A Case Study of a Successful Principal Cultivating Native Ways of Knowing Through Sustainable Partnerships

• In Event: Leadership Insights From BIPOC Principals

Abstract

This paper presents a Navajo principal’s success in a public school situated on a Navajo reservation in the Southwestern U.S. The case study was developed as part of an international study of successful schools and principals (International Successful School Principalship Project or ISSPP). The ISSPP project is underpinned by a theoretical framing from ecological systems theory and complexity theory. Additionally, we draw upon Navajo philosophy of balance and sustainability. Research methods feature comparative mixed methods, including multi-perspective qualitative interviews and quantitative surveys. Findings indicate the principal’s support of the local culture and Navajo forms of knowledge woven into academics through a balance of systems and culturally responsive practices. The indigenous leadership perspective of balance and sustainability amidst complexity is relevant worldwide.

Authors

• Joseph Martin, Northern Arizona University

• Rose M. Ylimaki, Northern Arizona University