What does Love got to do with it: A case study of Leadership in Practice

• In Event: Roundtable Session 45
  In Roundtable Session: Exploring the Role of School Leaders

Abstract

This qualitative case study highlights how a school leader creates an environment that prioritizes building relationships with faculty and staff while still assuming responsibility of the technical aspect of the profession in order to ensure state and federal accountability. While state and federal accountability guidelines force schools to complete for high test scores as the sole measure of academic success (Waite, Boone, & McGee, 2001), this study highlights how the role of the principal is vital to create an environment that creates collegiality, values, trust and love. The construct of love we discuss here is a combination between an ethic of care (Noddings, 2007; Staratt, 1991) and of contiguity (Maxwell, 1994).

Authors

• Juan Manuel Nino, University of Texas at San Antonio

• Israel Aguilar, Texas State University - San Marcos

• Dessynie Edwards, Texas State University - San Marcos