Page 14 - Educational Leadership in a Changing World

Marta Ambite et al.

social and institutional frameworks, the discussion acknowledges the
challenges leaders face in balancing ethical integrity with the practical
demands of policy implementation and institutional accountability.
As the chapter concludes, it reinforces the interconnectedness of
emotional, inclusive, and ethical dimensions in educational leader-
ship. To cultivate caring and sustainable educational environments,
leaders must integrate care ethics into their pedagogical approaches.
They should promote culturally responsive school practices that ad-
dress structural inequities, and embody moral principles that inspire
and empower learners. By embedding these principles into both daily
practice and institutional frameworks, educational systems can become
more equitable, resilient, and attuned to the holistic needs of learners.
In an era of rapid social and technological change, the transformative
power of education lies in its ability to bridge intellectual rigour with
emotional depth, cultural inclusivity, and ethical leadership, ultimately
shaping future generations with the values of empathy, justice, and
lifelong learning.

The Emotional Dimension of Educational Leadership:
The Ability to Care
Examining the multifaceted nature of education presents a critical chal-
lenge requiring a nuanced perspective on human development and
the transmission of knowledge. To face this reality, framing education
through a Deweyan lens helps to broaden the understanding of peda-
gogical practice as an inherently life-embedded process fundamentally
shaped by relational dynamics (Dewey, 1930). Therefore, the holistic
role of education highlights the socio-emotional context in which it is
created, emphasizing its interpersonal nature (Habimana, 2024).
Thus, to institutionalize emotionality as a fundamental aspect of
pedagogical accountability, it is essential to recognize and strengthen
the role of ‘care’ in educational practice. This can be achieved by im-
plementing care pedagogies and strategies that cultivate supportive
organizational environments, mitigate burnout, and prioritize teach-
ers’ emotional well-being (Duffy, 2018; Hawkes & Dedrick, 1983; Webb
et al., 2009).
Care is a fundamental, cross-cutting factor that influences both stu-
dents’ academic performance within the educational system and their
overall well-being. It is often positioned in the persistent educational
dichotomy between the holistic nurturing of student development, pri-

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