Four Public School Principals' Perspectives On Leading Through Spirituality

Spirituality in the Praxis of Educational Leadership:
Four public school principals’ perspectives on leading through spirituality
by
Lisa R. Ramírez, B.A., M.Ed.
A Dissertation
In
EDUCATIONAL LEADERSHIP
Submitted to the Graduate Faculty

of Texas Tech University in
Partial Fulfillment of
the Requirements for
the Degree of
DOCTOR OF EDUCATION
Approved
Dr. Sylvia Mendez-Morse (Chair)
Dr. Margaret Johnson
Dr. Margaret Price
Fred Hartmeister
Dean of the Graduate School
May 2009
Lisa Ruiz Ramírez
2009©
Texas Tech University, Lisa R. Ramirez, May 2009
DEDICATION
I dedicate this work first and foremost to my Lord who has been my most faithful and
loyal companion. Also, to my husband Mike Ramirez who has never feared allowing me to be
me and whose unwavering belief in me has provided me the safety net to dream big! Without
his every sacrifice and support, this task would have been impossible.
This is also dedicated to my daughter, Kaitlyn, whose very life has taught me the
meaning of true, pure love and has filled my life with hope.
And finally to my son, Toby, who spent many a night sleeping on the floor by my feet
supporting my every effort and gauging my progress daily. His eyes are always filled with faith
and his presence is forever bringing limitless love, curiosity and joy to my life
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I would like to acknowledge my appreciation to Dr. Sylvia Mendez-Morse, my
committee chair for propping me back up when I needed it most even though she was surviving
a difficult chapter in her own life. I also appreciate my committee members, Dr. Johnson and
Dr. Price, for rightfully expecting the best of me and for showing not just me but a whole
generation of educational leaders how to achieve it. It is important to recognize the contributions
these three women have made to the educational leadership field by not only setting the example
but by being the example.
Additionally, I thank all of the participants of this study for sharing a very personal piece
of their lives with me. My life is richer and more meaningful because of their presence.
I also must mention my sincere gratitude for the assistance of my very dear friends,
Rachel Crawford and April Medina. Rachel’s endless encouragement, sincere interest in my
work, listening ear and sound advice made moving forward possible. April’s no-doubt attitude,
kindness, and assistance to my family reminded me of the value of friendship. I thank them both
and may I Pay It Forward.

TABLE OF CONTENTS
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ........................................................................................................ ii
ABSTRACT .............................................................................................................................. .viii
CHAPTER I. ..................................................................................................................................1
INTRODUCTION..........................................................................................................................1
Background to the Problem ........................................................................................................................................ 2
Problem Statement ...................................................................................................................................................... 4
Purpose of the Study ................................................................................................................................................... 4
Conceptual Framework .............................................................................................................................................. 5
Research Questions ..................................................................................................................................................... 6
Significance of the Study ............................................................................................................................................. 6
Definitions .................................................................................................................................................................... 7
Principals .................................................................................................................................................................. 7
Spirituality ................................................................................................................................................................ 7
Spirituality Principles ............................................................................................................................................... 7
The Principle of Intention .................................................................................................................................... 7
The Principle of Attention.................................................................................................................................... 8
The Principle of Our Unique Gifts ....................................................................................................................... 8
The Principle of Gratitude.................................................................................................................................... 9
The Principle of Our Unique Life Lessons ........................................................................................................ 10
The Principle of a Holistic Perspective .............................................................................................................. 10
The Principle of Openness ................................................................................................................................. 11
The Principle of Trust ........................................................................................................................................ 12
Overview of the Study ............................................................................................................................................... 12
CHAPTER II. ...............................................................................................................................13
REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE ...........................................................................................13

Spirituality ................................................................................................................................................................. 13
Relationship to Religion ......................................................................................................................................... 14
Multiple Interpretations .......................................................................................................................................... 17
Spirituality in Fields Other Than Education .......................................................................................................... 18
Spirituality in Educational Leadership ................................................................................................................... 21

Separation of Church and State .............................................................................................................................. 22

Managerial Approach ............................................................................................................................................. 24
Social Justice through Education and Spirituality .................................................................................................. 27
Previous Studies on Spirituality in Educational Leadership ................................................................................. 36
CHAPTER III. .............................................................................................................................45
METHODOLOGY ......................................................................................................................45
Introduction ............................................................................................................................................................... 45
Purpose of the Study ................................................................................................................................................. 45
Research Questions ................................................................................................................................................... 45
Research Design ......................................................................................................................................................... 46
Rationale .................................................................................................................................................................... 46
Data Sources .............................................................................................................................................................. 47

Participant Selection ............................................................................................................................................... 47
Nomination Process ................................................................................................................................................ 48
Communication with Selected Participants ............................................................................................................ 49
Data Collection Methods ........................................................................................................................................... 50

Sequence of Data Collection................................................................................................................................... 50
Interviews ............................................................................................................................................................... 50
Focus group ............................................................................................................................................................ 52
Document Gathering ............................................................................................................................................... 52
Data Analysis ............................................................................................................................................................. 54

Data Reduction ....................................................................................................................................................... 54
Open Coding and Thematic Units .......................................................................................................................... 54
Formal Data Analysis ............................................................................................................................................. 56
Trustworthiness ......................................................................................................................................................... 57

Credibility ............................................................................................................................................................... 57
Triangulation ...................................................................................................................................................... 57
Member Checking .............................................................................................................................................. 57
Transferability ........................................................................................................................................................ 58
Rich, Thick Description ..................................................................................................................................... 58
Purposive Sampling ........................................................................................................................................... 58
Dependability.......................................................................................................................................................... 59
Audit Trail.......................................................................................................................................................... 59
Confirmability ........................................................................................................................................................ 60
Reflexivity ......................................................................................................................................................... 60
Awareness of Biases .......................................................................................................................................... 60
Context of the Researcher......................................................................................................................................... 61
Context of the Study .................................................................................................................................................. 65

Participant Profiles.................................................................................................................................................... 66

Gregoria .................................................................................................................................................................. 66
Jaime ....................................................................................................................................................................... 67
Sterling ................................................................................................................................................................... 67
Yolanda Poe............................................................................................................................................................ 68
Summary .................................................................................................................................................................... 68
CHAPTER IV...............................................................................................................................70
Findings for Research Question # 1: How do educators come to be public school principals leading through
spirituality? ................................................................................................................................................................ 70
Spirituality as Defined by the Participants.............................................................................................................. 71
Gregoria ............................................................................................................................................................. 71
Jaime .................................................................................................................................................................. 71
Sterling ............................................................................................................................................................... 72
Yolanda Poe ....................................................................................................................................................... 72
Early Memories ...................................................................................................................................................... 73
Gregoria ............................................................................................................................................................. 73
Jaime .................................................................................................................................................................. 74
Sterling ............................................................................................................................................................... 74
Yolanda Poe ....................................................................................................................................................... 75
Shaping Elements ................................................................................................................................................... 76
Family Structure................................................................................................................................................. 76
Two Parent Home ......................................................................................................................................... 76
Single Parent Home....................................................................................................................................... 76
School Experiences ............................................................................................................................................ 77
Traditional ..................................................................................................................................................... 77
Nontraditional ............................................................................................................................................... 77
Personal Dispositions ......................................................................................................................................... 79
Introverted ..................................................................................................................................................... 79
Extroverted .................................................................................................................................................... 80
Worked Well with Children .......................................................................................................................... 80
Rebellious...................................................................................................................................................... 81
Pivotal Events .................................................................................................................................................... 82
Gregoria ........................................................................................................................................................ 83
Jaime ............................................................................................................................................................. 83
Sterling .......................................................................................................................................................... 84
Yolanda Poe .................................................................................................................................................. 84
Primary Influences ............................................................................................................................................. 85
Parents ........................................................................................................................................................... 85
Grandparents ................................................................................................................................................. 86
Mentors/Role Models .................................................................................................................................... 88
Others ............................................................................................................................................................ 89
Higher Power ................................................................................................................................................ 90
Findings for Research Question # 2: What are the lived work experiences of principals that provide evidence
of spirituality as they relate to eight spiritual principles?...................................................................................... 92
The Principle of Intention ....................................................................................................................................... 92
Alignment of Intention through Service ............................................................................................................ 93
Alignment of Intention through Connections..................................................................................................... 94
Alignment of Intention through Prayer .............................................................................................................. 95
Alignment to Intention through Walking the Talk ............................................................................................. 96
The Principle of Attention ...................................................................................................................................... 98
Attention through Relationships ........................................................................................................................ 98

