EFFECTIVE PRINCIPALS IN HIGH-POVERTY, HIGH-PERFORMING URBAN ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS

Abstract

Garcia-Velasquez, E., Characteristics or Effective Principals in high-poverty, high performing Urban Elementary Schools. Doctor of Education in Executive Educational Leadership, May 2019, Houston Baptist University, Houston, Texas. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to describe the characteristics of effective principals in high-poverty, high-performing urban elementary schools and how these align to the 21 Responsibilities identified by Marzano, Waters & McNulty (2005). The researcher was able to interview ten candidates that met the criteria for the study. The participants for this study were selected from an urban district located in Southeast Texas. Additionally, all the participants were principals whose schools met the Texas Education Agency (TEA) standards and obtained at least three academic distinctions during the 2016-2017 school year. Also, to qualify as a participant in this study, the participating principals served schools where the percentage of students receiving free or reduced lunch exceeded 90%. When the participants were asked to identify characteristics, principals need to possess to be able to succeed in high-poverty schools; they identified Instructional Knowledge, Relationships, DataDriven, Focus and Communication as the most prevalent. By the time the participants selected these themes overall, they had not been exposed to the 21 Responsibilities identified by Marzano et al. (2005) prior to the follow-up questions. However, when principals were presented the 21 Responsibilities and were asked to identify characteristics, principals need to possess to be able to succeed in high-poverty schools, they identified Culture, Focus, Communication, Involvement in Curriculum/Instruction and Assessment, Visibility and Relationships. The participants of the study clearly highlighted Culture as the most prevalent characteristic principals in poverty must possess, although they were not intentional or aware of this responsibility prior to the moment they were given the 21 Responsibilities. The researcher was able to conclude that the participant principals were unintentionally intentional about building a positive school culture. These highly effective principals in high-poverty, high-performing schools created a culture of success by building strong relationships and leading the process of teaching and learning with a focus on student achievement, without being intentionally aware that their actions translated in a positive culture of success. Keywords: poverty, poverty school, high-poverty school, school culture, 21 Responsibilities, urban elementary