Leadership, Micropolitics, and Social Justice: Struggling for Inclusion in a Diverse French-Immersion School in Canada

• In Event: 49.025 - Educational Leadership Challenges and Initiatives for Social Justice Across the Commonwealth

Abstract

This presentation focuses on a case study that explores the micropolitics of social justice leadership in a diverse French Immersion school. Although social justice and social justice leadership have come to the fore as substantive issues in Canada in recent years, few studies have addressed the day-to-day practices of leaders who promote these ideals. Most studies overlook the reality that educational leaders who do work in this field often struggle in their attempts as a result of marginalization and exclusion. This study addresses these shortcomings by highlighting the ways in which educational leadership engages with issues of micropolitics and power. Using a case study methodology, the paper focuses on a principal who is attempting to shift a French Immersion school towards an inclusive model by retaining rather than referring out students with different learning needs. The case reveals the particular micropolitical strategies used by the principal to achieve his goal, the challenges he experienced, and how he overcame these challenges.

Authors

• Stephanie Diane Tuters, OISE/University of Toronto

• James Ryan, University of Toronto - OISE