Conference Agenda

This research examines how social justice teacher leaders can support diverse students and colleagues in Ontario schools. It employs a qualitative research design, wherein I conduct semi-structured interviews with ten experienced social justice teacher leaders. The majority of these leaders belonged to minoritized groups in Southern Ontario schools and held informal leadership positions. Using the constant comparative method, I identified codes and themes grounded in the literature on social justice and teacher leadership. Results revealed how participants were committed to creating inclusion in their classrooms and schools. They described a variety of inclusive practices, such as empowering student voices, engaging in critical conversations to examine power and privilege, and guiding students in exploring and understanding their social locations and identities. Participants identified several strategies to develop themselves as leaders, raise the critical consciousness of colleagues through collaborative activities; and advocate for students and colleagues at the school. The working conditions also influenced their leadership and social justice work. This study expands the scope of teacher leadership studies by highlighting the crucial social justice work that teacher leaders do within their classrooms and schools.

This paper presentation focuses on the characteristics of quality teaching and learning as demonstrated in a doctoral program leadership course that enrolls students that in professional leadership roles. In particular, we feature three major areas of Servant Leadership that underscore our students' professional experiences, and the strategies that we adopt for this course. These include flexibility, empathy and compassion, and conceptualization and awareness. Northouse (2022) underscores that the model of Servant Leadership, "emphasizes that leaders be attentive to the concerns of their followers, empathize with them, and nurture them. Servant leaders put followers first, empower them. And help them develop their full personal capacities" (p. 253). In this sense, servant leader is aligned with several qualities that overlap with an educational profession, as well as student-centered missions that drive higher education. It also underscores tensions that arise in a student-leader position, particularly when introspection and growth in a certain area is needed.

To further explore pedagogical practices that help support a Servant Leadership mindset, we adopt a practitioner lens to engage in reflexive practice in our roles to design and deliver curricula that support students' growth in their application of leadership theories and practices in their academic and professional roles (Del Carlo et al., 2010; Miller et al., 2020). In analyzing our own practices and student engagement, we find alignment and misalignment to these three major areas of focus and offer implications and lessons learned for their development into effective learning strategies. Through this, we speak to practices that support quality teaching at the postsecondary level that support adult student education, continued lifelong learning, and the skills necessary to become leaders in their respective field.