| The purpose of this study was to understand how principals of selected elementary campuses succeeded with economically disadvantaged students. A narrative described leadership practices, processes, and philosophies with emphasis placed on early literacy development.; The dissertation design was a naturalistic study. Principals studied were selected based on school criteria of 80% or higher mastery rates on Texas state accountability tests, population groups of 75% or higher economically disadvantaged, and special education exemptions rates below the 1999 state average. Data were acquired through interviews of six participating principals with follow-up interviews of participants to confirm findings and conclusions.; Three themes that emerged from this study were the effective leadership strands of commitment, faith, and harmony. Commitment, a persistent and nonnegotiable focus on the goal of educating all children, was a baseline finding common to all six participants. Faith, demonstrated as a shared belief in strengths and possibilities of people, empowered and sustained these effective leaders. Harmony held together and perpetuated a democratic culture for each campus studied.; These strands were intricately linked together in a synergetic and dynamic process that enabled schools to succeed with the literacy development of economically disadvantaged children. Findings confirmed an extensive review of literature discussing roles of effective leadership and the evolution of school success for poor children. Findings also indicated that the effective practices of each leader were built upon diverse personal and professional experiences. These experiences shaped and molded the configuration of each principal's leadership practice. However, the findings of this study also discovered a deeper layer of leadership: the how and why of administrative practice that leads to success with economically disadvantaged children.; The conclusions of this study stated in simple terms are: effective leaders have faith in the abilities of all children, they are deeply committed to the success of all children, and they work diligently to keep the learning environment of the school in harmony. The work of effective principals, however, is far from simple. |
