Incivility and Workplace Toxicity in P-12 Schools

Kara Lasater is Associate Professor of Educational Leadership at the University of Arkansas, USA.Kristina N. LaVenia is Senior Lecturer at the University of Canterbury, New Zealand.James W. Koschoreck is Associate Professor of Educational Leadership at Texas State University, USA.

"Incivility in society has intensified in recent years, sometimes reminding me of the old Blob—a relentless and destructive force, threatening to enfold us in its toxicity and change us in unwelcome ways. But as this book points out, we are not doomed to be victims of incivility, and we can build awareness so that we are not perpetrators or reinforcers. We can be a part of the solution. The chapters in this book, well-rooted in evidence, theory, and practical strategies, provide a map for that journey, and it's a resource I wish I'd had years ago when I first stepped into school leadership."Jo Beth Jimerson, Professor, Educational Leadership & Higher Education, Texas Christian University, USA."Lasater, LaVenia, and Koschoreck's edited volume is a timely and essential resource for current and aspiring P-12 leaders and faculty members in leadership preparation programs. It delves into the pervasive issue of incivility within educational settings, examining its causes, consequences, and costs. By providing practical strategies to address and prevent toxicity, this book aims to foster a community of care, compassion, and belonging in schools. Each chapter, written by notable scholars in the field of educational leadership, offers valuable insights and extension activities to enhance school leaders' understanding and ability to create positive and supportive educational environments."Sonya D. Hayes, Associate Professor, Educational Leadership and Policy Studies, University of Tennessee, USA."This edited volume on workplace incivility and toxicity in schools is essential reading for anyone who aspires to make schools into whole, humanizing, and democratic spaces. The etymology of incivility suggests it applies to beliefs and acts that are “not of a citizen.” In important ways, this volume takes up questions of citizenship: how do school organizations reveal who they see as worthy of our best, most respectful behavior? How might systematically marginalized populations strategically transgress civility? As Democracy faces profound challenges in the US and globally, this volume sheds light on how educators might reimagine schools as safe, civil spaces where democracy can flourish."Jeff Walls, Associate Professor, Educational Leadership, University of Iowa, USA.

• 1. Introduction Part 1: Considering the Role of Leaders and Preparation Programs in Fostering Civility 2. Teachers’ Perspectives on the Sources and Solutions to Incivility in Schools 3. The Neuroscience of Leaders’ Incivility 4. Using Restorative Justice to Address Student-Perpetrated Incivility in Schools 5. Reclaiming Human Flourishing in Teacher and Leadership Education: Addressing Cultures of Incivility in Higher Education Part 2: Vulnerability, Marginalization, and Incivility 6. Incivility, Microaggressions, and Psychological Safety in Schools 7. Marginalized Populations as Targets of Incivility: The Case of Queer and Trans Educators 8. Mean Girls in Educational Leadership: Overcoming Incivility Among Women Part 3: Incivility in Context 9. The Common Denominator: Black Women Educators’ Experiences with Selective Incivility 10. District Leadership and the Politics of Incivility: Classroom Mobbing and the Crisis of Carework 11. Drowning in a Cesspool of Social Media Incivility: Damages to Leaders’ Psychological Functioning and Well-being