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Improving Schools
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Community connection and change: a different conceptualization of school leadership

Marian Lewis

University of Southern Queensland, Australia, marian.lewis{at}usq.edu.au

Many of our schools are situated in communities characterized by high levels of disadvantage, presenting a range of challenges. One possible response is to acknowledge this disadvantage and to try to address some of the problems it raises for students. Another is for the school to be proactive, recognizing the challenges faced by the community and taking a lead in bringing about change. Part of a larger research project, this article explores the extraordinary leadership role of Prospect Road State School (a pseudonym) in bringing change to a multiply disadvantaged community though collaborative action with other agencies and creative approaches to bringing people together. This school's experiences and achievement illustrate what may be possible when school leadership proactively sets out to improve a community described by the principal as being `in crisis'. The experiences explored indicate ways of rethinking the relationship between school and disadvantaged community — of working synergistically with others to make a significant difference.

Key Words: community capacity building • community change • disadvantage • parallel leadership • school—community relationships

Improving Schools, Vol. 11, No. 3, 227-237 (2008)
DOI: 10.1177/1365480208097742
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