Purpose: The purpose of the paper is to reflect on and respond to the papers contained in this Special Issue of "Journal of Educational Administration." Design/methodology/approach: A commentary is provided for each of the nine articles in the Special Issue. Findings: The papers in the Special Issue constitute a substantial and important contribution toward incorporating international perspectives into an existing research discourse on educational leadership for social justice. One of the immediate challenges that will need to be addressed is how to systematically work against the hegemony of Western thought and colonialism that infiltrates all our discourses, even those that generate scholarship such as that found in this Special Issue. Originality/value: The paper reflects on the current Special Issue, and provides directions for future research.