Revisiting an Innovative High School: What Happens when the Principal Leaves?

Abstract

This article revisits an innovative high school five years after the departure of the founding principal. Located in a medium-sized suburban district, Sagebrush High had been set up as a break-the-mold school with an integrated core curriculum, a mix of single-period and block-scheduled classes, and the involvement of all teachers and administrators in student advising. Sagebrush High adopted the philosophy that all students should learn together, with no students tracked into “advanced” or “basic” classes. This article explores how Sagebrush High, a school that operated according to a shared decision-making model of school governance, with teachers deeply involved in decisions ranging from curriculum to budgets, had weathered changes in building and district-level administration, as well as changes in both the membership and the philosophical outlook of the school board.

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