Leadership for Equity in Schools: Australian Context

• In Event: Interrogating Deficit Thinking/Theorizing in Multiple Contexts

Abstract

Objectives: Education systems around the world are developing policy frameworks to support greater equity for all within a context of global uncertainty and challenge, increasing school autonomy, accountability, and competition. Addressing equity in education is a challenge when “exclusion resides deep in the bones of education” (Slee, 2018: 11) where there is a long history of connection between schooling and divisions in social class due to race, ethnicity, gender, geography, sexuality, ability and disability, and religion. Patterns of disadvantage may be so deeply ingrained in education and may not be recognized, particularly by school leaders and teachers. This presentation reports on a series of school projects where school leaders and staff were supported to address unexamined everyday practices underpinned by deficit thinking, including patterms of interaction between staff, and enact socially just change for greater inclusion, particularly for students with disability.
Theoretical Perspective: The theoretical framework for this research is Transformative Leadership Theory (TLT) (Shields, 2020). TLT recognises that while the starting point for leaders may be shaped by contextual factors, leaders must still address the inequities of power distribution; act to redress marginalisation through democratisation, equity, inclusion, and justice; emphasize interconnectedness and global awareness; and balance critique with promise. All of this requires considerable moral courage.
Methods: The school projects are qualitative studies drawing on reflexive thematic analsyis of recorded meeting discussions, focus group interviews and records of reflections documenting changes in commitment to equity & inclusion and changes in practice. Previous research has established that change for equity in schools takes time due to the critical reflection, and need to challenge deficit understanding of difference through dialogue, and support greater commitment to shared values of equity and inclusion to support long-term actions for the greater good in schools.
Conclusion: The findings illustrate how school leaders, teachers and school staff can develop a shared commitment to the values underpinning equity and inclusion and work together in reflective and collaborative ways to challenge inequities for students with disability and their families. Professional learning underpinned by TLT, critical engagement and consultation, can support a commitment to equity and inclusion evident by school vision and strategic planning and development of inclusive teaching practices such as use of universal design for learning, co-teaching and adjustments to support better outcomes for students with disability.
Significance: These school based projects produce new knowledge to extend the use of TLT to equity and inclusion with a particular focus on including students with disability. This new knowledge will inform how to improve clarity and develop explicit detail in content and accountability in The Australian Professional Standards for Principals and the Leadership Profiles regarding obligations under the Disability Standards for Education (AITSL, 2021) and lead to conceptualisation and future plans to operationalise a Transformative Leadership Model of Practice that meets national standards for educating students with disability in Australia.

Author

• Suzanne B. Carrington, Queensland University of Technology
  Presenting Author