Effective leadership practices in schools facing challenging contexts. (c2006)

Abstract

Schools facing difficult situations have received increasing interest from researchers in recent years. Similarly many Lebanese schools are facing challenging situations due to different reasons: political, social, and economical. The case study is a Lebanese private elementary school located in a challenging environment, South District. The purpose of this study is to investigate the practices of the principal in this school. Particularly, the aim is to understand what leadership practices are applied by the principal of this school that would contribute to its success. The sample consists of a principal, a supervisor, 15 teachers, 2 coordinators and 186 pupils. Data was collected through the use of three tools: observation, semi-structured interviews, and school's documents. The results show that the principal applied practices that contribute to the effectiveness of the school when located in a challenging context. The principal's effective practices are characterized by: (1) sharing the school's vision; (2) involving the staff in leadership; (3) creating a good learning environment; (4) involving the parents; and (5) securing external support Additional research should tackle the same issue in order to have evidence that Lebanese schools located in a challenging situation can be effective with the presence of effective principal practices.