Educational Leadership, Culture, and Success in High-Need Schools

Edited by:
Elizabeth T. Murakami, University of North Texas
David Gurr, University of Melbourne, Australia
Ross Notman, University of Otago, New Zealand

A volume in the series: International Research on School Leadership. Editor(s): David Gurr, University of Melbourne, Australia. Elizabeth T. Murakami, University of North Texas.

Published 2019

The exploration of the intersection of leadership practices from the school principal and other educators, the school culture, and the school success across different high-need contexts and cultures make this volume unique. Chapters in this volume present original investigations or reanalysis of empirical research enhancing our understanding of the interrelationship between leadership, culture and success through descriptions of practice that can contribute to lessons in leadership for school improvement. When considering a culture of success, leadership that focuses on impacting schools in high-need areas bring about lessons on how to create sustainable environments for student learning in challenging contexts. High-need schools include not only socioeconomic challenges influencing the performance of students. It includes multiple external and internal factors impacting leaders, teachers, students, and their families, affecting the management of structures, processes, and most importantly, learning. In the quest to improve high-need schools, and understand strategies for principals dedicated to a variety of contexts, this volume brings lessons with application for researchers, policy-makers, and practitioners who want to join in the quest to improve the quality of education among worldwide communities.

CONTENTS
Preface, Bruce Barnett. Introduction from the Editors, Elizabeth Murakami, Ross Notman, and David Gurr. PART I: CONTEXTUALLY-RESPONSIVE LEADERSHIP. Principals in High-Performing, High-Poverty, Minority-Serving Schools in Texas, Elizabeth Murkami and W. Sean Kearney. Successful School Leadership That is Culturally Sensitive but not Context Constrained, David Gurr, Lawrie Drysdale, Fiona Longmuir, and Kieran McCrohan. Principals’ Work in High-Need Schools: Findings from Rio de Janeiro, Ana Cristina Prado de Oliveira, and Cynthia Paes de Carvalho. PART II: LEADERSHIP FOR LEARNING. School Leadership for Social Justice and STEM: Findings from a High Need Secondary School in Belize, Lorenda Chisolm, Noemi Waight, and Stephen Jacobson. Leadership Practices for Equity and Excellence: An Exploratory Narrative of Two Principals of High-Need Elementary Schools in California, Betty Alford. Creating a Culture for Learning in a High-Need Inner-City USA School: The Unique Leadership Challenges, Mette L. Baran and Glady Van Harpen. PART III: SUCCESSFUL EDUCATIONAL LEADERSHIP PRACTICE. Leadership in High-Needs/ High Performing Schools: Success Stories from an Urban School District, Jami Royal Berry and Sheryl Cowart Moss. Sustaining a Culture of Academic Success at a High-Needs Elementary School, Nathern Okilwa and Bruce Barnett. School Leadership Practices in Early Childhood Education (ECE): Three Case Studies from New Zealand, Ross Notman and Stephen Jacobson. Epilogue. Making World Connections: Educational Leadership in High-need Schools, David Gurr, Elizabeth Murakami, and Ross Notman.