Leading for Social Justice: A Principal's Utilization of a Rigorous College-Prep Curriculum to Challenge Injustice and Inequity in an Urban, High-Poverty High School

Thesis (Ed.D.), Educational Leadership, Washington State UniversityNowhere is the nation’s commitment to equity of opportunity and outcomes more tested than in urban, high-poverty high schools. In considering efforts to address the persistent issues plaguing these schools, one distinct body of literature suggests that externally developed, academically rigorous college-prep programs can positively impact student outcomes. A second body purports that principal leadership, especially principals leading for social justice, is critical to achieving both academic and equity outcomes. Despite the existence of these bodies of literature, there remains a gap in the research linking the two in order to understand how principals leading for social justice can use an externally developed, academically rigorous college-prep program to improve equity for the historically marginalized students attending urban, high-poverty high schools. To fill this gap, this qualitative case study examined the following questions: 1) In what ways does an urban, high-poverty high school principal leading for social justice leverage an externally developed, academically rigorous college-prep program to increase access to core learning and academically rigorous content, improve core teaching, and create a climate of belonging? 2) What barriers does an urban, high-poverty high school principal leading for social justice encounter when endeavoring to implement and sustain an externally developed, academically rigorous college-prep program in a manner focused on justice and equity? 3) What strategies does an urban, high-poverty high school principal leading for social justice employ to counteract the barriers and resistance faced when attempting to implement and sustain an externally developed, academically rigorous college-prep program in a manner focused on justice and equity? Theoharis’ Framework for Social Justice Leadership (2009) served as the conceptual framework for this study. Descriptions of the principal, school, community, and the selected externally developed, academically rigorous college-prep program were shared to provide context. In answering the research questions, this study’s findings led to the conceptualization of frameworks regarding the social justice principal’s cycle of school improvement and system of student support. Implications for practitioners and future research are provided at the end of the study.Washington State University, Educational LeadershipBy student request, this dissertation cannot be exposed to search engines and is, therefore, only accessible to Washington State University users