Formal Knowledge Acquisition and Socialization to Educational Leadership by Program Graduates: The Intersection of Social Justice and the Role of Program Faculty

Through the use of Twale et al.’s model of socialization of graduate students, this study sought to better understand the experiences of graduates from an educational leadership and administration program and the influence faculty have on the knowledge acquisition needed to create socially just educational communities. Graduate programs must be critical of the responsibility faculty have in preparing graduates capable of creating socially just educational communities, in particular as they enter educational settings that are the most diverse in U.S. history. Through the use of phenomenological inquiry, interviews with 10 participants revealed three themes: (a) Faculty Connection and Department Culture, (b) Social Justice Curriculum; and (c) Social Justice Pedagogy and Instruction. Implications for research and practice are discussed and center on graduate students, faculty, and departments of educational leadership and administration.