Making America’s schools great now: reclaiming democracy and activist leadership under Trump

ABSTRACT

Trump’s vow to ‘make America great again’ seeks to usher in a policy agenda reminiscent of an era that served as a boon to the rich while devastating poor, working-class, Americans, particularly people of color. His education policy and budget blueprint prove no exception, signalling troubling priorities for those who value strong public institutions, civil rights, and investments in public schools. In this essay, I argue that the current political moment requires an educational leadership committed to making America’s schools great now by reclaiming public schools as pillars of democracy through resistance, taking a stand on issues, and actively leading change. I conclude with calls to (a) resist efforts to dismantle education as a public good, (b) reclaim a vision of education grounded in equality, liberation, and justice, and (c) revolutionise how education leadership is conceptualized, practiced, and sustained.

KEYWORDS:

• Education leadership
• education policy
• democracy
• activist leadership
• public good

Acknowledgements

The author wishes to thank Andrea Ortiz for her assistance with this manuscript.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Notes on contributor

Sonya Douglass Horsford is an associate professor of education leadership at Teachers College, Columbia University where she examines the history and politics of race, culture, education, and leadership in US schools.

ORCID

Sonya Douglass Horsford http://orcid.org/0000-0003-3302-4116