Keeping Our Eyes on the Prize - The Role of Fieldwork in Preparing Social Justice School Leaders in a Public University Program

Oct 15, 2026

This article examines how fieldwork can strengthen the preparation of social justice school leaders in a public university leadership program. It argues that experiential learning exposes candidates to the practical and systemic challenges of public schools and supports shifts from traditional, procedural fieldwork goals toward social justice leadership outcomes. Using candidate portfolio data, it synthesizes fieldwork objectives and discusses recommendations for better supporting students’ development of advocacy and social justice perspectives.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages9

Reading Time23 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

The Primacy of School Leadership

School leadership and student achievement

The Fieldwork Experience

Experiential learning and assessment through portfolios

Oversight, mentoring, and supervision models

Fieldwork objectives and licensure requirements

Synthesis of Candidate Fieldwork Portfolios

Instructional leadership objectives

Keeping Our Eyes on the Prize: The Role of Fieldwork in Preparing Social Justice School Leaders in a Public University Program Noni Mendoza Reis Mei-Yan Lu Michael Miller Abstract This article provides a discussion of how fieldwork can enhance the preparation of school leaders, and how this emphasis on practical, experiential learning can expose students to the wide array of challenges facing public schools. We discuss ways to transform traditional and procedural fieldwork objectives of our students to those that address social justice leadership. Keywords: leadership preparation, fieldwork, social justice leadership A significant goal of public education is to maintain a “common good,” that is, to provide a resource available to all, one that empowers and enables individuals to craft a quality of life that they see appropriate. This belief that the goal of public education is to improve the lives of all students and families lies, in our view, at the core of common good. School leaders have been traditionally prepared through public university-sponsored programs. This paper discusses how leadership programs can maintain a focus on the broader role of education through empowering fieldwork experiences. Data for this discussion were drawn from educational leadership candidates in a public university that has worked to couple theory and practice in preparing future school leaders guided by social justice epistemologies. The Primacy of School Leadership There is strong consensus from the field that school leaders are a critical factor in the success or failure of a school, and that these 163 individuals make a significant impact on student performance (Branch, Hanushek, & Rivkin, 2013; Sebastian & Allensworth, 2012) . Moreover, the knowledge base confirms that in terms of within-school factors related to student achievement, school leadership quality is second only to the effects of the quality of curriculum and teacher instruction (Leithwood & Riehl, 2003; Louis, Leithwood, Wahlstrom, & Anderson, 2010) . As a result, it is critical to understand best practices for school leader preparation and to explore the variety of ways that school leaders areacculturated. Leadership preparation becomes more important with the knowledge that schools with low student achievement are often led by under-prepared leaders (Béteille, Kalogrides, & Loeb, 2012; Horng, Kalogrides, & Loeb, 2009) . Further, low-income students, students of color, and low-performing students are more likely to attend schools led by novice or temporary principals, those who do not hold an advanced (master’s) degree and those who have attended“less selective” colleges (Loeb, Kalogrides, & Horng, 2010) . Thus, how to improve the quality of leaders who can successfully lead under-performing schools is a pressing issue for all leadership preparation programs. The Fieldwork Experience Most educational administration programs require some form of practical experience for candidates pursuing licensure as an administrator, and this practical experience is typically an extension of a certain period of time of professional work experience. The demonstration of abilities and knowledge is critical for those studying to become educational administrators, and this demonstration is often rooted in the concept of experiential learning. Experiential learning is a process of teaching and learning where students experience in real world situations the problems, processes, and opportunities they will face once they are in permanent positions. Experiential learning is noted as being difficult to assess, although the rise in the use of portfolios has become more common and allows for the presentation of artifacts that illustrate student work. Additionally, experiential learning often requires a knowledgeable individual to have some oversight or mentoring of the student; someone at the worksite who can assess and give feedback as different scenarios arise. This can

FAQs

How does fieldwork enhance school leader preparation in this program?

Fieldwork enhances preparation by providing experiential learning in real-world school contexts, helping candidates confront the challenges public schools face and connect practical experiences to leadership growth.

What emphasis does the program place on fieldwork objectives?

The program emphasizes social justice leadership, expecting candidates’ fieldwork objectives to address issues of social justice leadership rather than only procedural goals.

What data source is used to examine the fieldwork component?

The discussion uses fieldwork objectives drawn from the portfolios of 31 current and former students to conduct a form of self-study and generate recommendations.

Oct 15, 2026

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