Attention through Relationships with Children ............................................................................................. 99
Attention through Relationships with Parents, Community Members and Teachers .................................. 100
Attention through Listening ............................................................................................................................. 101
Attention to People before Paper ..................................................................................................................... 102
The Principle of Our Unique Gifts ....................................................................................................................... 103
Recognizing the Unique Gifts in Teachers and Staff ....................................................................................... 103
Recognizing the Unique Gifts in Parents ......................................................................................................... 104
Recognizing the Unique Gifts in Students ....................................................................................................... 105
Recognizing One’s Weaknesses Leads to the Recognition of Unique Gifts in Others .................................... 106
The Principle of Gratitude .................................................................................................................................... 107
Forms of Expressing Gratitude ........................................................................................................................ 107
Reasons for Expressing Gratitude .................................................................................................................... 109
Receiving Gratitude ......................................................................................................................................... 110
The Principle of Our Unique Life Lessons ........................................................................................................... 111
Self-Growth and Self-Expression .................................................................................................................... 111
Spiritual Filter .................................................................................................................................................. 114
Wisdom ............................................................................................................................................................ 115
The Principle of a Holistic Perspective................................................................................................................. 115
Parts of the Whole............................................................................................................................................ 116
Need to Retain Dignity of all Parts .................................................................................................................. 116
Community Building ....................................................................................................................................... 117
Rebuilding the Whole ...................................................................................................................................... 118
The Principle of Openness .................................................................................................................................... 119
Openness with Children ................................................................................................................................... 120
Openness with Staff ......................................................................................................................................... 121
Openness with Parents ..................................................................................................................................... 123
Openness with Self .......................................................................................................................................... 124
Openness to the Inner Voice ............................................................................................................................ 127
The Principle of Trust ........................................................................................................................................... 129
Building Trust through Time and Healing ....................................................................................................... 129
Building Trust through Relationships .............................................................................................................. 130
Building Trust with Children ........................................................................................................................... 131
Building Trust with Parents ............................................................................................................................. 131
Betrayal of Trust .............................................................................................................................................. 132
Findings for Research Question # 3: How do principals perceive the meaning of spirituality in their work? 135
Meaning of spirituality ......................................................................................................................................... 135
Connected Source ................................................................................................................................................. 136
Purpose for Choosing to Lead .............................................................................................................................. 138
Negative Effects ................................................................................................................................................... 141
Positive Effects ..................................................................................................................................................... 144
Summary .................................................................................................................................................................. 148

Summary of Findings for Research Question # 1: ................................................................................................ 149
How do educators come to be public school principals leading through spirituality? .......................................... 149
What are the lived work experiences of principals that provide evidence of spirituality as they relate to eight
spiritual principles? ............................................................................................................................................... 150
How do principals perceive the meaning of spirituality in their work? ................................................................ 152
CHAPTER V. .............................................................................................................................156
CONCLUSIONS, LIMITATIONS, IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE, AND

SUGGESTIONS FOR FUTURE RESEARCH .......................................................................156
Conclusions .............................................................................................................................................................. 156
Spiritual Filter (SF): ................................................................................................................................................ 158
Limitations ............................................................................................................................................................... 159
Implications for Practice ......................................................................................................................................... 159
Suggestions for Future Research............................................................................................................................ 162
REFERENCES...........................................................................................................................164
APPENDIX A: DOCUMENT FROM JAIME .......................................................................174
APPENDIX B: DOCUMENT FROM STERLING ...............................................................176
APPENDIX C: AUDIT TRAIL CHART................................................................................177
APPENDIX D: INITIAL QUESTIONNAIRE .......................................................................183
APPENDIX E: INTERVIEW 1 PROTOCOL .......................................................................184
APPENDIX F: INTERVIEW 2 PROTOCOL .......................................................................185
APPENDIX G: INTERVIEW 3 PROTOCOL .......................................................................186
APPENDIX H: FOCUS GROUP INTERVIEW PROTOCOL ............................................187
APPENDIX I: JOURNAL PROMPTS ...................................................................................189

ABSTRACT
Ramírez, Lisa R. (2009). Spirituality in the Praxis of Educational Leadership: Four public
school principals’ perspectives on leading through spirituality.
This study investigated the evidence of spirituality in the principals’ work as it related to
eight key principles presented in Houston and Sokolow’s (2006), The Spiritual Dimension of
Leadership.
Purposive sampling was used to select the principals for this study. The participants
studied were comprised of four public school principals nominated by colleagues. This
qualitative case study utilized three different qualitative data collection methods: (1) three
interviews, (2) one focus group, and (3) document gathering.
The findings of this study of the role of spirituality in the work of four public school
principals indicate that for these four principals the definition of spirituality was heavily
impacted by the shaping elements of their early lives.
The meaning of leading through spirituality varied with each participant as each
participant had connected their spirituality to different sources; however, many common themes
did arise from the purpose of leading through spirituality. One key theme was the recognition,
development and utilization of a spiritual filter. All participants used a spiritual filter as a basis
for decision-making and as an informed framework for their leadership.
The negative effects of leading through spirituality ranged from misunderstanding and
stereotyping of leading through spirituality, attacks on leadership style, increased vulnerability,
isolation, and overwhelming self-imposed pressure. The positive effects of leading through
spirituality ranged from obtainment of strength, courage, wisdom, stability, and an increase in
the communication skills of listening and speaking through relationship building.

