ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Educ.
Sec. Leadership in Education
This article is part of the Research TopicUnleashing Potential in Changing Times: Professional Networks and Learning Communities in Professional DevelopmentView all 4 articles
Habits of Culturally Responsive School Leaders: Lessons and Takeaways for Future Leaders from Award-Winning Principals
Provisionally accepted
- 1University of Denver, Denver, United States
- 2William & Mary, Williamsburg, United States
- 3Baylor University, Waco, United States
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ABSTRACT: This case study overlays and analyzes the behaviors of award-winning principals through a lens of culturally responsive school leadership (CRSL) to identify exemplary illustrations and gaps in theoretical alignment. Thirty NASSP Principal of the Year awardees participated in semi-structured interviews with questions around challenges, personal development, professional strategies, and systemic inequities. Many principals described adopting the critical tenets of this framework, including ongoing self-reflection, cultural responsiveness, inclusive practices, and stakeholder engagement. Others, however, failed to embody cultural responsibility in their day-to-day practice. Across the interviews, principals presented a variety of CRSL approaches to creating welcoming environments, empowering community members, critically self-reflecting, and fostering culturally responsive pedagogy. Many participants emphasize the importance of fostering belonging, building community, maintaining a learner's mindset, showcasing inclusive pedagogical skills, and staying emotionally reflective.
Keywords: culturally responsive school leadership, Equity, Future opportunities, Leadership, Principals
Received: 19 Dec 2025; Accepted: 16 Feb 2026.
Copyright: © 2026 Vedder, Roberts, Richardson, Sterrett and Anderson. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Brian Vedder
Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.