‘Breaking the Silence’: Feminist Contributions to Educational Administration and Policy

Abstract

This chapter reviews how feminism has contributed to particular ways of theorising and practising educational administration and leadership, and reflects upon which feminisms have been more readily appropriated, which feminisms are ignored, and what different feminisms see as future issues in the field. It is also considers why ‘other’ bodies of literature in educational research on teachers’ work and unions, curriculum and pedagogy have tended to be ignored by educational administrators and policymakers. A focus throughout will be upon equity and social justice. Feminism, in focusing upon women’s inequality, could no longer ignore other forms of oppression based on class, race and ethnicity, sexuality and disability. By contrast, there is a significant silence in all aspects of educational administration with respect to social justice or equity in the theory and practice of educational administration and the training of administrators (Foster, 1986; Capper, 1993; Gosetti & Rusch, 1994). This chapter explores why administration in education, as a potential site of, and for, social justice, fails to address such issues.