Radical Care: Leading for Justice in Urban Schools

"A must-read for all teachers and educators in K-12 education." --CHOICE

Drawing from 20 years of researching and working in New York City public schools, the author outlines the components of radical care and shares vignettes to demonstrate strategies.

Educators often invoke the term care to describe why they entered the field and what compels them to continue. This book argues that care, as typically described and enacted, is not sufficient for leading schools, particularly those serving Black and Latinx children. Instead, school leaders need to embrace radical care.

Drawing on her experience working in New York City public schools, Rosa Rivera-McCutchen outlines the five components of radical care: adopting an antiracist stance, cultivating authentic relationships, believing in students' and teachers' capacity for excellence, leveraging power strategically, and embracing a spirit of radical hope. To demonstrate practical strategies, the author shares vignettes from her personal experiences that exemplify each of the components.

Calling for today's school leaders to thoughtfully challenge existing structures that reproduce inequality, Radical Care offers a much-needed framework that will guide leadership practice with a sense of urgency and a spirit of hope.

Book Features:

• Focuses on the school principal as critical catalyst for school transformation.
• Centers antiracism as essential to leadership practice.
• Includes practical strategies for navigating the sociopolitical and policy climate.
• Offers a roadmap for engaging teachers and staff in practicing radical care.