Educational Salvation: Integrating Critical Spirituality in Educational Leadership

Abstract

Improving education for students in K-12 urban settings remains a slow-paced and difficult task, with many successes in student learning being episodic at best. The disconnect between government mandates to improve schools and persistent societal issues of poverty and inequity act to increase stress on teachers and educational leaders working in urban schools. Drawing upon the strengths of the AfricanAmerican community and its collective historical experiences, this study explores creative ways to integrate spirituality in the education of students in urban schools. The authors begin by addressing the contextual and structural issues facing urban schools. They then explain the benefits of integrating the four elements of critical spirituality—critical self-reflection; deconstructive interpretation; performative creativity; and, transformative action—in educational leadership to enhance their work in urban communities.