Publication Date

Summer 2026

Degree Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Education (EdD)

Department

Education

Advisor

Rebeca Burciaga; Lara Kassab; Pedro Cuevas

Abstract

Contemporary educational leaders face increasingly complex challenges, systemic inequities, educator burnout, and demands for transformation, yet existing leadership frameworks fail to address the inner lives and spiritual practices that sustain such demanding justice work. While research demonstrates spirituality's role in leadership effectiveness, this dimension remains largely unexplored in educational research, particularly regarding how spiritual consciousness shapes daily practices and social justice engagement. This qualitative study will examine how spirituality shapes educational leadership and social justice engagement through portraiture methodology and in-depth interviews with three spiritually aligned educational leaders in Northern California. Drawing upon the Bhagavad Gita, Spiritual Leadership Theory, and Critical Social Justice Theory, the study will explore: (1) how these leaders describe their practice, (2) how spirituality has shaped their work over time, and (3) how they engage in social justice practices. This study aims to construct a framework for spiritually aligned leadership that attends to both the structural demands of justice work and the interior dimensions often absent from traditional leadership models.

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