Chapter 5
Research Findings
This study explores the lived experiences of principals who lead in high-racialdifference
(HRD) elementary schools and considers how principals’ own personal
histories influence the way they contextualize their leadership in HRD schools. For the
purposes of this study I define HRD schools as schools with higher-than-district average
of Black, non-Hispanic students, higher-than-district average of White teachers, and
where more than 75% of the student population receives state-subsidized meals. I argue
that the combination of these three school characteristics constitutes a unique school
leadership context, one that necessitates panoply of cross-cultural leadership skills and
perspectives generally not supported through principal preparation programs. While the
extant literature readily considers this school context from teachers’ perspectives, it lacks
empirical evidence that demonstrates how principals collectively understand such schools
and their leadership in them.