CHAPTER I
.
INTRODUCTION
An abundance of approaches to achieving school accountability can be found in
academic literature. Indeed, school reform has demanded that accountability in schools remain a
priority. Equally as readily available is literature pertaining to ensuring that all public school
constituents’ needs are met. There exists wide discourse concerning how public school
educators must respond when those needs are neglected. Consequently, research related to
specifically addressing the needs of educational leaders has seen an increase.
Educational leadership has changed tremendously, and the challenges and opportunities
facing school leaders today are monumental, both in scope and possibility (Lyon, 2004).
Naturally, this charge can feel overwhelming and can make a person question their choice in
profession and level and quality of contribution. Successful educational leadership requires
more than addressing only the academic performance component; it requires a component that
addresses the meaning and purpose of choosing to lead (Hunter, 2002).
The necessity for meaning and purpose continues to present itself among leaders.
Educational leaders, principals specifically, with their demanding and consuming jobs, are
included in the ranks of those leaders most requiring a replenishment of the spirit. Recent years
have witnessed an emerging growth in educational leadership dialogue to support the spirituality
perspective. Clearly, a hunger in our midst exists for finding our deeper purpose and for
conducting our work in a more enlightened manner (Houston, 2002). Even though the business
of education has taken many efforts to keep church and state separate, there continues to be an
increasing interest in spirituality, specifically as it relates to educational leadership.
1
Palmer (1998) argues the “spiritual is always present in public education whether we
acknowledge it or not” (p.8). Consideration of the spiritual dimension to teaching and learning
are becoming more prominent as notions of inwardness, interconnectivity, and the embracing of
moral and ethical values in the educational literature become enunciated with increasing vigor
(Kessler, 2000; Miller, 2000).
Background to the Problem
The topic of spirituality in education is still approached somewhat apprehensively by
educators, educational leaders, and the public at large (Miller, 2000). Knowing this, it is with
marked attention that the public makes note of how the topic is making its way into our
everyday lives.
The emergence of spirituality is attributed to a number of social ailments, such as.
Bolman and Deal (2002) note the prevalence of depression and other mental health maladies
among contemporary workers. Bolman and Deal (2002) observed that many employees feel as
if they are running on a treadmill and getting nowhere; they experience a pervasive malaise or
ennui. The problems of society are often said to be reflected in our schools, and Palmer (1998)
believes that schools ignore the deepest needs of the human soul “with some regularity” (p.6).
He adds that, in general, humans are usually stranded on the surface of their lives, and the field
of educational leadership and its leaders has not been left unscathed. (Id.) As such, attention
must be given to the high educator turnover rate gap created by teachers and educational leaders
that are leaving by individuals continually leaving the public schools profession due to the
stresses and dehumanizing effects of serving in a profession that often fails to address the need
of individual mission and purpose. This is a gap that will continue to widen under our current
2
course of politically-driven educational reform (Gardner, 2005; Kohn, 2005; Kozol, 2005;
Sternberg, 2004). Unless educational supervisors can find interior motivation and meaningful
connection in their responsibilities and actions as the campus leaders, the high turnover rate will
continue to steadily increase.
Educational leaders need to find a connection between their work and their inner being.
They need a renewal in fortitude and in spirit. The difficulty in being able to accomplish and
measure such renewal has resulted in educational leaders simply not discussing the topic of
spirituality. Failure to discuss spirituality has contributed to the creation of a vacuum that is
draining the essence out of many educational leaders. Furthermore, this vacuum combined with
the disconnection of work and inner self have contributed to the vast numbers of leaders leaving
the educational field altogether.
There are rigid demarcations in our culture between public and private schools that have
led to leadership decisions based solely on rationality and the material (Scott, 1994). “Perhaps
the prior silence of the topic of spirituality in areas of academic is due not only to the difficulty
of defining spirituality, but also to the ambivalence of many who work in an academic world
that has emphasized rationality and the scientific model for most of the 20th century” (Tisdell,
2003, p.25). Sergiovanni (1992) decries our traditional emphasis on rational or psychological
management models. He argues that we have separated the hand of leadership from its head and
heart, and that directing schools should be viewed as personal and spiritual rather than just the
province of ideas. A spiritual approach to educational leadership involves self-reflection,
kindness towards peers, and a working environment conducive to spiritual activity, to assist
teachers to discover their hearts wisdom and pass this revelation on to their students (Palmer,
3
1998). “A spirituality of work is about bringing life and livelihood back together again”
(Bolman & Deal, 2001, p.6).
Instead of questioning, “What is the matter with our children, our school system, our
teachers, our organizations, and our country?” society must begin questioning “What really
matters about our children, our school systems, our teachers, our organizations, and our
country?” (Markova, 2006). Understanding that society can no longer afford the luxury of
silence concerning the spiritual conditions of leaders is key to better equipping schools with
educational leaders better prepared to meet their individual professional needs as well as the
needs of the institution’s constituents (Vaill, 1998, p.216).
The literature pertaining to leading through spirituality must include how to recognize
spirituality and its principles. Additionally, the literature must articulate the perceptions of
leading through spirituality so as to assist leaders in understanding the relevance of spiritually-
centered leadership in schools.
Problem Statement
The literature analyzed and summarized in the following pages provide much
information and fodder for future discussions regarding spirituality but it has not adequately
responded to such questions as stated above. In fact, the literature is quite limited in terms of
clear cut examples of what spiritually-centered leadership looks like in practice. There is much
yet to be contributed.
Purpose of the Study
The purpose of this exploratory case study was to identify the role of spirituality in the
work of four public school principals. This study investigated the evidence of spirituality in the
4
principals’ work as it related to eight key principles presented in Houston and Sokolow’s
(2006), The Spiritual Dimension of Leadership.
Conceptual Framework
The conceptual framework that guided this study included research from educational
leadership and spirituality as it related to the eight key principles to leading more effectively,
which is presented in The Spiritual Dimension of Leadership (Houston, & Sokolow, S.L., 2006).
It must be noted that a telephone conversation between the researcher and Dr. Sokolow clarified
that their work, had in fact, identified forty- two principles, and that undoubtedly many more
exist. The eight principles in the Houston & Sokolow’s book were selected not only because
they resonate particularly with educational leadership, but also because they focus on the
interconnectedness and interrelatedness of life at all levels (Sokolow, 2007). The eight
principles are listed below by name; however, the definition of each principle is presented in the
Definition’s section of this study. The eight spiritual principles are:
• The Principle of Intention
• The Principle of Attention
• The Principle of Our Unique Gifts
• The Principle of Gratitude
• The Principle of Our Unique Life Lessons
• The Principle of a Holistic Perspective
• The Principle of Openness
• The Principle of Trust
5
Research Questions
1. How do educators come to be public school principals leading through
spirituality?
2. What are the lived work experiences of principals that provide evidence of
spirituality as they relate to eight spiritual principles?
3. How do principals perceive the meaning of spirituality in their work?
Significance of the Study
Overall, this study advances the research that identified evidence of leading through
spirituality as it relates to spiritual principles that had evolved through prior research and it
documented the effect and meaning of leading through spirituality. These advancements are
important to the educational leadership field for several reasons. The first reason is because of
the importance of spirituality in the development of educational leaders. Spirituality has been
identified as a source of strength in educational leaders. Moreover, strength has been cited by
Houston and Sokolow as a key factor needed to retain strong educational leaders as they ride the
turbulent waters of educational reform. Secondly, this study assists in the identification and the
recognition of spirituality principles and their source, in oneself and others. Third, this study
established the purpose of cognitively choosing to employ these principles while having a
functional understanding of possible effects, positive and/or negative, on educational leadership.
Fourth, this research contributes to the literature by adding to the minimal understanding that
existed about the lives of educational leaders that chose to lead through spirituality. Such
6
contribution serves to encourage other researchers to approach this topic in meaningful ways so
as to reveal otherwise muted discourses. Lastly, but equally as important, this study serves as an
indication of the significance that spirituality and spirituality principles play in the lives of
educational leaders. This research may impact the training and development of future public
school educational leaders to the extent that it could find a permanent place in future educational
leadership preparation programs.
Definitions
For the purpose of this study, the following terms are defined.
Principals
Current or retired public school leaders responsible for overseeing, managing, and
instructionally leading a campus.
Spirituality
A human being’s unique relationship to that which is perceived, by the individual, to be Divine-
-- beyond the bodily senses, time and the material world.
Spirituality Principles
The following eight spiritual principles defined below are presented as written by Houston and
Sokolow (2002). Upon careful review and synthesis of the empirical literature, the principles
proved to be aligned with the reasons educational leaders cite as choosing to lead with spirit.
The researcher used these principles as a theoretical framework, to discern evidence of them
being utilized, and to determine the influence of their implementation.
The Principle of Intention
We all affect eternity by our thought patterns, our words
7
and our deeds. They emit energy fields that contribute to

the fabric that is woven into the unfolding pattern of life.
What we think, say and do always has a crucial underlying
element, which is our intention or intended purpose. Our
intention can be expressed in countless ways, but the better
we know ourselves the more aware we can be of our own
true intentions. The more our intentions are aligned with
our inner being and our life’s purposes, the happier and
more fulfilled we are.
Intention also serves as a powerful force in attracting

people; material resources and other energies that can help
us transform our intentions into reality. Enlightened
leaders are aware of their intentions and naturally focus
them on serving others rather than themselves.
The Principle of Attention
We all have the same 24-hour day to fill. How do we

choose to spend that time? We continually make choices
about the amount of time we will spend thinking, doing
and being as well as what we focus on. Some people or
tasks demand our attention while other aspects of our
attention are like discretionary income, to be spent as we
wish.
Enlightened leaders have insights that guide them in

deciding where best to turn their attention. They tend to
pay attention to the right things and do so for the right
reasons. Our attention is powerful because it serves as a
magnet that attracts others and helps us collectively align
our energies. What we attend to shapes what we create,
and what we create helps shape our reality.
The Principle of Our Unique Gifts
Each of us is blessed with unique gifts and talents. We are

each a piece in a three-dimensional puzzle of life, striving
to figure out where we fit. And just like a puzzle, life is
incomplete without us. Each of us is important to the
8
whole. Enlightened leaders help others see the contours of

their lives so they can see how they can best contribute to
the whole.
Enlightened leaders strive to help others identify their own

gifts and talents and then cultivate them, helping them find
their place in the puzzle. Some enlightened leaders may
even see the gifts that others have before they themselves
are aware of them. When we recognize our own unique
gifts, we want to share them with the world. Enlightened
leaders facilitate this process.
We are continually given the opportunity to learn and to

grow and to manifest the gifts that we have been given.
We also can gain insight into our unique gifts and talents
by reflecting on our life experiences and connecting with
our divine spark, our higher or true self. Enlightened
leaders are aware of this process and are ever alert to the
opportunity to shine light on the potential in others.
The Principle of Gratitude
It has been said that you cannot be too rich or too thin.
That is certainly debatable, but I would argue that you
cannot be too grateful. Enlightened leaders are grateful to
the people around them and to life itself for the countless
gifts they have been given. They have an “attitude of
gratitude” and show it both internally and externally.
Gratitude is not just a feeling. It is a form of energy.

