Leading for social cohesion: How principals respond to “challenging conversations” about social and political volatilities and disharmonies

Community-driven and school-focused responses are crucial in tackling issues such as racism, radicalisation and cyberhate. Aligning with Research Priority One, Social Cohesion and Diversity and Priority Two: Community Polarisation, Marginalisation and Violent Extremism, our project examines how school leaders, working in collaboration with community, guide schools in responding to and opening up “challenging conversations” about these issues. Three rich case studies of excellent practice in government schools, involving document analysis, interviews and focus groups with school leaders, and students will explore how schools can foster social cohesion in productive and enabling ways that respond to current social disharmonies. These findings will be disseminated to policy-makers, schools and the broader community in a symposium.