Advocacy as a Practice of Critical Teacher Leadership

• In Event: 47.050 - Re-Visioning Teacher Leadership for the 21st Century: What's Next?

Abstract

Teacher advocacy has been examined as a practice of activism external to the school and as a practice of educational leadership. However, researchers have not merged these ideas by framing advocacy as a practice of leadership that takes place within the classroom and across the school. This contribution illustrates how, through advocacy on behalf of students who are marginalized, teachers demonstrate a model for critical teacher leadership. Using a critical ethnographic approach, observation and interview data were collected across three schools to answer these research questions: (a) In what ways do teachers advocate on behalf of students who have been marginalized; (b) How do these teachers garner support for the students from administrators and/or colleagues; and (c) How do teachers advocate for these students beyond their school? Findings are used to support teacher advocacy as a practice of critical pedagogy, collaborative leadership, and ethical leadership.
This contributor argues that through their advocacy, teachers combine the practices of critical pedagogy and school leadership to demonstrate how a particular way of teaching, carried out within the classroom, and across the school and community, provides a model for critical teacher leadership. They posit the importance of understanding how teacher advocacy aligns with practices associated with specific leadership theories including critical pedagogy, collaborative leadership, and ethical leadership. Further, they provide a definition of advocacy as those teachers who make a commitment to pursue social justice for their students through establishing democratic, safe, culturally-inclusive classrooms, as well as engaging in change work outside of the school. These commitments are undertaken with colleagues, for the benefit of improving wellbeing and learning for all students, especially those marginalized by a system of power and dominance, such as happens in schools. The contribution develops an argument for understanding advocacy as a practice of teacher leadership. In thinking about TL as advocacy, the contributor enlarges two stated areas of need for teacher leadership research—theoretically-grounded scholarship and a focus on equity and social justice (Wenner & Campbell, 2017; York-Barr & Duke, 2004).
This contribution signals how the field might re-conceptualize teacher leadership to foreground social justice and equity. However, there is a need for further research focusing on the impacts and influences of teacher leadership to improve the lives of all students, but especially those who are marginalized by and in schools. It is also essential to think about teacher leaders who are, themselves, in need of advocacy for social justice. potential leaders who may not get opportunities or support because they are not in the dominant groups, or those who may need support in their roles as teacher leaders in their schools and districts.

Author

• Jill Bradley-Levine, Ball State University