Gratitude begets gratitude. The energy of gratitude has the
power to attract and empower. We know that when we
appreciate others, they are more likely to appreciate us
and, similarly, when we appreciate the unique gifts of
others, they are more likely to appreciate our unique gifts.
Gratitude and appreciation are among those special things

that you can give away but still possess. Enlightened
leaders abound with gratitude for the honor of serving
others.
9
The Principle of Our Unique Life Lessons
Life is a series of unfolding lessons that enable us to grow

and become our best selves. Embedded in the challenges
and vicissitudes of life are opportunities for growth and
self-expression. Enlightened leaders look at the events
around them and the challenges they are confronting not
only with an eye toward meeting those challenges, but also
searching within themselves for the life-lessons embedded
in their experiences.
The universe almost demands that we pay attention to

what can change our lives. If we understand and appreciate
the lesson, our reward is usually another lesson, for each
lesson becomes a stairway to the next. If we ignore the
important lessons that come to us, they often escalate into
a more difficult form.
Enlightened leaders not only contend with their own

lessons but also help others identify and work through
their lessons as well. Enlightened leaders try to look for
the silver lining within every cloud and see life’s lessons
as an opportunity for growth and self-expression for
themselves and others.
The Principle of a Holistic Perspective
A spiritual truth for people and organizations, indeed the

universe, is that the parts affect the whole and the whole
affects the parts. Since we are part of the whole, it is in our
own enlightened self-interest to devote our vision, energy
and gifts to shape the world that is unfolding.
We are complex beings comprised of mind, body and

spirit. For our best selves to emerge, we must nurture and
balance these three aspects. Enlightened leaders nurture
and balance these characteristics in themselves and in
others. They see the mysterious interconnectedness of
everything in the universe and seek to understand how the
parts of any system affect each other.
10
Enlightened leaders know that what we think, say, and do

affects the universe and what affects the universe affects
us. They know that for any system to operate effectively
and efficiently, all of the parts must be able to work well
and work well together.
Enlightened leaders help others recognize that they are

part of something that is larger than themselves, but also
that every part is vital and important to the success of the
whole.
The Principle of Openness
Enlightened leaders appreciate openness in themselves and

others. They try to be open to all aspects of themselves, to
their environment, to the divine aspects of other people
and to the divine.
The universe is pulsating with limitless information. It

comes to us at conscious and unconscious levels in direct
and indirect ways. Information comes through our senses,
through our dreams and intuition, through synchronicity
and through divine sources. Are we receptive to this
information? Do we take advantage of it? We must
struggle with forces such as fear, illness and stress that
push us to be closed rather than open.
Enlightened leaders work not only at hearing their own

inner voice, but also hearing the voices of others. Through
wisdom, enlightened leaders learn to discern which voices
and which information carry the highest truths and which
carry lesser truths or untruths. It is not easy because
sometimes the truth is unpleasant or painful or it means we
have more work to do, but enlightened leaders continually
work at being open to divine guidance to pursue the
highest good.
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The Principle of Trust
Trust is an essential principle for enlightened leaders—a

principle that must begin within us. First, we must learn to
trust ourselves and to be trustworthy. Then we have to
learn to trust others and to give trust to others as a gift.
Last, we must learn to trust the universe and to trust the
divine.
However, trusting ourselves is not always easy. Trust must

be tempered by wisdom to avoid trusting the wrong people
or to protect against people betraying our trust. We trust
leaders who are authentic, leaders whose walk is aligned
with their talk. We trust people who do what they say and
say what they really do.
Trust allows people to learn and grow although they may

err along the way. Trust means living our integrity and
respecting the integrity in others. Enlightened leaders tend
to trust more so than not and, when in doubt, they are more
likely to choose to trust rather than choose not to trust.
Overview of the Study
This exploratory case study is organized into five chapters. Chapter I contains the
introduction and the statement of the problem, purpose of the study, conceptual framework, the
research questions to be answered, significance of the study, and the definitions used in the
study.
Chapter II presents a review of the literature focusing primarily on spirituality as it
relates to educational leadership. It also recognizes the growing body of literature pertaining to
spirituality that simultaneously exists in other fields. The different strands specifically
addressed are spirituality; spirituality in other fields; spirituality in educational leadership; and
the methods previously utilized to study examine spirituality in educational leadership.
12
Chapter III describes the methodology, purpose of the study and research questions, the
research design, rationale, and context of the study, data sources, data collection methods, and
data analysis used in the study. The chapter also provides a brief reference to the context of the
researcher before ending with information addressing the trustworthiness of the study.
Chapter IV presents an analysis and a discussion of the data starting with the participant
profiles followed by the findings as they pertain to each of the three research questions.
Chapter V provides the conclusions, a visual of the Spiritual Filter (SF), limitations,
implications for practice and suggestions for future research.
CHAPTER II.
REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE
This literature review focuses primarily on spirituality and how it relates to educational
leadership. Also included is the growing body of literature pertaining to spirituality that
simultaneously exists in other fields.
Specifically, the review of the literature is reported in the areas of: 1) spirituality; 2)
spirituality in fields other than education 3) spirituality in educational leadership; 4) and
previous studies on spirituality in educational leadership.
Spirituality
Spirituality is a mysterious and tender thing, about which we can speak only with
difficulty.--Karl Rahner
13
Relationship to Religion
A group of researchers observed that addressing spiritual matters in public schools is often
confused with religion, which causes consternation (Holmes-Ponder, Ponder, and Bell, 1999;
Shields, 2005). Many educational leaders tend to equate things spiritual with “religiosity” (Yob,
1994), rather than having any connection to conjoining head and heart or revising previously
held beliefs or shifting paradigms of thought. Consequently, discussion about the relationship
between spirituality and educational leadership is either avoided or ignored. “We relegate
spirituality to churches, temples, and mosques—for those who still attend them. We shun it at
work” (Bolman & Deal, 2001, p.43). The avoidance of spiritual discourses within the confines
of public education may be grounded by fears that the taut line separating church from state will
somehow begin to loosen (Capper & Keyes, 1999). The separation of church and state is a
principle derived from the First Amendment to the United States Constitution that tends to hold
both legal and political implications. It reads, "Congress shall make no law respecting an
establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof . . ." The intent of the principle
is to prevent imposition of one set of religious belief on people. It also serves to guarantee that
people are free to choose whether or not to hold, express or practice religion.
Starratt (1999) believes that there is room for a secular spirituality which, espousing the
knowledge gained through the sciences, seeks societal millenarianism as its path (p.12-13). In
the post modern era, Starratt suggests that a spirituality will emerge naturally which will reflect
the plurality of spiritualities already in existence and enhance the public life of the human and
14
natural community (p. 20). This indicates that academic discussion that includes spirituality in
the work of school leaders may emerge.
According to Vaill, we must “rethink the boundary between the secular and the sacred,
between the natural and the transcendental” by encouraging leadership that embodies
humankind’s highest aspirations and life meaning (Vaill, 1998, p.5). Educational theorists seem
comfortable with the same demarcation between spirituality and religion noted in organizational
literature: spiritual experiences –life-driving purpose, meaning and valuing, and deep
connections to the larger world—transcend religions and can be a legitimate part of professional
dialogue in the public school arena (Conger, 1994).
Rogers and Dantley (2001) dichotomize spirituality and religion by categorizing the
former as an inward practice or experience, and the latter as a possible choice for an outward
expression of that inner experience. They indicate that “spirituality is distinct from religion.
Organized religion is an outward, public process; spirituality is an internal, private one” (p.591).
On the same topic, Houston (2002) adds, “religion gives us a rubric for working with the deity,
while spirituality is the energy that connects us to the deity.” Spiritual understanding and
practice can be considered distinct from the practice of religion, with the latter viewed as a
vehicle some individuals utilize to inform and celebrate their spirituality (Rogers & Dantley,
2001). To mitigate the religious connotations inherent in the term spirituality, Michael Fullan
chooses the euphemism, moral purpose writ large, to label “principled behavior connected to
something greater than ourselves that relates to human and social development” (Fullan, 2002).
A central theme in the literature is that definitions and practices of spirituality are
multiple and personally determined (Bhindi & Duignan, 1997; Capper et al., 2002; Fullan, 2002;
15
Hooper Atlas, 2002; Mitroff & Denton, 1999; Rezach, 2002; Rogers & Dantley, 2001; Hunter &
Solomon, 2002; Yoder, 1998). Spirituality has been defined as: the state of being aware of, and
in touch with, some transcendent (intangible) concept and a connectedness to worldly (tangible)
things. Spirituality is a way of being and experiencing that comes from an awareness of a
transcendent dimension to life and an awareness of connectedness in regard to self, others, and
the external environment (Twigg et al., 2004).
Regardless of the foregoing perspectives presented about spirituality, a universal
definition of spirituality has not been established (Doetzel, 2004, p.48). Nevertheless, it is
important to address the certitude that there exist many typologies in the realm of spirituality.
Three of those typologies include religious, secular, and the metaphysical.
Religious- Religion has been defined as a belief and attitude. When applying the
religious typology, one may attempt to describe a connection with God.
Secular- In this framework, one may search for a meaning of experiences (or work)
outside of a religious view (Paloutzian, 1997) or fulfillment (Frankl, 1975; King & Nicol, 1999).
Metaphysical-Defined as a belief in a force or thing greater than oneself (Witmer, 1989).
According to Ray (1992) , spirituality in the emerging paradigm does not refer to
religion but rather to the power of inner wisdom and authority and the connection and
wholeness in humanity (p.29). Religion is a man-made concept with all the idiosyncrasies,
fallacies, and ego that goes with things man-made. Spirituality, however, is a basic part of
being human (Twigg et al., 2004). Spirituality transcends religion (Banner, 1995). The notion
of spirituality as action is important here, and it may be useful to think about spirituality, not as
16
law, creed, formula, or ritual, but as a dynamic, and life-inspiring (the roots are the same) force
(Shields, 2005, p.239).
Multiple Interpretations
Mott-Thorton (1998) believes that it may be unwise to search for a definitive account of
spirituality, particularly given the multiplicity of often incompatible uses of the word (p.15). As
noted by Holmes (2003), “spirituality is a domain without a definition; spirituality is still
inchoate, not yet having developed language” (pp.2-3). Parker Palmer (1998c) carefully delimits
his definition of spirituality to explicitly exclude creedal formulations, and relies instead on a
construct defined as an “ancient and abiding human quest for connectedness with something
larger and more trustworthy than our egos—with our own soul, with one another, with the
worlds of history and nature, with the invisible winds of the spirit, with the mystery of being
alive” (p.6). Others describe spirituality as seeking a deep appreciation for the depth and
expanse of life (Creswell, 1991, p.3).
Korac-Kakabadse et al. (2002) say spiritual leadership “is conceived by many as
awareness within individuals of a sense of connectedness that exists with their inner selves and
the world…. [and] cite that the essence of leadership stems from the leader’s soul, rather than
from his/her behavior” (p.173).
Houston & Sokolow (2006) elaborate further and reveal that:
Spirituality is an unseen force that is both part of

