Relationships as Assets, Relationships as Barriers: Social Justice Leaders’ Use of Relationships in Their Work

Abstract

This chapter examines the role of relationships with four major school stakeholder groups – school and district staff, students, families, and community members and organizations – within school leaders’ social justice work. Research questions scrutinized (1) with whom social justice leaders formed relationships, (2) how those relationships impacted leaders’ social justice practice, and (3) how leaders managed relationships to ensure they would benefit justice work. To address these questions, data from interviews with seven social justice leaders in Chicago, Illinois, were examined. Findings indicated that in their social justice work leaders formed relationships with a wide variety of school and community stakeholders, such as students, family members, churches, health organizations, legal aid societies, local businesses, parks, and other public and civic institutions. While these relationships were largely integral to leaders’ social justice work, these various stakeholders also sometimes posed a barrier or challenge to leaders. To manage these challenging relationships, leaders used techniques: focusing on building trust, learning more about the school context, shaping the staff body, attending to framing, and keeping a low profile. Given that previous studies tend to mention relationships in a piecemeal fashion or as a small part of a broader examination, this chapter contributes to the social justice leadership literature in that it provides a holistic view of the many ways in which leaders may leverage relationships for their work, and how they do so. Additionally, the findings section that examines techniques leaders use to manage relationships has particular utility for practicing school leaders and those in training.