Leading schools impacted by poverty: case studies from three Winnipeg schools

Abstract

This study examined the perceptions of three inner city principals on how poverty impacts the school experience and success for children attending high poverty schools in the Winnipeg School Division. This study focused on how three principals defined and understood poverty; how they created a vision for their school as well as exploring the sustainability of their work. The study examined and explored the frameworks and strategies that each principal worked from in an effort to address the impact of poverty on their schools. In doing this, the thesis attempts to tell the stories of three school principals who spent their entire careers working in the inner city district of the Winnipeg School Division. The schools examined in this study exist within a current reality in stark contrast to the one sought in the Mission and Vision for all students by Manitoba Education. The study found that there is a need for greater professional development for principals on the issue of complex poverty and how it impacts schooling. Although participants outlined a great deal of programming that is already in place to support children attending high poverty schools, all felt that much more can, and should, be done to improve conditions for children impacted by poverty. Findings suggest that policy and practice at the school, district, and provincial levels need to be examined and, where necessary, changed to address the needs of students and families impacted by poverty.