Leader-Parent Relationships in the Early Childhood Education Context: An Exploration of Testimonial and Epistemic Justice

• In Event: Moscone Center North Roundtable Session 15
  In Roundtable Session: Leading for Social Justice With Students, Parents, and Communities

Abstract

One form of social injustice that scholars have recently begun to explore is epistemic injustice (Fricker, 1998, 2013). Students’ and families’ senses of belonging to the community of knowers have major implications for their motivation, sense of ownership and buy-in (Goodenow & Grandy, 1993), and play a major role in positive educational outcomes (Appleton, Christenson & Furlong, 2008). This study examined how the interactions between parents of children in public preschool programs and preschool leaders shaped parents epistemic agency and access to rhetorical spaces that recognized them and their children as credible knowers. Three themes were identified: Communication and Relationships, Access, Input and Sense of Credibility and Participation and Meeting Children’s Needs. Implications for leadership standards and training are discussed.

Authors

• Eileen Adams, Farmville Public Schools, Virginia

• Steve P. Myran, Old Dominion University