Transformative Democracy in Educational Leadership and Policy: Social Justice in Practice

As we begin to reset in the modern era, we recognize the unfulfilled promises of democratic, socially just, and transformative educational leadership and policy. Over 100 years of such theories subsist in education scholarship, and yet policies and practices continue to reflect hegemonic values of neoliberalism, individualism, narcissism, and white-middle-class superiority. Transformative Democracy in Educational Leadership and Policy critiques education policies and practices that failed to deliver on their transformative promises, and explores more rigorous, nuanced transformative approaches within the context of the 2020s and beyond. How do we harness this potential to stimulate such a transformation in education? How do we push against neoliberal hegemony in education policy and practice, recognizing that we are now at a tipping point for transformative action? The authors address these inquiries, as we look toward a future filled with possibility and promise. This book culminates with suggestions for critical policy and leadership practice; suggestions include leadership planning as activism, decolonizing education systems, and critical instructional leadership, such as critical curriculum adoptions and transformative professional development opportunities.