Balancing the Role of the Principalship: Creating and Sustaining Equity and Excellence - Research Study

Oct 15, 2026

Examines how principal beliefs and expectations shape the principal’s capacity to create conditions for equity and excellence that increase student achievement. Uses portraiture methodology with three successful elementary principals, drawing on semi-structured interviews, participant shadowing, and artifacts collected during the study period. Argues that democratic ethical leadership practices are shaped by personal and professional experience, and identifies parallels between beliefs and organizational structures and processes used to support equity and excellence for all students.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages18

Reading Time45 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Equity and excellence as a leadership challenge

Accountability and standardized testing

Narrow definitions of success and unintended consequences

Research questions and portraiture approach

Participants, data sources, and guiding inquiry

Theoretical framework

Critical inquiry, constructivist and interpretive design

Social reproduction and social justice leadership

Balancing the Role of the Principalship: Creating and Sustaining Equity and Excellence Jennifer K. Clayton The George Washington University Arronza LaBatt Montgomery County, MD Schools This study examined the interrelationships between principal beliefs and expectations on the principal’s capacity to create the conditions for equity and excellence that result in increased student achievement. The study population consisted of three elementary school principals with demonstrated success in increasing student achievement for all students in the selected schools. Data included semi-structured interviews, participant shadowing, and artifacts observed or collected during the study period. Using the portraiture methodology, collected data informed the development of portraits of the participants to answer the research question “How do personal beliefs, organizational structures, and decision-making processes influence principal practice in leading for equity?” The study found that these three principals demonstrated democratic ethical leadership practices influenced by their personal and professional experiences. The research concluded with the construction of parallels between principal beliefs and the organizational structures and processes they employ to support equity and excellence for all students. ICPEL Education Leadership Review, Vol. 20, No. 1– November, 2019 ISSN: 1532-0723 © 2019 International Council of Professors of Educational Leadership Every school has a story orchestrated through the decision-making processes, behaviors, and actions of its leader. The story of each school is unique and visualized through the images of its cast of characters, setting, and the forces at play that create the storyline. Creating the climate, structures, and practices for academic success of all students in an increasingly diverse student population is a challenge faced by school principals (Gardiner & Enomoto, 2006; Howard, 2010; USDOE, 2010) . To address increasing disparities in student achievement, educational policymakers have contributed to a climate where school leaders are faced with the critical task of achieving equity-based educational excellence and balancing instruction that prepares all students for state criterion and achievement tests (Scheurich & Skrla, 2003; Shapiro, 2009; Valencia, 2010) . By focusing so heavily on standardized testing as a metric for accountability, and by attaching high-stakes consequences to the results of these tests, educational policy has created a narrow definition of educational success focused on summative achievement data, without consideration for other educational academic, social, and emotional goals (Bogotch, 2002; Leithwood, 2001; Scheurich & Skrla, 2003; Shapiro, 2009) . The unintended consequence of the increased accountability and narrowed curricula has been decreased student engagement and alienation for all students and racial disparities in academic achievement and discipline (Darling-Hammond, 2010; Leithwood, 2001; NCES, 2001) . To meet these accountability demands, principals must engage in leadership practices that develop culturally responsive school environments that have a high commitment to improving achievement for all students. Thus, an effective study of leadership for equitable and excellent schools must include an analysis of the characteristics and intentional practices and processes deployed by principals that explicitly create an equitable and excellence school context, while balancing the factors that influence or affect the context of the school (i.e. political and social construction of schools; accountability policies, structures, and processes) . We used portraiture methodology to examine the connections between principals’beliefs and expectations and their social justice leadership practices that align with equitable and excellent schools. The study focused on addressing the following research questions: 1. What are principals’beliefs and d

FAQs

What was the focus of the study on principal leadership?

The study examined how principals’ beliefs and expectations affect the principal’s ability to create conditions for equity and excellence that lead to increased student achievement.

How were the data collected for this research?

Data came from semi-structured interviews, participant shadowing, and artifacts observed or collected during the study period.

What leadership practices did the study find among the principals?

The three principals demonstrated democratic ethical leadership practices influenced by their personal and professional experiences.

Oct 15, 2026

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