Sustainable Improvement and Leadership in Challenging Schools

Abstract

This chapter draws on Leithwood and Riehl’s meta-analysis to examine sustainable leadership in successful US and Australian schools that are considered challenging due to shifting demographics, accountability pressures, and organizational reforms. US populations are becoming increasingly culturally diverse, and this diverse group is overrepresented in high poverty schools. These demographic shifts were highly evident in the US cases featured in this chapter. Australia’s population will increase by more than 50% within the next 50 years with most of the population due to migration and aging populations. In this chapter, the Australian cases represent sustainable leadership in two high-poverty..