The book will offer a progressive perspective of turnaround principals and enhance the current turnaround school literature. It highlights a historical and holistic perspective of school turnaround. This book offers hope to the future of school turnaround and its leaders, as the book spotlights stories of the lived experiences of three critically conscious principals' journey to school transformation. Each principal's leadership transformed the school into an exceptional school that caters to the needs of the students, the teachers and the community. The book highlights critical conscious turnaround principals who disrupted cultures of oppression in predominantly African American turnaround schools. The passionate leaders are illuminated in the book because their leadership improved academic outcomes for students and the working conditions of teachers and staff. Also, the book spotlights the successful turnaround principals' critical lens of faulty systems and structures that often create an oppressive school culture. By holding a critical lens, the turnaround principals' critical consciousness manifested into a keen knowledge of the systems and structures that create and sustain inequity (critical analysis), a sense of power or capability (sense of agency), and commitment to act against oppressive conditions (El-Amin, Seider, Graves, Tamerat, Clark, Soutter, Johannsen, Malhotra, 2017).
Kishia C. James is an instructional specialist for Community Resiliency Model (R), Restorative Practices, and Social Emotional Learning at Wake County Public School System. She is an educational leader with over two decades of educational experiences in urban school districts and turnaround schools and the co-editor of The Gloria Ladson-Billings Reader (Cognella, 2020).
List of Figures Foreword Preface Acknowledgments Introduction Chapter 1. Understanding the Concept of School Turnaround Chapter 2. The Fallout from Turnaround Efforts Chapter 3. The Philosophical Underpinnings of Critically Consciousness Leaders Chapter 4. The Critically Conscious Principal in Action Chapter 5. Lessons Learned from Critically Conscious Leaders Chapter 6. Conclusion References Index
Readers who want more than a pep talk, more than the usual bromides for failing schools, will find Kishia James' careful parsing of the multiple causes and factors which prevent more schools which serve the stressed cities and neighborhoods of America from being successful, not only inspirational and analytical, but with advice which begins and ends with what's in the turnaround principal's critical consciousness. Developing such a consciousness requires accurate historical knowledge, and untangling the layers of bias and misunderstanding about visible and invisible racism that remains deeply embedded, layered, and pervasive in contemporary culture and schooling. That journey begins with this book. -- Fenwick W. English, Professor and Department Chair, Educational Leadership, Teachers College, Ball State University All students, including Black and Latinx students, are entitled to a quality education -- no matter the school. Fortunately, Kishia C. James, a seasoned practitioner-turned academic, has authored this book, Turnaround Principals: Passionate Leaders Who Can Improve Low-Performing Schools. Turnaround Principals offers a comprehensive, research-based look at the status of Black and Latinx students in US schools -- and provides a strategy to address their marginalization and to provide them with a quality education. We have been challenged with providing these students with quality education since they were first enrolled in US schools nearly 200 years ago. This book provides valuable insights into a strategy that has worked in some settings. Enjoy. -- Kofi Lomotey, Bardo Distinguished Professor of Educational Leadership, Western Carolina University I am honored to have the opportunity to write an endorsement for Dr. Kishia James book titled, "Turnaround Principals: Passionate Leaders Who Improve Low-Performing Schools." As a former dean of education, I am aware of the hard work and dedication that principals exhibit in schools; especially in low-performing schools. What is of interest and noteworthy about Dr. James book is that it draws from theoretical frameworks that are important in addressing systemic inequities present in low-performing schools. Dr. James book is timely and a must-read as it highlights exceptional and transformational leaders that are making a difference in today's schools. -- Terence Hicks, Former Dean of the Clemmer College of Education, East Tennessee State University This book is important for programs that are training school leaders. Dr. James effectively traces the root of low-performing schools as a basis to understand the systemic nature of the inequities many schools and communities face today. Most importantly, this text leaves the readers with hope and lessons learned from change-makers in the field. The urgency of now is of utmost importance in addressing our education system, so every child has access to excellent schools that equalize opportunities for those historically pushed to the margins. -- Kelly Brown, Assistant Professor, Lamar University, College of Education and Human Development
