ABSTRACT
All three principals are experiencing the challenges arising from their communityenvironments as they attempt to exercise “good” leadership. David is working in new ways with his changing school community to promote equitable learning for all students. Catherine has chosen a dialogic approach to leadership in which her whole staff is resisting the current press for test preparation in favor of a more focused approach to student learning-and, not surprisingly, her test scores have also increased dramatically and her school has still met the requirements of Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP). John, on the other hand, is struggling to fi nd a way to help students become aware of their advantage and privilege without adopting a hegemonic “missionary” stance to those perceived to be less advantaged.
