Voices of school leaders for social justice: A Hong Kong case

The nature of social justice leadership in schools lies in principals’ practice. However, there is still a lack of clarity in the understanding of social justice across various societies. Stories of principals’ practice are imperative to illuminate social justice leadership in schools while different macro-, meso- and micro contextual elements are shaping principals’ socially-just leadership. What social justice challenges to the schools did the principals face? How did the principals cope with the challenges with different strategies that realized social justice leadership practices? What were the effects of the principals’ practices on the students’ learning and development? This chapter examines two principals’ practices in Hong Kong schools with an analytical framework developed by the International School Leadership Development Network (ISLDN). The findings of these stories indicate that the principals exercised timely school leadership and turned challenges into opportunities for equitable student development. The implications of these stories for understanding social justice school leadership are also discussed.