6: Toward Liberatory Education: An Ethical Imperative

As a result of an introspective and interactive interrogation of outcomes over intent, and through duoethnographic research focused on our decisions and actions throughout several years of school district leadership, we offer the Ethical Imperative Leadership Framework. Drawing from Freire’s (1970/2018) notion of praxis, in which liberatory change requires critical reflection and intentional action, and by scrutinizing our own positionality juxtaposed with those we serve, we assert that with educational leadership comes a personal, ethical responsibility to prioritize children, families, and communities that have been, and continue to be, forced to the margins of educational systems. By standing on the shoulders of researchers who have come before us, and using their literature as mirrors that reflect the decisions and actions of ethical leaders, we submit and define five VITAL tenets of the Ethical Imperative Leadership Framework: vulnerability, integrity, tenacity, accountability, and love. Finally, we invite the reader to learn from and with us by sharing successes and mistakes of our own learning and leadership journeys toward joy, belonging, and excellence in our nation’s schools.