Examining How Superintendents Understand, Leverage, and Balance Social Justice and Accountability: Case Studies in Leadership

By almost every measure, American schools have not educated poor, minority, and disadvantaged children to the same level as their White, some Asian, non-poor and non-disabled counterparts (American Institutes for Research, 2013; Gándara, 2010; NCES, 2014; Rojas-Lebouef & Slate, 2011; Thurlow, Bremer, & Albus, 2011) despite increased accountability expectations for all student subgroup performance outcomes (DeNisco, 2013; Payne, 2008). Students who do not achieve academically are potentially forced to contend with negative health and social difficulties, as well as unemployment, underemployment and a cycle of marginal, low paying and often part-time jobs (Buddin, 2012; Darling-Hammond, 2009/2010; Holmes & Zajacova, 2014). Aside from the moral and social costs of these disparities, the economic loss of underperforming students could range into trillions of dollars in lifetime earnings (Hanushek, 2010; Hanushek and Woessmann 2012). High-stakes accountability systems, based primarily on standardized test data, have become the cornerstone of federal education policies designed to close those achievement gaps among student subgroups (Supovitz, 2010). The shift from comparing educational inputs such as reduced class size and increased per-pupil expenditures to an emphasis on achievement outcomes offers a highly public measure for determining comparative school and student success. Financial and nonmonetary rewards and a range of sanctions and interventions for schools and districts considered underperforming are outlined in Secretary of Education Arne Duncan’s summary of A Blueprint for Reform (2010). From an outcomes-based achievement perspective, current policy supports equitable results for all students, with more flexibility around means to achieve those outcomes. This challenges superintendents to prioritize among many programs, responsibilities, and reform efforts that promote demonstrable student achievement gains, equitable outcomes, and responsive learning experiences. Social justice in education involves the persistent pursuit of equitable educational experiences and results across social identity groups in schools, a much broader mission than the focus of today’s accountability policies. Questions arise as to how the current accountability context and social justice leadership intersect. While some argue that today’s accountability provides a great opportunity to advance goals of social justice and equity (Skrla & Scheurich, 2004), others contend that accountability policies per se are “flawed as equity-producing initiative[s], lacking adequate consideration of power relations, democratic participation, and rich, diverse philosophies of education” (Gunzenhauser & Hyde, 2007, p. 490). How superintendents understand, leverage, and balance accountability conditions with their perceptions of social justice impacts their leadership. In the end, this study examines how three superintendents in districts recognized for closing achievement gaps among student subgroups understand the relationship between social justice and accountability, how the concepts intersect in their practice, and what the actions are that superintendents take in their attempt to satisfy accountability conditions while addressing various causes of social injustice in their districts. This research is guided by a conceptual framework shaped by McKenzie et al.’s (2008) tasks of social justice leadership: increasing student achievement, raising critical consciousness among staff and students, and doing this work in inclusive communities. It is also guided by Lashway’s (2002) description of role shifts superintendents face as a result of high-stakes accountability: tensions between accountability and authority, heightened expectations for instructional leadership, and the impact of public and transparent evaluation criteria on superintendent effectiveness. Framed by these researchers and the findings from the superintendents studied here, this work offers a set of strategies, understandings, and observations for current and aspiring superintendents who wish to improve educational outcomes for all children as the Elementary and Secondary Education Act is currently being revised and implemented