| The purpose of this instrumental case study was to explore stakeholders' perceptions of the culturally responsive leadership practices of charter school leaders. The goals were: (a) to explore how the school leadership team perceived culturally responsive leadership in a K-12 charter school in North Carolina, (b) to explore how the teachers perceived culturally responsive teaching and learning in a K-12 charter school in North Carolina, and (c) to explore how parents perceived a culturally responsive home-school connection in a K-12 charter school in North Carolina. Because this study involved an examination of stakeholders' perceptions of culturally responsive leadership in a charter school, a willing participant pool of charter school stakeholders was needed. Data were gathered through in-depth focus group interviews with three stakeholder groups, school leadership, teachers and parents, in a K-12 public charter school. The study occurred in a K-12 public charter school located in the Triad area of North Carolina that was selected based upon specific criteria. Three themes emerged from the analyses of the data: (a) modeling cultural responsiveness, (b) teaching and learning, and (c) home-school connections. Findings from this study revealed that the school leaders, teachers, and parents were unanimous in their belief that culturally responsive leadership established a welcoming and supportive school culture through instructional leadership and created a sense of belonging for all stakeholders. |
