https://padlet.com/lcarter43/ymcuy63311d8 EOL 568; Spring 2019 en-us 2019-03-26 13:26:04 UTC 2019-04-04 02:12:57 UTC hello@padlet.com https://padlet-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/icons/Hearts.png lcarter43 https://padlet.com/lcarter43/ymcuy63311d8/wish/347883742 Definition of Social Justice Leadership:
Social justice leadership can take many forms.  However, a few key elements remain true regardless of the form it takes. I firmly believe in improving the educational experience for ALL students.  Social justice leadership tackles inequity in a determined and focused way. As a high school administrator, I also believe that social justice leadership requires that I am an ally to our students and staff members of color.  As a white person, it is crucial that I acknowledge my privilege and challenge dangerous assumptions and systems within our school.  According to Dantley and Tillman (2010), "First, social justice leaders must raise the academic achievement of all students in the school; second, leaders who embrace social justice practices must prepare students to live as critical citizens in society; and third, social justice leaders must ensure that students learn in heterogeneous, inclusive classrooms" (p. 23). Preparing students for meaningful citizenship is important, but it is also essential that the manner in which we do that is not strictly Eurocentric. This often requires changing the existing instructional strategies and approaches to better accommodate historically marginalized students.


]]> 2019-04-03 01:08:31 UTC https://padlet.com/lcarter43/ymcuy63311d8/wish/347883742 lcarter43 https://padlet.com/lcarter43/ymcuy63311d8/wish/347883985 Role of Leadership:
The role that social justice leadership plays in a school setting, especially a high school, is essential. For example, in my district, I use my administrative role to lead others to a better understanding of race, implicit bias, white privilege, discriminatory practices, and the classroom environment. I do this through professional development that is co-facilitated with teachers from across content areas and from various races/ethnicities. This is essential to the professional development so that the voices of the staff members of color are at the forefront, rather than my own. Furthermore, I am currently engaging in training for restorative practices. It is my hope to become a better social justice leader by helping teachers see the value in restorative justice, especially given the disproportionate rate of referrals for our students of color. Finally, it is critical to use my role to engage in socially-just schooling.  According to Scanlan and Theoharis (2015), "Socially just schooling is evident when educational opportunities abound for all students, when ambitious academic goals are held and met by all students, when all students and families are made to feel welcome in the school community, when students are proportionately distributed across all groupings in the school, and when one dimension of identity...does not directly correlate with undesirable aspects of schooling..." (p. 3). The role of social justice leadership helps create the atmosphere in which the above things can flourish.]]> 2019-04-03 01:09:57 UTC https://padlet.com/lcarter43/ymcuy63311d8/wish/347883985 lcarter43 https://padlet.com/lcarter43/ymcuy63311d8/wish/347884078 Nurturing and Creating Community:
This aspect of social justice leadership explores the ways in which we can create an environment in which all students can learn and in which all families are welcome.  This is an area that my district needs to explore more.  Although our Superintendent does hold meetings in various parts of the community, the parent attendance is low. Despite our efforts,  it is essential that we explore ways to make all families feel welcomed and engaged, as opposed to a Eurocentric approach to parent involvement.  Our district eliminated parent-teacher conferences due to low attendance, but I feel strongly that we need to explore other options that help parents be a support to their students' academic progress. As Horsford and Clark (2015) point out, "These norms do not engender recognition of racially minoritized parent involvement in their children's education because the manners of expression of this involvement are culturally informed; for example, the Eurocentric culture of most schools encourages competition, whereas the home culture of many students of color emphasizes cooperation" (p. 63). Building this culture of cooperation is key for both the classroom and parent/family events.]]