Chapter 6: School Reform and Freire’s Methodology of Conscientization

Administrators, internationally, and particularly in the United States, have embraced various whole school reforms (WSR) since the 1980s as a way to assure students, particularly those in poor, urban districts, of academic success. Not all schools with WSR are poor and urban, however, a vast majority are. Although I discuss WSR from the perspective of the United States and particularly analyze two WSR in a elementary school in New Jersey, I believe that school leaders internationally will benefit from the discussion of school reform and social justice. Urban schools internationally have significant populations of students not of the dominant culture who present new challenges, based on race, ethnicity, culture, and religion, to educators. Like the United States, standardized, highstakes tests also play a major role in what is considered student “success.” My intention, therefore, is to consider the goals of school reform, how Freire’s (1989) methodology of conscientization, and caring power can enable leaders to guide schools in a socially just manner.