Abstract
Purpose. The purpose of this study was to discover the social change model of leadership values of 8 high school principals. The Higher Education Research Institute (Astin & Astin, 1996) of the social change model of leadership and Leithwood's (1992) educational model of transformational leadership was applied as the theoretical framework for this study to discover leadership values that support a graduation rate of 75% or higher for the English learner student group within a comprehensive high school setting.Methods. A comprehensive review of the literature produced HERI's (Astin & Astin, 1996) social change model and Leithwood's (1992) model of transformational leadership as the theoretical framework for this study. HERI's framework centered on three values of leadership: individual, group, and societal/community. A qualitative design, the dynamic narrative approach (DNA; Hyatt, 2011a), was selected for this study to discover the values of principals in a high school setting that support the English learners' graduation rate. Principal participants responded to interview questions using the DNA method, which allowed for individual and group participation. Validity was established beginning with a review of the literature, followed by a review by a panel of expert researchers, who agreed that the methods and research questions would result in data that would inform the study.Findings. The study identified 3 principal values that aligned with the 7 C's of the social change model: 3 individual values to include consciousness of self, congruence, and commitment; 3 group values to include collaboration, common purpose, controversy with civility; and 1 societal/community value to include citizenship.Conclusions. This research adds to the field of educational leadership values by identifying the 7 C's of high school principals that display transformational leadership. By providing specific values that advance principal leadership, the research helps forward theory into practice.Recommendations. Continued research is needed to further operationalize high school principal values within additional populations. The findings of this study offer school principals research-based support for developing the social change model of leadership values to transform the English learner experience.