INTEGRATING SOCIAL JUSTICE IN EDUCATIONAL MANAGEMENT: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW

Abstract

This study presents a systematic review of literature on the integration of social justice in educational management, covering 102 articles published between 2015 and 2025. Guided by the PRISMA framework, the review synthesizes global and local research spanning early childhood, K–12, higher education, and teacher education programs. The findings clustered into four themes: curriculum and pedagogy, teacher education and professional development, leadership and governance, and policy and structural equity.

Results reveal persistent inequities, including limited access for multilingual learners, exclusion of women and minorities in deficit discourses in disadvantaged schools. However, the literature also highlights promising practices such as culturally sustaining pedagogy, critical literacy, teacher preparation, and equity-oriented leadership. While the 2015–2020 studies primarily identified structural barriers and proposed theoretical frameworks, the 2021–2025 research advanced comparative, policy-driven, and context-sensitive strategies, including middle leadership empowerment and research–practice partnerships.

Social justice in educational management is defined as a multidimensional framework encompassing redistribution, recognition, representation, and identity-building. It is operationalized through advocacy-driven leadership, equity-focused curriculum design, inclusive teacher preparation, and culturally responsive governance. Impacts include improved access, student wellbeing, teacher retention, and inclusive school cultures, though risks remain from compliance-driven reforms and symbolic diversity initiatives.

This review contributes to both theory and practice by providing actionable recommendations: embedding social justice across curricula, empowering teachers and leaders as equity actors, aligning policies with fairness frameworks, and ensuring measurable outcomes for student inclusion and success. The study emphasizes that for education systems to serve the present generation effectively, social justice must move from rhetoric to sustained practice.