On Leadership: The voices we need to hear

Abstract

It’s understandable that federal education leaders, like Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona, tend to focus on areas of broad agreement within education. But Joshua Starr suggests that they’re neglecting important stories that need to be told. In particular, education leaders need to create a new narrative that recognizes society’s collective responsibility to take care of all children, even as some in the community want to keep the focus on their own individual rights. If leaders at the top don’t speak up, local leaders may need to galvanize their own communities to shift the narrative about what schools are — and are not — responsible for. Students, like the aspiring educators in the Educators Rising program, can be a powerful voice for what schools need.