Transforming Leadership With Social Justice

By Mary Gardiner

The social and cultural dimensions of leadership may be hidden, but they are powerful in their effects. Someone’s race, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation, nationality or disability impacts how they lead, and how they lead impacts the diverse students and families they serve.

Mary Gardiner, a faculty member at the College of Education’s Boise campus, brought her experience as a teacher and administrator and her preparation as an educational anthropologist (University of Virginia) into her work with U-Idaho to impact schools and community. She teaches graduate courses in Educational Leadership face-to-face and online with a goal of transforming leadership through social justice.

The 2012 Department of Leadership and Counseling signature research initiative extends Gardiner’s work in its focus on justice, leadership and organizational health.

Justice is defined as promoting and protecting human rights and freedoms encompassing social justice and an ethic of care.

Leadership is defined as an influence relationship wherein leaders and their collaborators influence one another about real changes for the common good that reflect their mutual purposes (as cited in Brungardt and Gould, 2001).

Organizational health is defined conceptually as an organization that is whole, consistent and complete, when its management, operations and culture are unified with the ability of an organization to align, execute and renew itself.

Research has shown that an ethic of care significantly predicts transformational leadership. An ethic of care is consistent with inclusion and a social justice perspective. Mary’s work on leadership for social justice includes:

• School cultures

• Parent-school collaboration

• Mentoring women

• Urban school principals and their role as multicultural leaders

• Facilitating Latino student success

• Transforming leadership through a feminist lens

• In collaboration with Canyon County Prosecutor Bryan Taylor, a former student in qualitative research, Gardiner studied adult learning experiences and has an article forthcoming in Journal of Practical and Clinical Law, Volume 13(3), June 2012. In this article, she discusses current and future work-inprogress.

Emotion in Leadership

In the past, emotions in leadership were considered a liability. Emotions were to be controlled and contained if the leader was to be effective. In collaboration with Julie Yamamoto, assistant principal of Vallivue High School, and Penny Tenuto, assistant professor for the University of Idaho, Gardiner investigated emotion as a core practice of leadership. The resulting article, which includes a model of the processing of emotion by school leaders, will be published in an international, peerreviewed journal, Educational Management Administration and Leadership.

A New Supervision

As a mother of two teens, one of whom is African-American, Professor Gardiner knows the vital role that school leaders play in modeling and teaching anti-racism. Racism in schools arises from racism in the broader society. School administrators must assert leadership on anti-racism. In her research, in collaboration with a former doctoral student Alex Muzaliwa, Gardiner explored how a social justice lens can inform and revitalize traditional supervision practices. Her article titled Narrative Inquiry as a Culturally Relevant Supervision and Leadership Strategy for Social Justice has been selected for inclusion in the book “Defining Social Justice in a Global Context: The Changing Face of Educational Supervision” to be published by Information Age Publishing.

Narrative inquiry as part of leadership for social justice also has an essential role in creating the conditions for self-reflection, reflexivity, and analysis of one’s own life experiences, which are a precondition to not only leadership but also conducting rigorous research. Muzaliwa and Gardiner’s second inquiry titled Narrative Inquiry in Secondary Schools: An Exemplary Research Method for Social Justice Leadership has been selected for inclusion in the forthcoming book “International Handbook of Social [In]justice and Educational Leadership” (Sage Publisher).

Public Leadership

Research suggests that no single style of leadership is most effective; results are dependent on the leader, the followers, and the situation. We can learn a great deal, however, from in-depth case studies of situations, particularly of elected leaders such as state superintendents, and apply them in the leadership classroom. Researching a state superintendent’s leadership practice and applying it to theory has provided useful information for classes and discussion at the national level. Gardiner presented the results of her work-in-progress, Artistry in Leadership Practice: Narrative of Marilyn Howard, State Superintendent, Idaho, 1999-2007, to the annual meeting of the University Council for Educational Administration, or UCEA, in Pittsburg last November. She also presented the paper to graduate classes at the University of Idaho, Boise. The work is ongoing, and Gardiner has plans to generate research and mentoring for inclusive leadership in Idaho across gender, disability, and culturally sustaining leadership.

