Journal of Cases in Educational Leadership

It is not a question of whether conflict within a school will occur, but rather when it will manifest and by whom. Often times, conflict occurring between key stakeholders such as teachers, parents, and students is looked upon as tainting school culture or sabotaging change strategies. However, conflict may also serve as a catalyst for larger discussions of deficit thinking or shifts in the educational practice of a school. Capitalizing on these instances of conflict as “leadable” moments, school leaders are situated to leverage conflict for social justice aims. This case centers on an elementary school principal who encounters an instance of conflict with multiple constituencies. She is challenged in her resolution of a classroom incident while recognizing that it also represents larger, school- and district-wide issues. Responding to a teacher’s approach in addressing racist and bigoted language, a parent’s frustration with her child’s schooling experience, and a district official’s concern over diversity and equal educational opportunity, the principal is thrust into the micropolitical center of a school and moved to conceptualize how leadership for social justice may be infused into the situation.

In this era of accountability and high stakes testing, district and school administrators are vigilant in their attention to student test scores and the ramifications these have for district and school performance labels. In other words, no school or district wants to be labeled “low performing.” This case, based on a real situation, demonstrates the extremes a district and school may go to in an effort to ensure that student scores in a particular population group do not adversely affect a school’s or district’s accountability rating.

This case exemplifies the effects of high stakes standardized testing and accountability on education and stakeholders. When schools are pressured for success, educational leaders and teachers often find themselves in circumstances where regulations and procedures are violated, sometimes with noble intent. The case focuses on the ethical and procedural dilemmas faced by an administrator when teachers violate testing policy to give what they view as necessary assistance to students. Background information is provided to allow students to analyze the situation and propose a solution for the school principal.

This case highlights teacher and family conflict about how best to meet the needs of a 9th-grade student with a disability. The student’s teachers view his highly involved mother as interfering with their work. The student’s mother views her involvement as advocating for her child. Aspiring administrators are invited to consider how best to resolve these competing tensions, especially given their status as a new principal in the school and the long history of educational inequity toward students with disabilities and students of color. Key questions are asked about social justice and social capital as well as ISLCC standards of establishing vision, culture, and community. A brief review of relevant literature introduces discussion questions on these topics.