Toward a Just Leadership Learning Ecology: A CHAT-IT Analysis of the Highlander Idea

Purpose: This paper conceptualizes a just leadership learning ecology through an analysis of one nontraditional site of leadership preparation: the Highlander Research and Education Center (originally founded as the Highlander Folk School). Methodology: Drawing on cultural historical activity theory...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Educational administration quarterly 2022-08, Vol.58 (3), p.419-449
Main Authors: Chang, Ethan, Glass, Ronald David
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult Learning
Christianity
Cultural Context
Democratic Values
Educational leadership
Instructional Leadership
Leadership Qualities
Leadership Styles
Leadership Training
Participative Decision Making
Pedagogy
Power Structure
Racial justice
Residential Programs
School administration
Social Change
Social Class
Social Justice
Social Theories
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Summary:Purpose: This paper conceptualizes a just leadership learning ecology through an analysis of one nontraditional site of leadership preparation: the Highlander Research and Education Center (originally founded as the Highlander Folk School). Methodology: Drawing on cultural historical activity theory (CHAT) and institutional theory (IT), we examine the core design and pedagogy of Highlander, which co-founder, Myles Horton, referred to as the “Highlander idea.” Findings: We illustrate how a residential learning and living environment, norms of epistemic humility and democratic decision making, and horizontal teaching and learning roles fostered social justice leadership. This just leadership learning ecology reflected institutions present at the time of Highlander's founding, including cultural scripts rooted in prophetic Christianity, class consciousness, and unfolding social movements in Appalachia and the South. Implications: Our analysis of Highlander extends recent efforts to re-envision the how and who of leadership preparation and addresses the observed lack of coherence within this subfield.
ISSN:0013-161X
1552-3519
DOI:10.1177/0013161X211054835