Leading for School Change in a Divided Community

This case study examines the intersection of rural education, new leadership, and supervising teachers when a power imbalance exists. Using a real-life example of supervision and professional interactions, this case study focuses future administrators on the real-life conflicts inherent in supervision and employee rights. The case study examines the inherent power dynamics in some rural school systems, where changing demographics have resulted in the dissonance between what the Board of Education, the superintendent, and a newly appointed principal see as an educational environment for cultural responsiveness which acknowledges changes in the community and the pre-existing, established norms. The interactions between the principal, a veteran teacher, and a classroom environment during contentious discussions among students in a civics education class debate launched faculty discontent towards the new administration. The debate occurs during an already contentious moment during the stalled teacher\u27s collective bargaining agreement