Abstract

Traditionally established best practices for parent engagement cannot be assumed to be effective when serving culturally and linguistically diverse families. Such practices do not account for cultural variation and linguistic differences in family involvement with school-based activities. School leaders with a social justice orientation are key to challenging established practices and creating school cultures where multilingual families are welcomed and engaged. The authors present a qualitative case study of an administrator and the lead ESL (English as a Second Language) teacher of a large urban charter school in the northeast region of the United States, and their efforts to serve and support the families of English language learners (ELLs) to explore the question: How do school leaders exhibit a commitment to social justice in their leadership and practice? Using Furman’s (2012) dimensions of social justice leadership as a framework for analysis, we identified the following themes from interviews with the school leaders: reflexive leadership; building trust and support; building inclusive communities; creating systemic change; and supporting families in larger sociopolitical contexts. The findings of the study reveal how these two school leaders instantiated social justice perspectives and practices in creating a school that invited inclusion and full participation of multilingual families. The findings of the study can help educational researchers and practitioners rethink the sufficiency of established best practices for schools serving multilingual families.

Recommended Citation

Lee, Vera J.; Grant, Kristine Lewis; and Hoekje, Barbara (2020) "Social Justice Leadership: A Case Study of Engagement Practices with Multilingual Families," Journal of Educational Leadership in Action: Vol. 6: Iss. 3, Article 1.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.62608/2164-1102.1012
Available at: https://digitalcommons.lindenwood.edu/ela/vol6/iss3/1

Comments

Vera J. Lee, Ed.D., Drexel University, is an Associate Clinical Professor of Literacy Studies at Drexel University School of Education. Her current research focuses on fostering the home/school literacy practices of immigrant families through a multi-year research project evaluating parent workshops led by the Philadelphia Writing Project, and specifically how writing instructors engage and teach culturally and linguistically diverse parents about writing with their children at home. She is currently the PI on a research study that focuses on school-family-community engagement efforts in charter and district schools in Philadelphia to support parents of English Language Learners.

Kristine Lewis Grant, Ph.D., Drexel University, is a Clinical Professor of Multicultural and Urban Education at Drexel University School of Education. Her research foci include family, school, and community partnerships in urban school reforms. As a founding member of Drexel’s Lindy Scholars Program, she has coordinated parent advocacy workshops and Family STEM Nights at three West Philadelphia K-8 schools. She is currently the Co-PI on a research study that focuses on school-family-community engagement efforts in charter and district schools in Philadelphia to support parents of English Language Learners.

Barbara Hoekje, Ph.D., Drexel University, is Associate Professor of Communication at Drexel University. Her research has focused on the acquisition, use and assessment of English language within multilingual communities. She is currently the Co-PI (with Lee and Lewis Grant) on a research study that focuses on school-family-community engagement efforts in charter and district schools in Philadelphia to support parents of English Language Learners.