humankind and at the same time greater than humankind.
It’s the force through which all people are connected, the
great force that no one can completely understand even
though most people recognize it in their lives in some
form. And it’s the connection between us as human
17
beings, the connection between us and Nature, and the

connection between us and the Divine, whatever you
choose to call the Divine, be it God, or Jesus, or Buddha,
or Adonai, or Allah, or Source, or the Universe. And
spirituality is also a way of behaving toward each other.
It’s a way of being human, a blueprint for fulfilling your
human potential and the potential for humanity at its best.
As you move further away from spirituality, you are at
your worst; you are less human, less connected, and less
fulfilled. Conversely, as you move toward it, you are more
human, more humane, more connected, and more fulfilled
(p. xxiv).
Spirituality, therefore, transcends beyond normal notions of religion. It can exist within a
religious context in the form of a relationship with God, can take the form of a search for the
meaning of experiences (secular), or simply can be the belief in a force greater than oneself
(metaphysical). It is, in essence, a connectedness with oneself and with the surrounding world.
This connectivity is what makes us human; we constantly interface with our own spirituality
whether we are aware of it or not.
Spirituality in Fields Other Than Education
In both industrial and education settings, the management theorists observe a spiritual
vacuity that threatens both the productivity and the humanity of the workplace (Lyon, 2004,
p.17). However, society is at an evolutionary place and time where spirituality is emerging
across a wide range of venues: biology, physics, game theory, evolutionary psychology,
business, management, adult education, popular books, magazines, education, leadership theory,
and now educational leadership (Fullan, 2001; Ridley, 1996; Sober & Wilson, 1998). This
emergence has resulted in meaningful and documented discussions of spirituality in those
workplaces.
18
This study was conducted at a time when spirituality “is being discussed and re-
evaluated in business organizations, medical schools and now in the reform of schools.
Spiritual and holistic values are inspiring and guiding the work and quality of life sought by
many institutions” (Vicari, 2003).
The ascendancy of the workplace as a primary source of community, and employees’
inability to satisfy their needs for connection and contribution elsewhere, combine to provide
the opportunity for spiritually focused leadership in workplaces (Lyon, 2004, p. 18). Because of
the communal nature of today’s workplace and the needs of the members of that workplace,
many are calling for leadership that will embrace and nurture the spiritual dimension of today’s
organizations (Bhindi & Duignan, 1997; Conger, 1994; Fairholm, 1996; Rogers & Dantley,
2001; Vaill, 1998; Wheatley, 1994).
Mitroff and Denton (1999) provided the first empirical study of spirituality in the
workplace. Their work shows how one can harness the spiritual energy at everyone’s core and
outlines solutions for revitalizing that energy in organizations. Mitroff and Denton (1999)
found that although most managers and executives have strong spiritual beliefs, few felt they
could act on those beliefs at work. Spirituality simply was not discussed even though company
performance was demonstrably higher in companies that held spiritual values (Vicari, 2003, p.
59).
One area of public service that has recently expressed a vested interest in spirituality is
the area of medicine. The link between medicine and spirituality has existed as far back as the
time of Socrates. In fact, Socrates was the first to introduce the idea of holistic health, in the
fourth century BC when he said, “the part can never be well unless the whole is well”
19
(Pinekinstein, 1998). Vicari (2003) recounts that the division arose between medicine and
religion as a consequence of the disputes over church authority and the rise of experimental
science. She goes to add that for 200 years, science and religion battled for authority in the
public eye, and, according to most accounts, science won (p.3).
Recently, however, the scientific communities of biology, physics, and medicine are
noting the unifying of science and spirituality (Miller, 1997; Polkinghorne, 1996; Schroeder,
2001; Chopra, 2000, 2002; Gould, 2003). Today, arguments for the significance of spirituality
in medicine have become more common, prominent, and accepted. Medical scientists realize
the limits of the mechanistic model of the human being (Chopra, 1989; Dossey, 1993; Siegal,
1989). The idea of treating the “whole” patient has resulted in physicians beginning to redirect
attitudes toward their patients, and toward the settings in which they treat their patients, as they
seek to establish a therapeutic community (Vicari, 2003, p.4).
Current medical research and clinical evidence validates the interconnection of the
mind, body, and spirit (Vicari, 2003). The power of mind/body mechanisms has been examined
and measured in virtually thousands of drug studies through the use of placebos (Benson, 1975).
Treating the whole person extends to the physician himself in the sense that “…every physician
has to have as a central part of his practice: self-awareness, relaxation/meditation, nutrition, and
exercise” (Gordon, 1996, p. 9).
It is these very kinds of studies that have provided the greatest scientific support for the
correlation between mind and body. Benson (1975) stated: “There is evidence from scientific
studies that two physical systems, the nervous system and the immune system control the
possible pathways on the subject of mind body connection” (p.12). Studies of stress in this field
20
highlight a definite relationship between the immune changes and psychological factors (Ruff,
Hill, & Pert, 1986; Selye, 1974). Other studies have also shown that meditation can generate a
deep sense of well being that may be healing to the mind, emotions, and body (Benson,
Marzetta, & Rosner, 1973).
Vicari (2003) noted that medicine and education share a history of reductionistic
thinking and the realization that such thinking is no longer adequate. Just as good medicine is
not simply about information, so good teaching is not simply about technique. Both medicine
and education now seek more holistic practices in their professional disciplines (p. 8).
Spiritual care is not a luxury for a few; it is the essential right of every being, as essential
as political liberty, medical assistance, and equality of opportunity. A real democratic ideal
would include knowledgeable spiritual care for everyone (Rinpoche, 1993, p. 209). Roger
Soder makes the case that spiritual leadership is about making connections and about the way
we engage others in our lives and in our work (2002).
Educational leaders show their spirituality in the way they care for, empower, reverence,
and collaborate with teachers and students as they mutually engage in the work of the school
(Starratt, 2005, xiii). The intent of adding this [spirituality] perspective into the educational
leadership discourse is to provide a vehicle for inculcating meaning and understanding,
conscientization, values, and principles in the dynamic of schooling (Dantley, 2003c, p.289).
Spirituality in Educational Leadership
With the increasing awareness of spirituality in the public school setting, several
prominent journals have devoted significant attention to the topic. The December
1998/January1999, issue of the Association for Supervision and Curriculum’s Educational

