The Narrative Inquiries of How Community School Directors Implement Servant Leadership at Full-Service Community Schools in New York City

Children and their families face increased barriers to accessing programs in low-income communities. In response to this concern, community schools employ community school directors (CSDs) who connect students and families with essential services across organizational boundaries. This study was designed to provide insight into the leadership characteristics of the CSD as a servant leader by determining if they engage with any of the 10 servant leadership qualities described by Spears (2010). There is limited research on the leadership practices of CSDs in low socioeconomic status areas. It is therefore necessary to conduct research on how CSDs foster collaboration between schools and communities. Although there is considerable literature on how education substantiates multicausal issues facing students in low-income communities, little research exists that specifically relates to the leadership approaches of the CSDs that form partnerships within these communities. This gap in the literature highlights the need for a closer examination of CSD leadership strategies in low-income community partnerships. Thus, this study identified servant leadership qualities through the lived experiences of three CSDs working in these schools. To this end, this study utilized a qualitativenarrative design to examine the servant leadership approaches of CSDs in New York City Community Schools. The findings suggest that the elements of servant leadership not only align with the leadership characteristics of the CSDs, but also are beneficial to student and family needs, community development, and establishing bonding social capital within the community school context.