Exploring The Leadership Practices of Underfunded Schools: Principals' Perspectives

Underfunded schools face challenges such as inadequate infrastructure and limited resources, which affect education quality. This study explored the leadership practices of principals in these environments through in-depth interviews with seven principals. Findings indicated that they used transformational leadership, resource mobilization, and community engagement to mitigate financial constraints. The study recommended increasing professional development for principals and enhancing policy support to improve leadership effectiveness in underfunded schools.

transformational leadership, resource mobilization, underfunded schools, educational leadership, community engagement

1. Aldridge, J. M., & Fraser, B. J. (2021). Learning environments and student outcomes in schools. Routledge. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

2. Astin, A. W. (1993). What matters in college? Four critical years revisited. Jossey-Bass. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

3. Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3(2), 77–101. https://doi.org/10.1191/1478088706qp063oa [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

4. Bryk, A. S., Gomez, L. M., Grunow, A., & LeMahieu, P. G. (2015). Learning to improve: How America’s schools can get better at getting better. Harvard Education Press. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

5. Bush, T. (2011). Theories of educational leadership and management (4th ed.). Sage Publications. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

6. Carless, D., & Winstone, N. (2020). Designing effective feedback processes in higher education: A learning-focused approach. Routledge. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

7. Emerson, L., & Murphy, S. (2019). Leadership and school culture: Implications for student engagement. Palgrave Macmillan. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

8. Eva, N., Robin, M., Sendjaya, S., Van Dierendonck, D., & Liden, R. C. (2019). Servant leadership: A systematic review and call for future research. The Leadership Quarterly, 30(1), 111–132. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.leaqua.2018.07.004 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

9. Greenleaf, R. K. (1977). Servant leadership: A journey into the nature of legitimate power and greatness. Paulist Press. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

10. Jackson, D., & Adams, R. (2021). Leadership approaches in resource-constrained schools. Educational Management Administration & Leadership, 49(3), 415–432. https://doi.org/10.1177/1741143220919697 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

11. Liden, R. C., Wayne, S. J., Zhao, H., & Henderson, D. (2008). Servant leadership: Development of a multidimensional measure and multi-level assessment. The Leadership Quarterly, 19(2), 161–177. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.leaqua.2008.01.006 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

12. Liu, Y., & Graves, C. (2020). Leadership practices in disadvantaged schools. Journal of Educational Administration, 58(4), 463–479. https://doi.org/10.1108/JEA-02-2019-0033 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

13. Pascarella, E. T., & Terenzini, P. T. (2005). How college affects students: A third decade of research (Vol. 2). Jossey-Bass. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

14. Patel, R., & Russo, C. (2020). Stakeholder communication and leadership effectiveness in schools. Educational Leadership Review, 21(1), 45–59. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

15. Robinson, V., & Lee, M. (2020). School leadership and improvement in challenging contexts. School Leadership & Management, 40(2–3), 167–184. https://doi.org/10.1080/13632434.2019.1702077 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

16. Shattock, M. (2014). International trends in university governance: Autonomy, self-government and the distribution of authority. Routledge. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

17. Summers, D., & Turner, J. (2019). Crisis leadership in education systems. Educational Management Administration & Leadership, 47(6), 891–907. https://doi.org/10.1177/1741143218788577 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

18. Thomas, E., & Montgomery, P. (2021). Leadership communication and stakeholder engagement in schools. Journal of Educational Leadership, Policy and Practice, 36(1), 54–69. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

19. Wheeler, M., Harris, K., & Swaffield, S. (2021). Leading schools with limited resources: Challenges and strategies. International Journal of Leadership in Education, 24(5), 645–661. https://doi.org/10.1080/13603124.2019.1623927 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

• Investigating the Performance of Colour Oxide on the PS/CNSO Oil Paint Production
• Real-Time Fabric Defect Detection Using a Lightweight Deformable YOLO Network
• Recent Trends in the Stock Market: An Analytical Study of Market Dynamics, Investor Behaviour, and Technological Influence
• Evaluation of Structural Dynamics and Equilibrium State, with Case Study of Large Cantilever Projection for a 10- Storey Reinforced Concrete Building in Lagos, Nigeria.
• Multi-Criteria Evaluation of AI-Based Adaptive Learning Platforms in Global Higher Education: A Fuzzy AHP Perspective