Gardiner’s work offers strategies to transform school climate and cultures, curriculum and instruction, policies and practices to ensure no child is left behind – not just in enhanced test scores, but in learning from others – matters of the heart and feeling included. Indeed, safety and belongingness is a fundamental element for learning to occur. Research and leadership go handin-hand to make a difference in people’s lives and provide tools for busy school leaders.

Contact: Mary Gardiner at gardiner@idaho.edu (208) 364-9905.

For more on Justice, Leadership, and Organization Health signature research program contact Department of Leadership and Counseling Chair, Kathy Canfield-Davis, canfield@uidaho. edu (208) 292-1286.

Jody Sharp Retires

Jody Sharp has seen five different deans and numerous great faculty members come and go in the College of Education since she began her tour of duty in December of 1990. Her retirement on April 1, 2012, brought to close an era marked by many fond memories.

“This has been a great place to work,” said Jody. “I love working at the university because it keeps you youthful being around students. Plus, I’ve had the opportunity to work with some really talented people.”

When Jody was first hired at the College of Education, she had just moved to Idaho from Plantation, Fla., where she had been a substitute teacher. Prior to that, she lived on Grand Cayman Island in the Caribbean, where she learned scuba diving – eventually becoming a master diver and instructor. She has continued her scuba diving whenever possible, but also added some new hobbies that are more Pacific Northwest suited, like hunting and fishing.

Jody was not new to Idaho when she arrived in 1990. She had earned her bachelor’s degree at Lewis Clark State College in 1984 – graduating summa cum laude – and later earned her teaching credentials from the University of Idaho.

Jody began her job in the College of Education working on a science grant called TRAILS with Terry Armstrong as principle investigator. She also worked half time as an off-campus budget and program specialist. When the TRAILS grant ended, she became full-time off-campus program coordinator for the remainder of her tenure. In this position, she was responsible for managing off-campus budgets, coordinating off-campus programs, coordinating scholarships, and preparing data reports for the dean of the college.

“The biggest highlight of my time at the university was the opportunity to work around Dr. Richard Gibb,” said Jody. Gibb was a former University of Idaho president who taught classes in the College of Education after his 1977–89 presidential tenure.

“He was an amazing man,” said Jody. “He always made you look at both sides of an issue. Most of all, I’ll never forget his one-liners to live by. His enthusiasm was contagious.”

Another favorite of Jody’s was former dean Paul Rowland, who worked in the College of Education from 2006–09. “I liked being part of Dean Paul Rowland’s ‘Dream Team,’” she said. “He was the best boss I had in my 40-plus years of working. He was intelligent, humorous, and appreciative.”

What’s Next?

Jody doesn’t plan on sitting around after she retires. On the contrary. She’s training for a half-marathon and plans to learn videography for the business, Oakey Smokes Fishing Guide Service , that she and her husband, Ron, own. She’ll be helping guide fishing expeditions on Washington rivers and hoping to catch another 40-pound chinook salmon – like the one she caught in 1993.

“It was after I caught that salmon using a gold Hot ‘N Tot® lure that I was hooked on salmon fishing,” she said. Another fishing highlight was snagging a 12-foot sturgeon a few years later. “I thought we had two fish on the line,” she said. “We pulled it up to the boat, then had to let it go because it was over the size limit.”

Jody will also be traveling and visiting her grandchildren more. She hopes to make it back to the Caribbean for some scuba diving trips – something she’s done every few years since migrating north. “My ideal dream would be to live in the tropics,” she said. “I could dive every day.”

But between trips, she’ll be purging her house of clutter (“you wouldn’t believe all the stuff we have!”), walking Steptoe Butte, sleeping in (“no more leaving the house at 6:00 a.m.!”), and honing her grandmother skills, which are already pretty good.

Jody’s last day at the university was March 29. The College hosted a party for her on March 27.

Lauren Bowersox

Lauren Bowersox has resigned her position in the College to spend more time with her growing family, effective in April. Lauren began her position with the College of Education five years ago as teacher certification officer.

“It was a hard decision,” said Lauren. “I have been involved with College of Education students for more than five years now. I’ve seen some of the students “grow up,” and have become friends with many. Some have even been my babysitters. Some e-mail me and keep me updated on what’s going on in their lives. These are the things I’ll miss the most.”