21
Leadership journal was devoted entirely to spirituality in education. Invited articles by
celebrated authors were featured in that journal and discussed such topics as the natural
presence of a spiritual dimension to teaching and learning (Halford, 1998; Suthor, 1998),
considerations for curricular enhancements and enhanced instructional approaches to nurture
students’ spiritual growth in schools (Kessler, 1998; Oladele, 1998; Palmer, 1998b) and how the
spiritual growth of students can be fostered without violating the Establishment Clause of the
United States Constitution (Baer & Carper, 1998; Haynes, 1998; Scherer, 1998). The September
2002, issue of The School Administrator included nine essays written by scholars, authors, and
established practitioners that challenged educational leaders to contemplate the role of
spirituality in schools and school leadership (Chopra, 2002; Fullan, 2002; Hoyle, 2002a;
Kessler, 2002; Soder, 2002; Sokolow, 2002; Stokley, 2002; Wheatley, 2002). These two issues
of well-circulated journals indicate a strong interest in spirituality.
Separation of Church and State
The Establishment Clause of the First Amendment states “Congress shall make no law
respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.” The writers of
the Constitution thought was that by including this clause in the Constitution, the government
would be prevented from formally endorsing a church and creating the same situation that was
present in European countries at the time, engendering religious persecution and infringing upon
personal freedom. The centuries-long struggle between the legitimacy of different religions, and
the bloodbaths that ensued, have caused a fear of religion sponsored by a government and have
resulted in the strong advocacy for a complete separation of church and state and staunch
protection of the freedom of religion (Roan, 2003).
22
Austin Cline (1998) writes that religion is a particularly contentious issue in education
because some believe that the lack of it promotes atheism and secularism, which in turn leads to
a decline in morality and performance. On the other hand, the existence of religion in schools is
perceived as infringement upon the religious freedom of the students receiving the education.
John Long (2005) pointed out that all students in public schools should be afforded an
environment free of discrimination so that they may participate freely in religious activities.
Thus, school officials should not use a claim of freedom of religion as a shield of discrimination
(p.42). Long further states “this means that the educator who means to exercise his or her
educational leadership on behalf of spirituality must understand that the dynamics of the
situation are likely to be political, too, not just legal” (p.46). As difficult as it is to discern the
fine line of where the rights of one individual ends and another’s begin, it is expected that
school officials not cross the line. As Broudy (1965) reminded educators many years ago: The
public will never quite permit the educational administrator the moral latitude it affords some of
its servants. For to statesmen and soldiers men entrust their lives and fortunes, but to the
schools they entrust their precarious hold on humanity itself (p.52).
The assumed relationship between spirituality and religion therefore continues to fuel the
fire of whether or not spirituality has a place in the praxis of educational leadership. Many
people feel that spirituality automatically connotes religion. However, it is important to
understand the critical distinction of the two terms in order to understand why spirituality is so
important in educational leadership. Paul Houston (2002) describes religion as specific and
spirituality as generic. Thompson (2005) was analytically perceptive in his proclamation that it
is helpful in this context to distinguish spirituality from institutional religion, the former
23
transcending denominational doctrine and practice. What flows through the world’s diversity of
religions and in the hearts and souls of spiritual leaders and practitioners is the spiritual energy
that awakens consciousness to deeper levels of experience, purpose, values, and meaning (p.1).
There is a growing perception that separates the two terms and enabling increased
support and acceptance of spirituality and educational leadership. Accumulating research
indicates support for comments such as, “the spirituality of leadership is the way a leader is
present to the people she or he works with and to the deep realities of the work they share in
common” (Starratt, 2005,p. xii. ). Vaill (1998) contends that true leadership is spiritual
leadership. Houston repeatedly asserts that spiritual leaders lead from within and they must
know themselves and have a sense of purpose and connection to the infinite.
Managerial Approach
The emergence of spirituality in educational leadership stands in contrast to the
prevailing view that school administrators should be effective managers. Whereas leadership
preparation programs often exclude the spiritual aspect of leadership, literature and practices are
emerging that document the distinction, role and effectiveness of spiritual leadership versus
traditional management.
The available literature on the managerial approach to educational leadership
demonstrates that the main distinction between managers and leaders is the way in which they
interface with their team. While managers approach people in an efficient manner that
emphasizes control over people and an eye on the bottom line, leaders “inspire trust” and
visualize the larger picture (Bennis, 1997). In addition, while managers are more task-oriented,
leaders focus on people and focus on a more human approach. In an analysis of mistakes made
24
by leaders, Clete Bulach (1998) found that most centered on poor human relation skills, poor
interpersonal and communication skills, a lack of ethics or character, and a lack of vision.
Similarly, positivist ideology draws from the same effective and efficient approach as
does managerial leadership. According to Brunswick (1929) the main features of positivism are
an insistence on a scientific approach to the human, as well as the natural, world and a tendency
to organize and classify, in particular the developmental stages of the sciences and of human
thought in general. Positivist notions emphasize the use of logic and practice over what is ideal.
The positivist philosophy does not allow for consideration of ideas outside of what is scientific
or concrete, limiting an individual’s capacity to be creative and innovative in the way that they
interface with other people. The field of educational leadership must not be disheartened by
these positivist notions that may act as barriers to the spiritual dimension of what schools and
classrooms should be like. Dantley (2002) concludes that the positivist frame assumes that the
affective and even spiritual dimensions of people in public spheres are best left ignored and
illegitimated. To deny their presence, however, disregards elemental parts of the human
experience and compels us to see ourselves as being compartmentalized, disparate, and
disjointed (p.350).
According to Kofman and Senge ( 1995), a core leadership paradox lies in the fact that
action is critical, but the action we need can spring only from a reflective territory that includes
not only cognition and theory but body, emotions, and spirit as well (p.17). Porrat (1985)
asserts one who pursues a leadership position needs to be willing to grow, to be open-minded,
and interested in new educational models. Spirituality is one of those models. The pressures
and demands placed on educational leaders are causing leaders to hunt frantically for meaning,
25
hope, and inspiration. Even though leaders are instructed to separate their home and work lives,
can that truly be accomplished? When we bifurcate life from work--when we isolate our
humanness or spirituality –we give rise to a shadow self exemplified in “dog-eat-dog” cutthroat
competition (Fairholm, 2000). Is that really the climate we want to create in the field of
educational leadership? While the empirical literature on spirituality is growing, it is a topic
that is approached apprehensively; however, avoiding the topic seems ill advised given its
recent emergence in education, educational leadership, and leadership in general (Capper &
Keyes, 1999).
Leadership based solely on technical or rational authority elevates logic and research,
facts and objective evidence, over values, preferences, and beliefs (Lyon, 2004, p.15).
Therefore, compartmentalizing spirituality and leaving it outside the door becomes absurd.
Spirituality is part of who individuals are. It is carried within people wherever they go, and it is
manifested in whatever they do and in their relationships with others. A genuine and profound
spirituality not only creates a vision, but also empowers and energizes educational leaders (Ruiz,
2005, p.144).
It is understood that change in educational leadership must include teachers, parents, and
communities (Fullan, 1993; Glickman, 1993; Harrison, Killion, & Mitchell, 1989; Kanter, Stein,
& Jick, 1992; Lewis, 1989). It is important to note that the growing body of literature
advocating a place for the spiritual in our schools, is research largely focused on teacher praxis
and curriculum issues. While these issues have important implications for administrators in
educational institutions, there currently exists a paucity of empirical research literature which
26
explores how spirituality and spiritual belief is manifest in the professional lives of educational
administrators (Mac Neil, 2005, p. 39).
Social Justice through Education and Spirituality
The Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) was first enacted in 1965 as part
of Lyndon Johnson's War on Poverty to address the educational needs of the nation's neediest
children. The federal share of total revenues for the elementary and secondary schools peaked in
the late 1980s at 12% and today is 7.7%. States and local school districts have retained control
over the vast majority of education funding and policies throughout that time (Kennedy, 2002).
The Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) is widely viewed as an instrument to
promote social justice through its focus on equal educational opportunity. Unfortunately,
because of its top-down command-and-control approach, and because of the issues surrounding
the prescription of federal policy at the local level, it is very difficult to ensure that individual
schools are actually complying with ESEA, and that youth are getting the educational
opportunities that they deserve (Miller/McKeon, 2007). This top-down structure reflects
positive and managerial notions of leadership and results in lost opportunities for improved
achievement for students.
Fortunately, research literature describes the growing interest in spiritual leadership in an
effort to build leadership that will aid in the forty year old promise of closing the achievement
gap between the rich and the poor, a gap that over forty years ago has only widened ( Amerein
& Berliner, 2002; Brubaker & Coble, 2005; Fullan, 2002, 2003; Houston, 2002; Purpel &
McLaurin, 2004; Soder, 2002; Sokolow, 2002; Wheatley, 2002).
27
If we are to keep leaders in our schools to accomplish the task of closing the gaps, there
must also be a change in preparation programs. Preparation programs must address the role of
spirituality in the lives of our future leaders if we are to retain them in the field of educational
leadership. The topic deserves the attention if it can assist leaders to perform at their highest
levels. Within the framework of Maslow (1943, 1968, 1971), Kohlberg (1981), and Fowler
(1995), the spiritual aspect of leadership is addressed at the highest stages of each theory.
Spirituality in leadership, particularly as it pertains to moral development, is an area of
controversy in education. Psychologist Lawrence Kohlberg (1981) for instance, argued against
the idea that moral development should be a part of an educator’s curriculum. He stated that
there is no consensus in society as to what moral values should be taught, and even if there
were, people would still interpret matters differently. He instead proposed that the acquisition of
moral values should be developmental processes in which people can “organize their
understanding of virtues, rules, and norms, integrating them into a moral choice” (Power,
Higgins, & Kohlberg, 1989). Kohlberg relied on the morality of justice and rights, which
emerged from individual analysis of what is right and wrong in certain situations.
Carol Gilligan (1982) by contrast, espouses the morality of care which arises from
interconnectedness with people. Although her research was originally based on the premise that
