Leadership Ecosystems: Navigating the Synergies of Relationship-Building, Trust, and Community to Foster Student Success in Experienced US Principals' Practice

An effective instructional and shared leader fosters student success and school sustainability through fostering relationship-building, trust-based learning, and community engagement. This descriptive qualitative study investigates how US principals explore relationship-building, trust, and community for student learning outcomes and school effectiveness. A total of 12 principals participated in this study, including male (n=6) and female (n=6), through purposive and snowball sampling in the United States. Findings show principals face three challenges: (1) establishing effective communication channels, (2) managing diverse stakeholder expectations, and (3) developing leadership capacities for trust and stakeholder relationships. Findings also shows that principals have three benefits, including (1) a solid relationship between school stakeholders, (2) community engagement, and (3) sustainable success. Three strategic approaches emerged, including (1) fostering personal connections, (2) cultivating inclusive communities, and (3) sharing leadership for success. Based on the findings, a convergent mixed-methods study will survey 3,000 principals and conduct interviews with 600 principals across 50 states in the United States