Female secondary school leaders: At the helm of social justice, democratic schooling and equity

Abstract: We chose the philosophical tradition of phenomenology as the qualitative methodology to study four women school leaders. Semi-structured interview data indicated that their professional experiences impacted how their leadership practices advance social justice in their education organizations, espouse the belief that equity matter, and exemplify the torchbearers of democratic ideals. The impact of major political agendas and policies that emerged since the 1954 landmark Brown v. Board of Education (Ogletree, 2004) decision have prompted many school leaders to assume a more active role with respect to the economic, social, and political struggles of marginalized students (Jean-Marie, James, & Bynum, 2006; Valverde, 2003). Based on interviews with four female secondary school leaders (two Black, two White) who are committed to social justice and democracy, this paper begins to document how these women engage in their work within two specific contexts, urban and suburban. The study aims to: (a) identify how these four women leaders engaged in social justice leadership and democratic schooling with focus on ethical responsibilities as guiding forces in their actions, and (b) capture their motivations an