Special education policies can create structures of segregation and inequality. School leaders are often tasked with dismantling these structures while meeting expectations related to accountability policies. This case study involves a new principal at an urban school in a district with a long history of segregation reassigned to work at one of…

In 2010, Principal Kirk introduced Small Group Meeting (SGM) at Hillcrest Elementary. SGMs are multiage student groupings who meet with school faculty once a month to work on community building, service-learning projects, and advising. Many teachers liked the SGMs, some felt they needed more time to prepare, and others felt it was a waste of time.…

This case, which addresses supplementing or supplanting special education in a school, is applicable to aspiring and practicing principals who require more experience in special education law and practice. We cover the use of special education personnel to provide intervention activities for students who have not been classified as students with…

This case study is intended for use in an educational leadership class to facilitate conversation on providing effective instructional practices to students on the autism spectrum. In particular, this case study demonstrates how a school district incorporated a research-based model into their system to provide support to teachers of students with…

This case study discusses some of the issues that "Adelante," a 6-year university-school-community partnership, continues to encounter in addressing college access and parent and community leadership in a community of color. It provides the sociopolitical context as well as a description of the university and community partners that make…

This case involves a struggle for control among differently situated leaders--district- and building-level administrators, teachers, parents and community members, and university partners--seeking to influence the reform agenda of a high-poverty urban elementary school serving Latina/Latino students. The various stakeholders encounter a variety of…

This case, which was developed for courses in special education leadership, concerns the overidentification of students and minorities in special education at an elementary school. The case describes the challenges that teachers, administrators, diagnostic staff, and families face when mandated changes occur in rapid response to policy-driven…

The case of Allen Elementary School presents tangled narratives and wicked problems describing the multidimensionality of school community work. Using multiple converging and diverging vignettes, the case points to the distinctiveness of individual experience in schools; the ways institutionalized organizational narratives become cultural…

Maple Leaf School is a large English elementary school in Ontario, Canada. Wanda Miller, the principal, has been at the school for 2 years. Upon arrival, she engaged the teachers in a collaborative exercise to determine their school goal (as required by the province). Character education was selected. The district insisted that the school adopt an…

Teacher assignment policies vary among school districts. Frequently, districts handle basic employment requirements, and principals draw from prescreened teachers. However, schools occasionally may have to recruit many teachers at once when the district experiences a radical change. This case study involves a principal at an urban school in a…

After 2 years of progress, the literacy initiative at Donaldson Elementary faces challenges because of a disagreement between Principal Joanna Jackson and Literacy Coordinator Loretta Sullivan over whether Sullivan's role should include evaluative classroom observations and whether teachers should be mandated to receive coaching. The case is…

This case describes dilemmas faced by a second-year principal whose urban school received a major grant to encourage teacher leadership, expand decision making, and promote school-based autonomy. This case focuses on the principal's efforts to negotiate his work with multiple stakeholders, including the coach, teachers, and district leadership.…

This case study creates a dilemma that many school districts face. Public education is under-funded. Principals are expected to be the instructional leaders and are held accountable for student achievement. Is it appropriate then for public schools to have local businesses as benefactors when teaching personnel are involved? The conflict between…

This case scenario addresses allowing electronic devices in schools as well as how districts can establish acceptable use policies. The dynamics of the case illustrate how various stakeholders conceptualize and view building management and facilitate a desired school climate and culture. The case is designed to prompt students' thinking about (a)…

It is not a question of whether conflict within a school will occur, but rather when it will manifest and by whom. Often times, conflict occurring between key stakeholders such as teachers, parents, and students is looked upon as tainting school culture or sabotaging change strategies. However, conflict may also serve as a catalyst for larger…