Transformative Leadership for Safer, More Inclusive Schools

In many schools, policies designed for safety and discipline unintentionally reinforce inequities for marginalized students. This session explores how Transformative Leadership, as conceptualized by Carolyn Shields, can be used to dismantle these inequitable structures and create more inclusive, just school environments. Drawing from real-world data and supported by scholarly research, this presentation addresses the systemic challenges affecting student safety and how leadership can respond with moral courage, equity-driven action, and critical reflection. Participants will examine the limitations and possibilities of transformative leadership and gain practical insights into how they might begin to apply its tenets in their own schools. Key Takeaways for Participants: Recognize how systemic factors like colonialism and neoliberalism continue to shape student safety and inclusion in schools. Understand the core tenets of Transformative Leadership and how it differs from other leadership models like transformational or servant leadership. Explore real-life examples of equity-focused change inspired by transformative leadership, including redesigning school spaces, budget restructuring, and inclusive policy reform. Reflect on their own positionality, power, and privilege as education leaders, and how these impact their ability to lead for justice. Gain Strategies to begin deconstructing exclusionary practices and advocating for structural changes within their schools or districts.