Rural school principals’ perceptions of social justice in neo-liberal times: towards a pluralistic notion of rural education

Abstract

In this paper I apply the theory of social justice to evidence drawn from interviews with two rural school principals in Victoria. I examine the perceptions of social justice held by these principals to analyse the pressing issues that rural schools and their principals face in their quest to provide a socially-just education. The importance of seeking principals’ responses is based on their crucial position in leading their school culture and in responding to policies that define the educational landscape. In the last two decades, educational policies have been shaped by the dominant vision of restructuring the Australian economy to compete in a tougher international market, replacing the f..