males were predisposed to a morality of justice and women to a morality of care, further
research has shown that morality is not divided along gender lines and that both males and
females in fact practice both morality of justice and of care. While the gender debate remains
unsettled, this research has brought to the fore that care is an integral part of morality. This last
28
idea has gained prominence in education, leading to an emphasis on empathy and care in the
responses educators have toward students.
Essentially, in order to ensure that our educational system is serving the needs of all
youth and that social justice is being served, Noddings argues that it is necessary to have
educational leaders that are in touch with their inner spirituality. Having this spiritual awareness
allows the leader to focus on their interactions with students, making them more effective
educators through their genuine concern for the learning of youth (Noddings, 1992).
The time and effort invested in the nurturing of the spirituality of our educational leaders
is well spent when we understand that “If any single catalyst in an organization is likely to bring
about a spiritual presence into the workplace, it is the leader” (Conger, 1994, p.6).
Agreement on the need to nurture the spirituality of educational leaders is reflected in
the work of Steiner, who developed a spiritual method and approach in the Waldorf Schools
between 1919 and 1924 (one of the fastest growing independent school movements in the world
at that time]) as well as a number of key educators who all have contributed to laying a
foundation for spirituality in education such as Gardner, Goleman, Noddings, Miller, and
Palmer (Vicari, 2003, p.42).
Educational leadership is in the process of altering and expanding its scope in order to
tackle the complex issues of spirituality that are challenging life in the 21st century (Gardner,
1999; Miller, 2000; Palmer, 1998). Theodore Creighton (1999) calls for the purposeful
inclusion of morality and spirituality in educational leadership programs arguing that although
millions of training dollars are spent annually to develop many traditional and essential
29
managerial skills, more exploration is needed into particular values and beliefs which may be a
more appropriate grounding for our aspiring and practicing school leaders.
Dantley (2003) writes: “The field of educational leadership is being challenged to
consider a cacophony of voices that dispute the normative discourse of hierarchical and
bureaucratic syntax, empirical and positivist idioms, and expressions of efficiency and
productivity that have been borrowed from the classic business discourse. These new voices are
communicating a language of spirituality, liberatory praxis, and democratic dialogue.
Essentially, educational leadership is being challenged to engage in a broader conceptualization
of its purpose” (p. 182). The question arises as to whether or not educational leaders are within
their rights to lead spiritually. As long as educational leaders refrain from imposing their
personal belief systems upon subordinates, Lyon argues that spirituality is a legitimate source of
strength and guidance (Lyon, 2004, p.26).
Understanding spirituality in the practicing educational leader is another area that has
received the attention of educational researchers. Although studies identifying specific
principles have been very limited, such studies have reported common characteristics found in
educational leaders that have actively chosen to lead through spirituality. Rogers and Dantley
(2001) discovered several common characteristics of a spiritual leader. These characteristics
include awareness of the interconnectedness of all life, emergence in reflective practice toward
authenticity, the belief of a higher power, the view that leadership is a service to others, and the
view that spiritual leaders create life-giving conditions that seek to promote the spiritual growth
of organizational members.
30
Keyes et al., (1999) found a similar set of commonalities: interconnectivity between the
authentic self, others, and the world; inwardness toward better understanding and acceptance of
an authentic self; a belief in a Higher Being or calling from which comes wisdom, guidance, and
strength. Yet another commonality has been expounded upon by Robert Terry (1993). Terry
writes: “To restrain leaders from employing leadership tools as manipulative devices,
leadership must be rooted in authentic being. Being undergirds doing. The current discussion
of spirituality as an issue for business does not seem to be propelled by concerns of personal
faith traditions or past faith. Rather, it seems to be aroused by the pervasive problem of
disconnection.” (p.261)
Today, emerging theories are moving away from technological and rational planning
models, toward cultural and collaborative approaches (Vicari, 2003, p.39). “We must talk with
ourselves and others if we are going to understand and improve our spiritual condition” (Vaill,
1998, p.229). Spirit shows itself “…in leaders who are not afraid to become teachers, creating a
hospitable space within which people can discover their connections to one another and to a
larger creation” (Wisely & Lynn, 1994, p.104).
Because spirituality is both an immanent and transcendent dynamic, it requires internal
and external cultivation to evolve (Doetzel, 2004, p. 230). One example of internal cultivation
can be described through inwardness. Within the context of inwardness, spiritual people find
their souls seeking to connect an authentic self in meaningful and relational ways to the outer
world, grounded by a desire to lead moral and ethical lives toward and with others (Beck, 1994;
Bhindi & Duignan, 1997; Bolman & Deal, 2001; Capper & Keyes, 1999a; Capper et al., 2002;
Capper, Keyes, & Theoharis, 1999b; Chopra, 2002; Colvin, 2002; Conger, 1994; Fullan, 2002;
31
Hooper Atlas, 2002; Houston, 2002; Kessler, 2002; Mitroff & Denton, 1999; Palmer, 1998a;
Rezach, 2002; Rogers & Dantley, 2001; Yoder, 1998).
When considering the attributes of effective leaders, studies concur that self-aware and
self-reflective leaders tend to be effective in the performance of their leadership role due to a
constant analysis of their individual and corporate shortcomings as well as strengths (Argyris,
1982; Davis, 1998; Schmeider & Cairns, 1996). Nancy Yoder used terms such as personal
development, personal growth, self-mastery, self-transformation, self-inquiry, and self-
discovery to describe the spiritual nature of the participants included in her study of the spiritual
dimension of educational leadership.
The spirituality dimension in educational leadership is found in those leaders who realize
the heavy investment in balancing personal identity and the meaning of life (Vicari, 2003, p.41).
A close inspection of this assumption revealed that “leaders must model the habits of self-
appraisal and reflection as they guide employees to meaningful introspection” (Lyon, 2004, p.
54). Hoyle (2002a) states that leaders ought to “rely on a power greater than yourself to guide
your vision” (p. 27). This theme of a relying on a Higher Being is consistent throughout all
spirituality literature; however, it is important to remember that “Spirituality is an unseen force
that is both part of humankind and at the same time greater than humankind. It’s the force
through which all people are connected, the great force that no one can completely understand
even though most people recognize it in their lives in some form. And it’s the connection
between us as human beings, the connection between us and Nature, and the connection
between us and the Divine, whatever you choose to call the Divine, be it God, or Jesus, or
Buddha, or Adonai, or Allah, or Source, or the Universe” (Sokolow & Houston, 2006, p.xiii).
32
The act of reflection with intentions of understanding the role of spirituality in self has
resulted in using spirituality as a source of motivation. Dantley (2004) stated: “Leaders who
use as a source of motivation their spiritual selves actually are the wherewithal to serve as
activists or public, transformative intellectuals who do not only articulate an agenda for the
radical reconstruction of schools but who then implement such an agenda. Spirituality dares to
ask the hard ontological and teleological inquiries that help people determine who they are and
what their contributions to life will be. It is the instrument in our lives through which we build
connectivity and community with others” (p.5). The same connectivity and community allows
for one of the greatest forms of service. This avenue of service leads us to what we do want and
need and that is “compassion and companionship on the demanding journey called life” (author
unknown). The spiritual journey is the journey that we must take, and inspire others to take, and
begins with ourselves but not necessarily by ourselves (Bolman & Deal, 1995).
Articulating aspects of spirituality in educational leadership introduces “secular sacred”
discourses that do not endorse a particular religion, but that promote teaching from both the
head and the heart (Beck, 1986). Furthermore, “until we approach the problem of caring enough
to lead with our hearts we can never be successful in educating children as we would like to be”
(Pellicer, 1999, p.95).
Leading with head and heart in balance with the notion of leading through service is easy
to grasp when it is understood that ultimately educational leaders have a “spiritual need to have
a sense of meaning, purpose, personal congruence and contribution” (Covey, 1994, p. 45).
Doetzel (2004) puts forth that her study along which other studies addressing spiritual
leadership could assist educators to recognize that a spiritual approach to leadership is an asset
33
that can introduce synergy into workplaces, and assist in cultivating a more humane productive
world.
Because of their caring nature, it would appear that spiritual leaders are less motivated
by power, fame and fortune, and more by the successful promotion of humanitarianism by
serving the interest of their followers and in developing a sense of community. The potent
legacy of a spiritual leader is his ability to develop goodwill, and to primarily achieve his goals
through faith. It is the reciprocity of this faith, a leader’s faith in his followers, which serves as
the anchor of goodwill toward others (Magnusen, 2001, p.113).
In terms of keeping the spirit alive in leaders, research continues to serve an important
role. As examples of one’s spoken and written language, discourses can be like gentle winds
that fan the sparks of spirituality within the leaders and illuminate their integrity (Fairclough,
1992; Fox, 1995). Spiritual leaders recognize that others have unique gifts and talents and that
by allowing their followers to assert their strength, is the leaders are giving them power. The
giving of power does not compromise the leaders’ role, for the leader understands that his/her
role in part is to help others grow. By incorporating spirituality in educational leadership, the
leader is not the center of power, but its steward and facilitator (Block, 1996, p.50).
According to Phillips (2000), “Spirituality is about making meaning and transcending
the mundane. Education is about discovering meaning and transforming consciousness.
Spirituality and education meet in the person of the teacher who is a light for others” (p.1).
“Educational administrators are fortunate in the fact their entire professional careers are devoted
to actualizing human potential” (Rebore, 2001, p.34).
34
Jeffrey Solomon and Jeremy Hunter have researched the psychological basis for spiritual
leadership. They have pointed out that those that lead through spirituality possess equanimity
and calm, establish genuine connections with those who work with them, provide a safe trusting
environment, and live in the moment by deemphasizing their own ego (2002). Calling for
spiritually-principled educational practices, Rachel Kessler (2000) writes: “When soul is
present in education, attention shifts…. [and] we listen with great care not only to what people
say but to the messages between the words—tones, gestures, the flicker of feeling across the
face. And then we concentrate on what has heart and meaning. The yearning, wonder, wisdom,
fear, and confusion of students become central to the curriculum. Questions become as
important as answers.” (p. x)
The spirituality of an educational leader is a spirituality that illuminates the challenging
human journey toward wisdom, community, and responsibility (Starratt, 2005, xiii). The
following passage eloquently and richly illustrates the necessity of spirituality in the praxis of
educational leaders:
Spirituality is the gift of being fully present, of listening,

