Culturally responsive leadership: How one principal in an urban primary school responded successfully to Māori student achievement

Addressing the achievement disparities that exist within New Zealand education for Māori is identified by the Ministry of Education as being a critical challenge for school leaders that requires committed and responsive leadership. The case study presented in this article describes the leadership practices of a primary school principal whose school is one where the majority of the Māori students were meeting or exceeding national expectations (for all students) in reading in 2009. The principal’s theorising and associated practices provide a potential model for what constitutes culturally responsive leadership that facilitates success for Māori students.