The Role of Student Voice in a Qualitative Study on Early College High School Principals

• In Event: The Challenges and Possibilities of Including Students in School Leadership

Abstract

This paper examines the role student voice played in a study on three principals at schools that participate in the early college high school (ECHS) initiative. Descriptions of each school and principal will be included. Additionally, democratic leadership (Dewey, 1916; Rusch, 1995), social justice leadership (Freire, 1970; Brown, 2006) and distributed leadership (Spillane 2006; Mayrowetz, 2008; Robinson, 2009) provide theoretical lenses for the study. Data is drawn from three student focus groups that were part of a qualitative study on how ECHS principals promote student success. Results show that students at one school believed their voice was stifled and the principal valued achievement over students having a well-rounded, empowering experience. However, students at the other schools felt empowered to be active participants in school improvement. These findings are relevant as the ECHS initiative expands nationally into high schools that normally might not include students in decision-making and school improvement processes.

Author

• Hattie Lee Hammonds, Clemson University