Fostering Character Development Through Adaptive Leadership

In a time of increasing accountability, school leaders are besieged with many challenges to meet the needs of increasingly diverse student populations. Leadership for the development of good character can often be overlooked in lieu of competing priorities (Starratt, 1991). Analyzing data from a 4-year study, this article considers one principal’s unique approach to creating a common school vision centered around character development as a means by which to generate a sense of community and improve student achievement. Central to the principal’s specific approach to character development were yearly “themes” in which she communicated an idea that was then, to certain degrees, infused into daily life at the school. These themes included “journey,” “peace makers,” “created to care,” and “be the light.” Drawing on extensive interview and observation data this article will explore the extent to which the principal fostered a shared school culture and leveraged distributed authority to promote character development among students, staff and families.