders of color. To manage effective learning communities, leaders need to assure that voices that would often be silenced or talked over/disregarded in spaces created for white individuals, are heard. People of color in learning communities must be given the space to speak their mind and truths and leaders must provide various modalities of accessing and requesting input from these individuals in learning communities

In order to nourish the reflective thinking of those in the learning community leaders need to provide opportunities for experiences in which each stakeholder can discuss biases, trauma informed practice, restorative justice, and learned behavior. This can be done through workshops or sessions for any and all stakeholders. 

Finally, in order to manage and lead effective learning communities, leaders must know when to let go of individuals that don’t believe in the work or that aren’t open to start breaking down their biases in order to better engage in social justice work. They have no business serving youth that we want to inspire and motivate to become advocates and social justice leaders themselves.