Are We Preparing Them to Lead?: Examining Principal Preparation Curriculum for Equity and Social Justice during Turbulent Times
Abstract
The novelty and longevity of COVID-19 have also upended schools across the country. Thus, we are left at the moment when although many graduate students are preparing to become school leaders, those preparing them are not expected to stay. This means that aspiring principals will be entering schools in large numbers, under crisis conditions, expected to lead in ways research has shown does not prepare them for the principalship. Authors in this session examine how aspiring school principals in educational leadership preparation programs are experiencing their simultaneous preparation for leadership roles in the K-12 setting while working in schools in several districts across the United States. Individual papers explore: 1) abolitionist teaching and leadership, 2) the fallacy of a return to “normal”, 3) re-defining progress, and 4) being on the brink of departure from the profession. To capture the complexity of this moment in time and its inherent social justice and equity issues, we draw on an oral history approach and capturing the stories of aspiring school leaders through the Black Intellectual Tradition of storytelling as signposts of change. Together, we discuss how, if at all, principal preparation program curriculum is preparing aspiring leaders through a social justice lens during these turbulent times.
Presentation Description
.
Location
Room 109
Publication Type and Release Option
Presentation (Open Access)
Recommended Citation
Virella, Patricia; Almerido, Abigale; De Hoyos, Marissa; Mouton, April; Subramanian, Ramya; Tanner, Nathan; and Thompson, Darin, "Are We Preparing Them to Lead?: Examining Principal Preparation
Curriculum for Equity and Social Justice during Turbulent Times" (2022). Curriculum Studies Summer Collaborative. 35.
https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/cssc/2022/2022/35
Are We Preparing Them to Lead?: Examining Principal Preparation Curriculum for Equity and Social Justice during Turbulent Times
Room 109
The novelty and longevity of COVID-19 have also upended schools across the country. Thus, we are left at the moment when although many graduate students are preparing to become school leaders, those preparing them are not expected to stay. This means that aspiring principals will be entering schools in large numbers, under crisis conditions, expected to lead in ways research has shown does not prepare them for the principalship. Authors in this session examine how aspiring school principals in educational leadership preparation programs are experiencing their simultaneous preparation for leadership roles in the K-12 setting while working in schools in several districts across the United States. Individual papers explore: 1) abolitionist teaching and leadership, 2) the fallacy of a return to “normal”, 3) re-defining progress, and 4) being on the brink of departure from the profession. To capture the complexity of this moment in time and its inherent social justice and equity issues, we draw on an oral history approach and capturing the stories of aspiring school leaders through the Black Intellectual Tradition of storytelling as signposts of change. Together, we discuss how, if at all, principal preparation program curriculum is preparing aspiring leaders through a social justice lens during these turbulent times.