> 2019-04-03 01:10:27 UTC https://padlet.com/lcarter43/ymcuy63311d8/wish/347884078 lcarter43 https://padlet.com/lcarter43/ymcuy63311d8/wish/347884864 This video details Clint Smith's journey to explore the dangers of remaining silent in the face of discrimination. It resonates with me as being a crucial part of being an ally to students and staff members of color. It is my job to explore my privilege and speak up when other people are making harmful assumptions or statements.]]> 2019-04-03 01:14:21 UTC https://padlet.com/lcarter43/ymcuy63311d8/wish/347884864 lcarter43 https://padlet.com/lcarter43/ymcuy63311d8/wish/347885363 This video explores what happens when we live life according to a single narrative.  Chimamanda Adichie challenges us to explore our experiences from a multitude of experiences. This is also an important quality of social justice leadership.]]> 2019-04-03 01:16:51 UTC https://padlet.com/lcarter43/ymcuy63311d8/wish/347885363 lcarter43 https://padlet.com/lcarter43/ymcuy63311d8/wish/347885600 When thinking about how to nurture community and engage our parents/families, a necessary part of that is restorative practices. This video captures a re-entry circle for a student who was in a juvenile detention center. Everyone played a part: students, the family, administration, the community, etc. Imagine what a powerful experience this would have been---rather than forcing this student to come back only to remain invisible.]]> 2019-04-03 01:18:00 UTC https://padlet.com/lcarter43/ymcuy63311d8/wish/347885600 lcarter43 https://padlet.com/lcarter43/ymcuy63311d8/wish/347885955 This clip from "America to Me" is one that I show in the professional development I lead monthly with around 30 staff members.  The clip demonstrates a misguided approach to social justice leadership. The teacher in this clip views his role as "fixing" his black students, which is inherently flawed and dangerous.]]> 2019-04-03 01:19:50 UTC https://padlet.com/lcarter43/ymcuy63311d8/wish/347885955 lcarter43 https://padlet.com/lcarter43/ymcuy63311d8/wish/347886951 In this episode of The Cult of Pedagogy podcast, Victor Small and Jennifer Gonzalez explore the beginning concepts of restorative justice in schools. A key part is establishing a positive school culture before attempting to work with specific students.]]> 2019-04-03 01:25:24 UTC https://padlet.com/lcarter43/ymcuy63311d8/wish/347886951 lcarter43 https://padlet.com/lcarter43/ymcuy63311d8/wish/347887344 In this episode of The Cult of Pedagogy, Jennifer Gonzalez interviews Zaretta Hammond about ways in which we misinterpret culturally responsive teaching. Hammond argues we need to focus more on the way we deliver instruction, rather than more superficial aspects of multi-cultural education.]]> 2019-04-03 01:27:20 UTC https://padlet.com/lcarter43/ymcuy63311d8/wish/347887344 lcarter43 https://padlet.com/lcarter43/ymcuy63311d8/wish/347887784 The third season of Serial examines the criminal justice system, specifically in Cleveland. Although focused on the court system, there are a lot of parallels with the educational system. It is alarming to hear the assumptions from judges about the defendants. It is easy to see how teachers might make similar assumptions about their students, resulting in the 'school to prison' pipeline.]]> 2019-04-03 01:29:12 UTC https://padlet.com/lcarter43/ymcuy63311d8/wish/347887784 lcarter43 https://padlet.com/lcarter43/ymcuy63311d8/wish/348316444 Dantley, M.E. & Tillman, L.C. (2010). Social justice and moral transformative leadership. In C. Marshall & M. Oliva (Eds.), Leadership for Social Justice: Making Revolution in Education (2nd ed.), 19-34.

Horsford, S.D. & Clark, C. (2015). Inclusive leadership and race. In G. Theoharis & M. Scanlan (Eds.), Leadership for Increasingly Diverse Schools, 59-81.

Scanlan, M. & Theoharis, G. (2015). Intersectionality in educational leadership. In G. Theoharis & M. Scanlan (Eds.), Leadership for Increasingly Diverse Schools, 1-10.


]]> 2019-04-03 23:58:55 UTC https://padlet.com/lcarter43/ymcuy63311d8/wish/348316444