The Article

Professor Patricia Edwards and doctoral students Jennifer Danridge and Heather Pleasants explore the role of the urban principal. They write about two principals who share their stories of how they have used nontraditional administrative approaches as strategies for connecting home and school and enhancing the literacy development of culturally diverse students.

Discussion

The authors describe the urban principal as a key stakeholder “who is within the midst of the crisis in public education,” but whose voice is often marginalized. For decades, they point out, the view of the traditional urban principal has been that of organizational manager and bureaucrat. The two principals who are described in the article -- Mr. Carter and Mr. Williams (pseudonyms) -- represent a new kind of leader. Both men were principals of schools where the majority of students come from culturally and linguistically diverse families and low socioeconomic backgrounds. The two principals exemplified a new kind of leadership because they did not view their schools as organizational islands, but part of an intricate ecological system that included family, community, and other social institutions. They were not organizational managers who focused their attention on administrative duties. They were instructional leaders, emphasizing culture building in terms of fostering a mentally healthy school environment that empowers teachers, students and parents. In terms of literacy development, they listened to parents' stories and invited them to share personal knowledge about their home literacy environment and cultural practices in ways that fostered home-school collaboration. The researchers also found that the principals viewed as the first step in effective teaching in urban elementary schools the challenging the negative perceptions and stereotypes about urban families and communities. Both principals empathized with families because they were aware of the hard times in the surrounding community. Neither principal blamed families for their problems. The authors also found the principals to be proactive, inviting parents to visit their children's classrooms, creating a positive learning environment that welcomed parents, and interacting with parents in respectful ways. By those actions, they “empowered families to take more active roles in their children's academic lives.” The authors conclude by arguing that it is imperative that urban principals use home-school connections in ways that foster students’ literacy development.

What It Means To You

For urban schools, high crime rates, incessant violence, and extreme poverty are just a few of the negative factors that create a challenging educational environment. But the article highlights two principals who have different approaches to their roles as school leaders. To what extent is their approach similar to those of principals in your district? Do principals in your district view themselves as organizational managers or instructional leaders?

For More Information

Danridge, J.C., Edwards, P.A. & Pleasants, H.M. (2000). Making kids winners: New perspectives about literacy from urban elementary school principals. The Reading Teacher, 53(8), 654-662.

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