Getting Explicit About Social Justice in Educational Doctoral Programs in the U.S.: Operationalizing an Elusive Construct in Neoliberal Times

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by dabgoudw

Case-study-based analysis of two U.S. educational doctoral programs examines how program leaders frame and operationalize “social justice” amid neoliberal higher-education conditions. The essay argues doctoral programs must clearly articulate their distinctive understanding of social justice and trace how it is translated into program facets such as course work and supports. It provides work-in-progress examples intended to expand discussion rather than offer fixed models.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages20

Reading Time50 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Introduction

Social Justice: Defining and Enacting an Elusive Construct

Getting Explicit About Social Justice in Educational Doctoral Programs in the U.S.: Operationalizing an Elusive Construct in Neoliberal Times Brad J. Porfilio Katie Strom John Lupinacci The Journal of Educational Foundations Vol. 32, No. 1, 2, 3, & 4 2019, pp. 104-123 Copyright 2019 by Caddo Gap Press Abstract Through a case study of two doctoralprograms situated in the United States, this essay highlightshow doctoral programs designed to prepare leaders in K-16 institutions and other contexts can be “framed around questions of equity, ethics, and social justice to bring about solutions to complex problems of practice”(CPED,2016;Buss, Zambo, Zambo, Perry,& Williams, 2017; Zambo, Buss & Zambo; 2015) . More specifically, we argue that programs should be able to clearly and explicitly articulate their distinctive understanding of“social justice”and trace the ways that this understanding is operationalizedin particular facets of their program. In Brad J. Porfilio is a professor and director of the Educational Leadership Ed.D. Program in the College of Education at San Jose State University, San Jose, California. Katie Strom is an assistant professor in the Department of Educational Leadership in the College of Education and Allied Studies at California State University, East Bay, Hayward, California. John Lupinacci is an associate professor in the Cultural Studies and Social Thought in Education Program in the College of Educatiion at Washington State University, Pullman, Washington. Their e-mail addresses are: porfilio16@aol.com, kathryn.strom2@csueastbay.edu, & john.lupinacci@wsu.edu the following sections, we first offer a brief overview of our educational contexts, our programmatic definitions of social justice, and the ways we put that definition to work in our courses. Importantly, we offer the following as work-in-progress examples to serve as entry points into a larger conversation about operationalizing specific understandings of social justice in education doctorate programs, rather than as exemplars or models. Introduction Today’s educational context is characterized by an increasingly neoliberal, “corporate” educational reform movement emphasizing accountability andprivatization(Porfilio&Ford,2015), a clamor for“new knowledges” prompted by shifts from a manufacturing to a primarily knowledge economy (Cochran-Smith & Villegas, 2014), and massive demographic shifts that have changed the makeup of the U.S. student population (Valdés & Castellón, 2011) . These factors are responsible, in large, for creating conditions that are expanding the historic, systemic inequalities, which have been continually reproduced by systems of schooling (Bourdieu,1973) . At today’s socio-historical moment in the US, there are more children than ever living in poverty, public schools are underfunded, and urban communities are fighting to keep their schools open. Therefore, it is more critical than ever to prepare teachers and leaders to work for social justice in educational settings. In this conceptual essay, we arguethat to more powerfully contribute to the preparation of socially just educators and leaders, educational doctorate programs—both Ed.D. and Ph.D.—must be specific about the ways their programs are“framed around questions of equity, ethics, and social justice to bring about solutions to complex problems of practice”(CPED,2016;Buss, Zambo, Zambo, Perry,&Williams,2017;Zambo, Buss & Zambo;2015) . More specifically, we argue that given the socio-political and economic conditions of higher education,programs should be able to clearly and explicitly articulatetheir distinctive understanding of“social justice” and trace the ways that this understanding is operationalizedin particular facets of their program. To contextualize such an endeavor, we provide a case study of own programs, two critical doctoral programs located in the U.S. We believed a qualitative case study approach is best suited to explain how social

FAQs

What is the essay’s central purpose for examining social justice in doctoral programs?

It investigates how doctoral programs in the U.S. can explicitly frame equity, ethics, and social justice, and how that framing is operationalized across program components.

Why does the authors’ argument emphasize being specific about “social justice”?

The term carries many different meanings and political consequences, so the programs need a clear, traceable understanding of what it means in their context.

How does the essay connect neoliberal conditions to the need for socially just preparation?

It describes neoliberal and corporate reform pressures, widening systemic inequalities, and under-resourced schools—factors that make preparation for socially just educational leadership more critical.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by dabgoudw