A Reflection on Human Vulnerability and an Autobiographic World-View of Leadership in Human Services and, Particularly, in K-12 Schools with At-risk Students

Abstract

The achievement gap between minority students and mainstream students has generated serious concerns over the years, while a growing body of research seems to suggest that possibilities of addressing the problem, lie in leadership that teachers can provide in all schools. But the nature of leadership that teachers can practice has not always been clear, especially regarding students at risk of academic failure. In developing this phenomenological study, the researcher adopted a multi-tire research design, which triangulates analysis of data from extant literature and two vignettes to bring out the essential qualities of instructional leadership. The article concludes from the analysis that substantive school reform, comprises the reorganization of public education such that teaching and leading, embedded in the practices of (a) creativity (b) empowerment (c) acknowledgement, constitute the core functions, and the prerogative of a teacher in the classroom. The distinctive practices constitute a foundational model for understanding the emerging concept of culturally inclusive instructional leadership and at-risk students in a context of a serving relationship.

DOI: 10.5901/jesr.2016.v6n2p27