Political Literacy and Educational Leadership: Perceptions of Aspiring School Administrators

• In Event: Sheraton Roundtable Session Three
  In Roundtable Session: Building Educational Leaders' Capacity: Knowledge, Skills, and Dispositions (Table 10)

Abstract

This qualitative study examines the perceived benefits and obstacles of political literacy as a critical skill for candidates in educational leadership. The investigation spans a two-year period and reports the findings of data collected from 45 participating educational leadership candidates across four cohorts of a graduate program at a rural research university. The findings are categorized and reported as six themes: 1) developing politically literate students, 2) the importance of integrating political literacy into curriculum and instruction, 3) the imperative of political literacy as a critical skill for school leaders and educators, 4) importance of political literacy for community and society, 5) subjects and strategies for teaching political literacy, and 6) obstacles to teaching and encouraging political literacy in schools.

Authors

• Charles L. Lowery, Virginia Tech
  Presenting Author

• Chetanath Gautam, Delaware State University
  Presenting Author