One Elementary School’s Story: How Student-Centered Leadership is Enacted, Experienced, and Perceived to Impact Teaching Quality

Abstract

Although educational literature has provided multiple descriptions of effective leadership, many nuanced aspects of leadership practice in the context of a single school have not been well documented. This discrepancy raises questions about the understanding, interpretation, and enactment of various school leadership approaches. This qualitative single case study explored the phenomenon of leadership practice, specifically student-centered leadership, and its impact on teaching quality as it was enacted in one elementary school within a large school district in Western Canada. Data sources included semi structured interviews with four school-based leaders and four teachers, documents, artifacts, researcher field notes and a reflective journal. Analysis of these data revealed 12 findings, which were consolidated into the following three conceptual understandings: (a) student-centered district leadership; (b) multi-dimensional school leadership; and (c) collaborative, learning-focused school culture. Transferable insights from this study may serve as a model for schools and leadership teams across the school district. The study may also support school-based leaders in enacting student-centered leadership with the consistency, depth, and breadth needed to impact teaching quality and ensure positive outcomes for all students.