Leadership for Social Justice
Leadership for Social Justice Part of what we aim to accomplish at Howard Area Leadership Academy is to assist students in becoming agents for positive change in their communities. A focus on leadership for social justice as a unifying theme across the curriculum will help us accomplish this goal.
Building on the work of Paulo Freire (2000), we believe that an ability to critically “read” the world and understand the workings of power in one’s life is a critical element of education. Helping students understand how injustice can be opposed and justice advocated for can provide relevance and immediacy to student’s work in school. Students will be challenged to consider how their learning in school can be applied to their lives and to constantly reflect on the question, “How can this learning help make the world more just?” A recent evaluation of a federally funded social justice education program indicated a broad spectrum of positive educational outcomes including increased student achievement and increased parent involvement in school (Carlisle et al., 2006).