How principals cultivate a culture of critical spirituality

Abstract

The field of socially‐just educational leadership focuses on identifying and ameliorating marginalization and inequity in schools. Critical spirituality is emerging as a powerful support within this field. Critical spirituality, a combination of internal convictions and dispositions informing external commitments toward social justice, is an under‐examined dimension of educational leaders pursuing social justice. Presenting a multicase study of leadership practice in three schools, this article considers the role of critical spirituality in educators’ responses to students who are typically marginalized by poverty, race, disability and language. The findings contribute to a deeper understanding of how educators conceptualize and pursue inclusivity as a core dimension of social justice. The implications suggest that critical spirituality grounds educators in deep commitments to serve traditionally marginalized students.