The Intersections of Justice-Centered Leadership and Policy

Justice-centered school leaders are embedded within legal, policy, and political contexts that shape their work. They respond to these policy/political contexts through their justice actions, and also must operate within the boundaries created by these contexts. Therefore, if we are interested in advancing justice-centered leadership as a key modality for school principals (and I am), we must understand how these contexts interplay with justice-centered leadership.

Current Projects

Examining Justice-Centered School Leaders’ Work to Protect Transgender Students within Hostile Environments
Over the past several years, there has been a significant surge in anti-LGBTQIA+ legislation, with more than 500 bills proposed in 2023, many of which specifically target the rights and protections of transgender individuals in schools. These laws have created a climate of fear and marginalization, contributing to heightened psychological distress amongst these students. This study aims to understand how justice-centered school leaders work within these hostile contexts. Along with two graduate students, I am currently conducting interviews with school leaders working wihtin hostile climates to gather insights on strategies they use to covertly and overtly create more inclusive and equitable climates that prioritize transgender students’ well-being and safety. Our hope is that research findings will ultimately help to guide and support other leaders facing similar challenges.

Justice-Centered Leadership within Educational Markets
Increasingly, school districts are incorporating educational marketplaces, commonly-known as “districts of choice,” in which students may choose to attend schools outside of their zoned school. While market proponents theorize that school leaders might respond to competitive pressure via improvements to academic programs, research has shown that they instead tend to engage in promotional activities or even student selection behaviors that allow them to effectively stack the student body with as many high-achieving students as possible, promoting increased academic scores without actually engaging in improvement work to create a school that can educate all students. I collected data from 24 school leaders across seven districts (five states) with varied market policies to understand the ways in which leaders interacted with, responded to, and contested these policies in their justice work. In addition to shedding light on justice-centered leaders’ experiences and perceptions within these districts, this research identified strategies justice-centered leaders use to attract student enrollment, which tended to be centered in equity and inclusion rather than reflecting findings from previous research.

Publications

Richard, M. (In progress, 2024). School leaders’ competitive strategies in school choice environments: Justice-centered alternatives. Educational Policy.

Richard, M. (Submitted for review, September 2024). The limits of free speech: How school leaders’ First Amendment rights shape their advocacy for school and community change. Journal of Educational Change.

Richard, M., Salisbury, J., & Cosner, S. (2023 Print, 2020 Online). The school-community connection:Social justice leaders’ community activism to promote justice for students. International Journal of Leadership in Education, 26(4), 680-700.

Salisbury, J., Richard, M., & Cosner, S. (2021). (Re)connecting schools and communities: Leader activism as a mechanism to disrupt neoliberalism. In A.D. Welton & S. Diem (Eds.), Strengthening anti-racist educational leaders: Advocating for racial equity in turbulent times. Bloomsbury.

Richard, M., Salisbury, J., & Cosner, S. (2020). Examining social justice leaders in educational market contexts. In C.A. Mullen (Ed.), Handbook of social justice interventions in education. Springer Nature.