Engaging and Cultivating Imagination in Equity-Focused School Leadership

Abstract

Research on equity-focused school leadership reveals how it is relational, emotional, and activist. This paper adds imaginative to this set of leadership qualities. First, imagination is conceptualized as soil. Thinking of imagination in this grounded, ecological way can help address misconceptions around what imagination is and does in the context of school leadership. The next section outlines some of the relational, emotional, and activist features of equity-focused school leadership that are rooted in imagination. Imaginative Education is introduced as a theoretical framework that offers a practical set of (cognitive) tools that leaders may employ to cultivate imagination in pursuit of equity in their schools. The paper concludes with recommendations for future research.