This paper explores Chilean early childhood and care (ECEC) principals' pedagogical leadership in the public sector, drawing upon literature regarding ECEC leadership. Following up a qualitative tradition, a purposive sample was used which considered 13 ECEC settings, from the 2 leading providers of public ECEC in Chile: JUNJI (the National Board…

Transformational equity-centered science education requires the fields of science education and school leadership to critically consider the limited preparation elementary principals are offered to lead for science education. Thus far, little effort has been made to foster a transdisciplinary curricula beyond traditional organizational theories…

School discipline has been a site of contention and reform. In this study, we draw from 17 interviews with traditional and charter school principals in one mid-sized urban school district to examine how principals use discipline as a tool to both maintain control and demonstrate care. Our study calls attention to different strategies principals…

Although family engagement is crucial to student and community outcomes, schools often alienate families who are not part of the dominant culture. As a result, school leaders need to become culturally proficient to systematically engage all families equitably regardless of their race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and other cultural…

Positive interpersonal relationships between principals and students are rarely discussed in scholarship (Cranston, 2012). And while the classroom teacher has the most significant effect on students, the principal is believed to have the second most significant effect (Leithwood, Louis, Anderson, & Wahlstrom, 2004). However, the majority of…

Teachers desire to work in a growing, positive, and supportive school community where they build healthy, strong professional relationships. Retaining qualified teachers is crucial to ensure quality education. While extensive research has been conducted on school climate in general, minimal research attention has been directed toward the impact of…

This case explores experiences of practicing care-centered leadership during the COVID-19 pandemic. The case narrative is the author's anonymized account of responding with care ethics to specific challenges encountered during the pandemic and the complexities of transitioning into a new leadership role in 2020. The teaching notes and activities…

This qualitative study sought to advance understanding of the specific behaviors, actions, and skills utilized by a principal to create a college-going culture that ensured underrepresented students college access and success. The study was bounded by an exemplary urban high school serving underrepresented students in the northeast region of the…

Educators often invoke the term "care" to describe why they entered the field and what compels them to continue. This book argues that care, as typically described and enacted, is not sufficient for leading schools, particularly those serving Black and Latinx children. Instead, school leaders need to embrace "radical care."…

Teacher wellbeing is reflected in a positive attitude toward teaching that stems from supportive relationships with colleagues and students, the belief that one has the ability to teach effectively, and the feeling that one's personal and professional needs and expectations are met. This report looks at: (1) Why is teacher wellbeing important?;…

How do school leaders navigate a complex change process? Simply put: They listen. This is the contention that Shane Safir puts forth in this article. She outlines five reasons for becoming a "listening leader": Listening helps leaders tune into and shift the dominant narrative; keep their finger on the pulse of complex change; stay true…

School leaders must navigate nonacademic barriers to learning. One type of affective, nonacademic reform is social-emotional learning (SEL), a quickly growing K-12 school initiative. Yet scant empirical literature exists on the actions, interactions, and beliefs of school principals charged with leading SEL reforms. The needs of diverse learners…

This article presents findings from a case study that examined the educational leadership practices that successfully established a climate of care at school. Semi-structured in-depth interviews, observation, shadowing, focus groups and document analysis were used to collect data from the principal and school staff. Findings show that the personal…

Purpose: This article presents a case study of a successful Black male public urban school principal, offering a counterstory to discourses of failure in urban schools. I build on scholars' work in critical caring, the Black principalship, and radical hope to call for an expansion of narrow frameworks of effective school leadership to include an…

This study explores Black girls' perceptions of school and the leadership of a Black woman principal. Portraiture as the methodology was used to understand the nuances of education by interviewing and observing six Black girls. In this article, Black girls are situated as experts and co-constructors of knowledge on what it means to be a Black girl…