This historical sociology deconstructs the interrelationship between the theory and practice of the troublesome notions of leadership, social justice and feminism. First, it tracks marginalised groups' relationship to the field of educational administration and their claims upon the state. Mainstream approaches have been informed by theories,…

Australian study analyzed how feminists in high administrative positions conceptualized and practiced administrative leadership in education, focusing on the way they reconciled their feminist stance to formal authority and power in a dominant masculine culture. Interviews indicated they prioritized educational practices and people values over…

School autonomy policies have circulated through various modes of educational governance internationally, endorsing the view that more autonomy will improve schools and their systems. When subject to the discourses and practices of marketization, however, school 'autonomy' has been mobilized in ways that generate injustice. These injustices are…

Since the 1980s, there has been a burgeoning literature on women and educational leadership. The focus has primarily been on the underrepresentation of women in leadership informed by a feminist critique of the mainstream literature. Over time, key feminist theories and research have been appropriated in education policy and are now embedded in…

Leslie Roman states "white is a colour too". Yet the whiteness of educational leaders is rarely questioned, although masculinism--enduring capacity of different masculinities to remain the norm in leadership--is increasingly under scrutiny. Rarely do white men or women leaders question their whiteness, whereas indigenous and other minority groups,…

During 1995-97, 50 interviews disclosed paradoxes shaping Australian women college administrators' work: women are doing more, but less valued work; academics are intellectual/managerial workers; quality is stressed despite fewer resources; work relations are collegial, while rewards are individual; and women offer new leadership, but are…