An exploration of successful school leadership in the unpromising context of two schools in Klipspruit in Soweto

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to explore the role of the principal in managing teaching and learning in two primary schools in Soweto. The study was based on the assumption that leadership in the case study schools focused primarily on managing teaching and learning. Further to this, the study assumed that the principal was not the sole instructional leader, but that leadership was a shared entity. The study was a qualitative case study and the data collecting methods included in-depth interviews, document analysis and observations. These data collection methods allowed for triangulation, whereby information of the participants or respondents was able to be validated. Participants included the principals, deputy principals, head of departments (HOD’s) and parents. The research findings revealed that the principals of the schools together with the deputies and HOD’s, played a central role in managing teaching and learning. Furthermore, in the case of study schools, findings revealed that the success of the schools was due to extending partnerships beyond the boundaries of the school. These schools succeeded by building and managing relationships both, inside and outside the schools under study.