The tale of two urban school principals: Barriers, supports, and rewards

Abstract

Urban schools in high-poverty communities face unique challenges. It is often the school principal who is tasked with addressing achievement gaps, low scores, and students with high needs. Despite the importance and the difficulties of their role, the voices of many of these dedicated leaders are not often heard. This narrative inquiry shares the insights of two elementary principals in urban schools who recount the barriers, supports and rewards of their role. Using moral leadership as a theoretical framework, the findings of this study include a call for school boards to consider carefully the qualities and passions of their leaders when assigning principals to urban schools.