ABSTRACT

This conclusion presents some closing thoughts on the concepts discussed in the preceding chapter of this book. The book shows some of the limits to traditional approaches to principal leadership in urban schools. It argues that knowledge of history is essential to school leadership and understanding the role of the principal. The book describes the experiences of Black principals leading before and after the Brown v Board decision to highlight an alternative approach to school leadership. Scholars of color and other critical scholars developed alternative leadership frameworks that emphasize how principals can address racism and the related circumstances that marginalize students of color in low-opportunity communities. The book also argues that principals need an accurate history of schooling as well as an understanding of how racially segregated, low-opportunity communities have been created and maintained. Maintaining a sense of racial, social, and political consciousness requires self-care. Principals need to attend to their emotional and physical health.