The demands on principals are many, and they need to make priorities and weigh different aspects against each other, which greatly affects the focus and engagement in various issues. In an era where inequalities between students’ results, well-being etc. are perpetuated or increasing, questions of social justice are central. How principals approach such issues are influenced by their understandings of the problem and solutions, their priorities and contextual factors. The purpose of this study is to explore and problematize how social justice leadership practices are expressed in principals’ descriptions of school success. The study is theoretically grounded in the ISSPP framework (Bronfenbrenner, 1995; Morrison, 2010) as well as Bogotch's (2002) understanding of social justice as a social construction, a concept he views as dynamic and evolving through time and space. Bogotch emphasizes the importance of principals reflecting on their social justice leadership and how it contributes to social (in)justice. This study is connected to the International Successful School Principalship Project (ISSPP) and includes data from three case studies. The focus is on interviews with the principals at three Swedish schools facing challenging circumstances. The results are analyzed thematically. The results reveal similarities and differences in how social justice leadership practices are expressed. In two of the schools, inclusion is emphasized. One principal highlights the importance of being part of a community, while another focuses on ensuring all students have opportunities to be included in the classroom. In both cases, the necessity of some students being in smaller teaching groups for various reasons is acknowledged. The study shows how all three principals emphasize equity, but in different ways. One principal describes leadership practices aimed at ensuring students have opportunities to achieve passing grades, regardless of their needs, and that all students want to come to school and feel safe and respected. Another principal focuses on providing all students with opportunities for academic development, the ability to learn how to learn, and the chance to participate in engaging and high-quality teaching. The third principal highlights the importance of respecting all students as individuals, particularly regarding LGBTQI and sexual orientation, and ensuring that both boys and girls have the same motivation to learn. The scientific significance of the study lies in problematizing how principals' social justice leadership can be expressed in different ways and discussing how it can promote social justice in some aspects while potentially perpetuating injustice in others.

Bogotch, I. E. (2002). Educational leadership and social justice: Practice into theory. Journal of school leadership, 12(2), 138-156. Bronfenbrenner, U. (1995). Developmental ecology through space and time: A future perspective. In P. Moen, G. H. Elder Jr., & K. Lüscher (Eds.), Examining lives in context: Perspectives on the ecology of human development (pp. 619–647). American Psychological Association Morrison, K. (2010). Complexity theory, school leadership and management: Questions for theory and practice. Educational Management Administration & Leadership, 38(3), 374-393.