School Leaders’ Contribution to Social Justice: A Review

Purpose: The purpose of this review is to examine what is known as well as what we still seek to know in terms of principals’ potential contribution to social justice in their schools. Design/methodology/approach: This review provides an evaluative report of the current knowledge in the literature related to the influence of principals on social justice at the school building level. Findings: The current review reveals that there is solid evidence of the significant impact of school leaders on student learning. This impact constitutes the conceptual basis for social justice school leadership, where school leaders ascertain that all students are provided equal opportunities for quality education. However, the available knowledge regarding the optimal way to prepare social justice school leaders is still limited. Research implications: In as much as recent literature does not provide satisfactory answers to the question of how to train social justice school leaders, workable approaches to developing leaders who are effective in achieving social justice, equity, and excellence should be explored. Originality/value: In today’s Western school systems, non-White, LGBT, poor, or differently-abled students often lag behind their peers in academic achievement and acquisition of higher education while leading in school dropout rates. The review seeks to understand how school principals can bring about a real change in this undesirable situation, creating a social justice educational system