Teachers need to recognise children’s living conditions

“Greater efficiency isn’t everything. Without social sustainability we all lose, even the efficient ones,” says Carolyn Shields, American professor in educational leadership and policy studies.

A new model for leadership

Carolyn Shields has developed a model for leadership within education, connected to democracy and issues of justice. Her model, transformative leadership, takes a holistic perspective on learning environments. To promote equity in education, we need to change learning environments to make it possible for as many as possible to participate fully and be included. Leaders need to consider how people are feeling and how they experience their lives.

“It is not enough to follow certain principles, Instead, the leader needs to consider real consequences of social life,” Carolyn Shields says.

Issues of justice

At present, there is focus on leadership and efficiency; line management is growing in importance, which makes it hard to make room for a dimension of justice. In this context, Carolyn Shields brings up new concepts which make it possible to approach leadership from a different starting point, a starting point which takes issues of social justice into account.

“If we really want to create sustainability, we cannot just follow this capricious torrent towards efficiency; it will leave people behind, excluded, and it is not sustainable for anyone, not even for the efficient ones,” says Carolyn Shields, American professor in educational leadership and policy studies.

Welcome to an exciting lecture!

Date: Wednesday 17 May
Time: 13.00 – 16.00
Room: 33:203

Carolyn Shields is an American professor in educational leadership and policy studies at Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan. She has written 12 books and numerous articles on this topic and her theories have had an impact on current thinking.

“In our times, when efficiency has become a word of honour and soft values are regarded as woolly, it is sometimes useful to slow down and consider new knowledge which clearly shows that this division is not sustainable. Carolyn Shield’s research can contribute a great deal in this respect,” says Silvia Edling, reader in curriculum studies at the University of Gävle.

For more information, please contact
Silvia Edling, reader in curriculum studies at the University of Gävle.
Tel: 026-64 82 60
Email: silvia.edling@hig.se

Text: Douglas Öhrbom