Purpose The purpose of this paper is to reconsider school improvement from the perspectives of community leaders who support urban schools in equitable ways. Design/methodology/approach This study employs the Delphi method to elicit feedback from community leaders. Findings Findings highlight how the community equity literacy leadership assessment’s (CELLA) constructs can be expanded to include essential knowledge and practices that improve schooling conditions for students. Originality/value This study extends the existing research on school improvement in two ways. First, this study reconsiders school improvement from the perspectives of community leaders who support urban schools in equitable ways. Second, and in doing so, this study examines how a panel of 16 “expert community leaders” offered feedback on the CELLA for principals, an emerging survey instrument to help educational leaders improve school and community conditions.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to describe the ongoing, iterative and empirical work to develop, test and revise the Community Equity Literacy Leadership Assessment (CELLA) for principals through several studies: a sorting study and expert panel survey review. Design/methodology/approach This study employs several survey development methods, including a sorting study and expert panel survey review. Findings The findings suggest that each study improved the CELLA’s items and provided useful learning for future testing cycles of inquiry. Originality/value Research suggests that principal leadership is a significant aspect of equitable and authentic school–family–community engagement. However, there is a paucity of theoretically grounded and psychometrically sound instruments to assess principals’ knowledge and skills in this area. To address this gap, the authors developed the CELLA for school leaders and their leadership teams.

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