Tricia Kress

Critical Praxis Leadership: Grassroots Narratives from Justice-Driven Leaders for a Democratic Future is a powerful new book written for a broad audience of educators devoted to achieving equity in public education.

In the wake of the past 50 years of surging neoliberal economics, policy and ideology that have given rise to emboldened far-Right movements, the weaknesses of democracy as a political project for promoting equity and justice are revealing themselves in multiple spheres of social life. In the U.S., protectionist and isolationist policies enmeshed with xenophobia, racism, misogyny, homo- and transphobia, and ablism lay bare the historical architecture of inequitable and unjust social structures that provide fuel for the engines of economic and social disparity. Education, long saddled with the Sisyphean task of leveling the playing field and affording economic advancement for economically and socially marginalized populations, has been effectively reeled into an administrative agenda aimed toward maintaining social reproduction which continues to funnel Black, Brown, female, disabled and queer bodies into subordinate social roles and carceral institutions or vanquish them entirely from social life.

Within this shameless historical moment of cruelty, it is crucial to highlight the stories and experiences of leaders dedicated to cultivating equitable and just environments amid this global crisis. Justice-driven leaders who engage in critical praxis leadership emphasize grassroots efforts for genuine, actionable change rather than performative gestures or media attention. Their work unfolds in diverse contexts, motivated by different factors and involving varied groups of people. Critical Praxis Leadership features theoretically rich, practically grounded narratives from PK-12 and higher education leaders who strive to become justice-driven in their day-to-day work. As PK-12 school administrators, higher education administrators, union leaders, and community leaders reflect on the ways their praxis is informed by Black feminist, anti/decolonial, posthuman, anti-oppressive and other critical frameworks, readers will be immersed in real-life experiences by a variety of voices. They will get an inside look into how justice-driven leaders strive to live their philosophy in their practice and navigate complex situations while striving toward equitable change in institutions of learning.

Practical for professors and students alike, readers will experience real world narratives, praxis-oriented questions and activities, and evocative artwork. While walking alongside current leaders in the field, readers are invited to unpack their own philosophies of justice-driven leadership and engage with thinking/doing justice-driven leadership differently to refine their visions of leadership through a lens of complexity and futurity. The activities and narratives in this book remind readers of the ever-presence of the past in who we are and who we wish to be as educational leaders working within historically rooted institutions designed to maintain systems of power and oppression. They remind readers of the deep colonial and racist roots that still shape the lives of learners and leaders alike, and they propose a movement toward a just future. Readers are encouraged to revisit the past, reclaim their knowledge of how social and institutional systems came to be what they are, and choose to do leadership differently as best they can, always working toward justice that lay on the horizon.

Perfect for courses such as: Foundations of Educational Leadership, School Leaders as Change Agents, Leadership in Higher Education, Critical Perspective on Educational Leadership, Leadership for Equity and Inclusion, and Collaborative Approaches to Educational Leadership