Relational Pedagogy and Program Stewardship in Precarious Times: A Self-Study of Justice-Focused EdD Leadership

• In Event: From Past to Present: A Wide Lens Look at Self-Study of Teacher Education

Abstract

Preparing justice-focused leaders in the current U.S. political and budgetary climate presents urgent challenges for EdD programs in public institutions. This self-study examines how four teacher educators have evolved as program leaders within a critical, interdisciplinary EdD serving majority BIPOC, majority women cohorts of working professionals across P-20 education and allied fields. Informed by our theory of transformative leadership development centering (1) professional strategies and (2) personal capacities, we analyzed alumni interviews, faculty CoP, and student feedback to trace shifts in pedagogy and leadership. Findings highlight tensions between institutional demands and humanizing pedagogy, and the emergence of community-embedded program stewardship. We offer insights for sustaining equity-centered preparation amid political backlash, structural precarity, and the need for collective care.

Authors

• Barbara A. Henderson, San Francisco State University

• Violet Ballard, San Francisco State University

• Christopher J. Collins, Skyline College

• Alesha Marie Sohler, San Francisco State University