Turnaround Principals

Kishia C. James is a lecturer at San Francisco State University and coordinator for the Community Resiliency Model® at Wake County Public School System. She is an educational leader with over two decades of educational leadership in urban school districts and turnaround schools and the co-editor of The Gloria Ladson-Billings Reader (Cognella, 2020).

• List of FiguresForewordPrefaceAcknowledgmentsIntroductionChapter 1. Understanding the Concept of School TurnaroundChapter 2. The Fallout from Turnaround EffortsChapter 3. The Philosophical Underpinnings of Critically Consciousness LeadersChapter 4. The Critically Conscious Principal in ActionChapter 5. Lessons Learned from Critically Conscious LeadersChapter 6. ConclusionReferencesIndex

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.