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Article #1 Review: New Directions for Student Leadership

Kayla R. Patterson

Higher Education Student Affairs, Western Carolina University

HESA 593: Emerging Issues in Higher Education

Dr. Dustin Evatt-Young

February 19, 2023

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Introduction: Reviewing Katherin E. Mckees Article on Leadership Evaluation

In the journal for New Directions for Student Leadership, Katherine E. Mckee published

an article called Critical and Transformative Approaches in Leadership Evaluation and

Research. This article touches on how to introduce new approaches to conducting research and

program evaluation in the area of leadership development within higher education. In this article,

Mckee emphasizes the need, as educators, to include the community as a way to maintain

culturally relevant and salient understandings of leadership within any academic or

programmatic exploration of this topic. She breaks down her argument distinctly in three

different sections that start with a foundational introduction, defining language, and finally

contextualizing leadership. In this review, I will provide an overview of my own observations

while leveling with how the author presents the topic. Any individuals working with students in

the field of higher education should concern themselves with this type of critical analysis of

leadership development in order to reflect on their own practices.

Transformative and critical approaches to leadership introduce a crossover between

critical theory and transformation. This is an ideology that critiques current tones of domination

and power that are inherent in typical applications of many existing leadership theories that are

commonplace today. Katherin E. Mckee, in her article on Critical and Transformative

Approaches in Leadership Evaluation and Research, introduces a more constructive pedagogy in

order to actively counter the privileging of dominant cultures within leadership frameworks. Her

ultimate aim being to; sustain cultural relevance and competence amongst working-class

communities and communities of color (Mckee, 2022). Katherine Mckee is a current scholar and

professor at North Carolina State University in agricultural and human science. She has a history

of working to develop strong action plans for allyship, advocacy, and activism. This is important
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to take into account when reviewing the stance of this particular piece of literature. The primary

theme that she tackles within the article is the question of; “what is culturally sustaining

leadership education?” (Mckee, 2022).

An important attribute of this particular article is that it addresses and unpacks the

positionality of the author in this work. She first accounts for her role in reproducing structures

of privilege and power in naming her past approach to leadership development that took on a

deficit lens. Starting here, before moving into a critical praxis which centers the experiences of

minoritized identities, caters to her assumed audience of allies or those seeking to do

introspective work in their research and practice with students. This levels the ground for

building onto previous assumptions that readers may enter with. She then moves into defining

critical theory that aids in her argument of transformative and critical paradigms in research and

evaluation tactics.

Reviewing Her Definitions

In this section, the author defines critical theory and then moves onto the social

construction of power. The article leans into embracing these systemic powers at play in her

address to improving pedagogical approaches for leadership development. It is important to take

into account the ways in which critical theory works to deconstruct current models when

engaging in this particular reading. Her definition of critical theory is “concerned with

emancipation and liberation, the prevention of exploitation, the resolution of inequality and

injustice, and the construction of systems to meet all human needs” (Mckee, 2022, p.42).

Therefore her arguments all approach a concern with not leading towards this particular

outcome. This remains the foundation for her philosophy throughout her stance for what

responsibility educators should embrace. In the argument, she remains firm in this level of
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emphasis. Outlining this lens within this piece, strengthens the evaluation of transformative

leadership practices by inviting the reader into a deeper reflection before proposing tools. This is

helpful in order to defend the need for changes that elicit social justice.

Her proposal in the next section to consider strengths-based approaches when carrying

out research and evaluation of leadership development and programming, introduces more

concrete ways to consider next steps. Although this section helped to articulate more clear ways

of thinking about action, it still remains somewhat rooted in conceptual practices such as

“redistribution of control over resources' 'or “the facilitation of empowerment”. Though there is

strong logic to support the argument on “the what”, for practitioners, it is important to narrow

down and provide more specific action steps “the how”. Even if this is not the goal of the article,

it might help to drive home her stance on “reflection and action” in a way that is easier to relate

to. Additionally, the article embraces transformative leadership without explicitly defining how

this leadership style is unpacked with critical theory. This point is more so implied throughout

the writing. In this way it can be somewhat ambiguous to assume whether she is focusing on

transformative leadership through the eyes of the practitioner or through the training of students.

Upon completing the reading, it is easier to conclude that she promotes an equal exchange of

both. Otherwise, the article does a good job of moving from definitions into why this context

serves as a critical way to meet the needs of all stakeholders in leadership development practices.

Reviewing the final section: In Our Leadership Contexts

One of the more potent points that the author articulates in this final section of the article

is to include people from the communities of focus as co-creators and co-investigators in shaping

the research process. In her words, “this means including people we would have traditionally

positioned as followers and re-imagining them in our work as co-leaders” (Mckee, 2022, pg. 46).
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This article presents this context by bringing back the defined strengths-based approach from the

definitions section in a more practical application. In this section, she gives power to the reader

as an evaluator by inciting them to give power back to stakeholders that may be impacted by the

evaluation process of leadership research. In this point, she encourages the evaluator to disrupt

typical power dynamics while also reframing what success may look like for the aforementioned

stakeholders. The tone of her argument is inquisitive but also affirming. Though there is a sense

of urgency in the rationale, one might also feel encouraged and optimistic about their own ability

to contribute to liberatory frameworks.

Concluding thoughts

For practitioners who are approaching this work as ground agents and facilitators of

leadership development and assessment, this article may prove helpful. It is important to engage

this work with the understanding of where the author comes from as a valid influence, how their

understanding is grounded, and why this work is necessary for addressing the needs of all

individuals. Where does the author direct the audience to go from this point? Katherine not only

identifies ways to better evaluate leadership education and research, but she also clarifies that

this work will never attain a certain arrival. This keeps her critical approach actively alive

through a timeless cycle of reevaluation. In her words, “We must continue to research the ways

that the communities we intend to work with engage in leadership and teach it as their meanings

and cultures change over time.” (Mckee, 2022, p.48). So rather than taking this as a new

leadership approach, she recognizes that we must constantly deconstruct and reconstruct in an

effort to evolve alongside evolving communities. Ultimately, this was a well rounded way to

conclude the article and leave the reader with seeds for internal reflection and actionable ideas

about moving forward.

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References

McKee, K. E. (2022). Critical and transformative approaches in Leadership Evaluation and

Research. New Directions for Student Leadership, 2022(175), 41–50.

https://doi.org/10.1002/yd.20518