School leadership, reflective practice, and education for students with refugee backgrounds: a pathway to radical empathy

Abstract

ABSTRACT As the world becomes increasingly violent and disrupted by forces which impact on millions of families, destroying the communities and ways of life, the lives and prospects of those who survive are increasingly dependent on the humanity of others for understanding, generosity and acceptance as fellow humans. Many of those who suffer forced migration as refugees and asylum seekers are children and young people who have the right to be educated and whose future well-being is heavily reliant on acceptance and inclusion into societies which are very different from their homelands. While only a relatively small percentage (16%) of these populations are placed in schools in developed countries, the challenges for both the students and school leaders is considerable. This paper discusses the importance of belonging as part of school culture and ethos, indicating that deep, critical reflective practice undertaken by school leaders and principals with the intention of deliberately developing radical empathy, based on phenomenological principles, can play a critical role in transforming schooling for these students and their families. Furthermore, the possible impact of developing radical empathy is explored briefly using the perspective provided by Leithwood and his colleagues’ Four-Path model of school leadership.