Keeping a Close Watch: A Cultural Philosophy of School Change

Abstract

Under new leadership, one school in Atlanta has moved in a positive direction to create an authentic community of learning and to become known as “technology aggressive.” Personal convictions about staff development and student achievement help support the school as the community undergoes demographic shifts.

Breaking Barriers: Plotting the Path to Academic Success for School-Age African American Males

“…When I came to Southside [Comprehensive High School in Atlanta, Georgia] I saw Dr. Shepherd [an African-American male principal] and all these other black men working together. And I thought to myself, if they are working together here, maybe there are black men like them in lots of other places doing the same thing (Carter and Fenwick, 2001).…”

Chapter 4: African American Principals and the Legacy of Brown

“…While it is not within the scope of this chapter to enter into a complete discussion of the similarities and differences between the two terms, much of the focus in the field is on school leadership versus school administration. 5 There is an emerging body of research on the urban school principalship (see, for example, Bryant, 1998;Carter & Fenwick, 2001;Chapman, 1973;Cistone & Stevenson, 2000;Edmonds, 1979;Gooden, in press;Lightfoot, 1983;Mukuria, 2002;Osterman, Crow, & Rosen, 1997;Polite, 1997). 4 Leithwood and Duke (1999) reviewed feature-length articles about various types of educational leadership in "four representative English-language educational administration journals" (p. 46).…”

“…Another journal, not reviewed in Leithwood and Duke's work, is the International Journal of Leadership in Education, which also publishes research on educational leadership/administration from other countries as well as those of North America. 5 There is an emerging body of research on the urban school principalship (see, for example, Bryant, 1998;Carter & Fenwick, 2001;Chapman, 1973;Cistone & Stevenson, 2000;Edmonds, 1979;Gooden, in press;Lightfoot, 1983;Mukuria, 2002;Osterman, Crow, & Rosen, 1997;Polite, 1997). In addition, articles published in educational journals such as the Journal of Negro Education, Urban Review, Urban Education, and Education and Urban Society typically focus on urban schooling.…”