Exploring the leadership practice of a South African primary school principal through the legacy leadership lens

Abstract

International studies reveal an increase in the study of school leadership. This study is part of series of studies where different dimensions of school leadership are described. In this particular study the leadership practice of a primary school principal is explored by applying the five keys of the legacy leadership model. Purposeful sampling was used to identify a principal for the qualitative study. Data were collected using interviews conducted with the principal and focus group interviews with staff. The findings revealed and support a clear link in relation to the five keys of the Austin Independent School District (AISD) legacy leadership model that were practised in the school: (1) leaders as lead learners; (2) sustainable leadership; (3) distributed leadership; (4) learning-centered leadership; and (5) cross-school collaborative leadership.