and then acting with understanding and respect. Spiritual
leadership is a commitment to lead with the needs of the
individuals and the group in mind, to lead with humility,
kindness, and honesty. Spirituality ultimately defines our
commitment to lead, not out of self-interest, but with
absolute regard for the other. When we permit spirituality
to ground, guide, and shape our leadership, we will attend
deeply and alertly to the needs of others in the specifics of
their individuality and at the same time, to the good of the
community as a whole. When the educational enterprise
takes on the creation of spaces in which people’s lived
experiences are acknowledged, welcomed, and respected,
it has chosen a path towards creation rather than
fragmentation; to unifying heart, mind, and soul, rather
than dividing and separating them; to fostering wisdom
35
and judgment and not simply the transmission of

information. The vitality, the spirit the fire, flame, wind---
or whatever metaphor one chooses to represent the power
of spiritual leadership---will create a more vital, relevant,
meaningful, engaging, inclusive, caring, and just education
system. We believe this to be the goal of spiritual
leadership, one that may be most fully achieved when
education is imbued with spirituality, when we all
(educational leaders, teachers, and students) become more
fully present to the most profound realities of our lives
(Shields, 2005, p.239).
Previous Studies on Spirituality in Educational Leadership
A variety of different methodological approaches have been used to study spirituality.
The following discussion will reveal the results of the research done in eleven different
empirical studies conducted from 2001 through 2007. Of the eleven studies reported, nine of
the studies utilized a qualitative methodology, and two of them utilized a quantitative
methodology.
The qualitative studies were primarily exploratory and phenomenological case studies,
although several additional approaches were applied. Among the variances was one action
research inquiry, two studies employing inductive grounded theory, a narrative inquiry, and one
auto-ethnographic study. The number of participants in the qualitative studies ranged from two
through sixteen. The participants were primarily public school principals; however, some
participants were superintendents or assistant principals. The Terrazas (2005) study selected
leaders in higher education. Only the study by Ruiz (2005) included lead teachers in the study.
Data was collected in several different ways, including in-depth interviews, document
reviews, surveys, and direct observation. The primary data collection method for all eight
qualitative studies was individual interviews with each participant. However, the type of
36
interview ranged from emailed interviews (Doetzel, 2004) to face-to-face open-ended
interviews, and each interview ranged in duration from one to two hours each. With the
exception of the emailed interview, all interviews were audio-taped and then later transcribed.
Telephone interviews were only used in the Doetzel (2004) study to record an interview with a
participant that had not responded to the email interview, and also in the Schaid (2005) study as
a follow-up interview.
The studies by Pamela Miller (2002) and Sally Beth Lyon (2004) utilized a
survey/questionnaire. In the Lyon study, the questionnaire was intended to reveal individual
perceptions of special characteristics the principal exhibited in her leadership (p.98). The
questionnaire also included two extra questions at the end to allow for open-ended responses in
hopes of providing an avenue to report information that was not predicted in the literature about
spiritual leadership and also for “contrary or diverging” results.
Two of the studies conducted on-site observations. This method was utilized in the
study conducted by Sally Lyon (2004) who observed her main participants and the participants’
employees. Lyon’s study was the only study to include the principals’ employees input in the
data collection phase. In each case she included: (a) a written questionnaire, (b) a follow-up
interview with certain employees selected based on questionnaire responses, (c) field notes
taken by the researcher during a faculty meeting observation, (d) field notes taken by the
researcher during observation of small group, or team meetings, (e) observation of the public
behavior of employees during the course of several school days, and (f) document analyses of
several school documents. Lyon included these data sources both to ascertain the reflection of
37
spiritual leadership in the behavior and dispositions of the led, and to guard against reactivity to
the research topic by the principals (Lyon, 2004, p. 98).
On site observations were also performed by Rosalina Ruiz (2005). Her observations
were of the participant and included recording of conversations and interactions with students,
coworkers and parents to check for “congruence between spoken word and practice” (p. 39).
The Doetzel study was the only study that gathered data through web-page discussions
with her participants in which she acted as the virtual facilitator and monitor. Throughout the
process, the researcher aimed to reflect spiritual values by treating participants with dignity and
respect while assisting them to arrive at their own truths as related to the study (Doetzel, 2004,
p. 127). Doetzel used e-mail and a web page as the primary forms of communication with the
participants. Goddard and Foster (1999) pointed out that with e-mail, participants have the
chance to think over their response and edit them, thus eliminating the need to return transcripts
to participants for verification.
Doetzel goes on to describe that via e-mail, ten participants, who selected their own
pseudonyms, answered a core question related to the main literature theme: muted discourses
about spirituality in educational leadership, and were requested to submit a one-page (250 word)
response. Upon answering and posting their responses on the web page, they were encouraged
to read and respond to all other postings.
Two studies used document gathering as an approach to gathering data. According to
Hodder (1998) data obtained through documents unlike the spoken word endures physically and
thus can be separated across space and time from its author, producer, or user. Texts endure and
thus give historical insight (p. 704). The documents gathered ranged from e-mails, public
38
autobiographies, public records or items that represented unconventional expressions of
spirituality.
Lyon (2004) asked her participants to keep a journal in which all individuals recorded
their responses. She asked each participant to keep a journal over the duration of the study in
which he or she recorded reflections, ideas, and analyses of daily interactions with staff.
Additionally, she provided writing prompts on a periodic basis.
Sandra Vicari (2003), who conducted a quantitative study, contributed a creative
suggestion for future qualitative studies. She suggested having a retreat with the participant to
gather data. Due to the relational nature of spirituality, the idea of a retreat may illicit some very
interesting and noteworthy data.
Only two of the ten studies researched utilized a quantitative method. Vicari (2003)
conducted a quantitative study that included a theoretical framework based on issues of work,
leadership, and general concepts of spirituality. Her participants were selected using a
proportional stratified random sample. Her study included 107 participants of whom 103 were
female and 67 were male. Her data were collected through a 20- minute mailed survey. The
survey was created with two lines of focus in mind. The first focus was to incorporate a
theoretical framework that included issues of work, leadership, and general concepts of
spirituality. The second focus dealt with specific survey formulations. The pilot study survey
was based primarily on the work of Mitroff and Denton (1999). Permission was granted to
Vicari by Mitroff to use and revise the original instrument used in the “Meaning and the
Workplace” study by Mitroff and Denton in 1997. Analysis of Vicari’s work was completed
through a standard multiple-regression analysis to assess the relationship of scores on the
39
subscale of ‘workplace spirituality’ from six demographic variables and on subscale ‘district
climate’ (p.80).
The second study researched that used a quantitative study was a study by Charles
Bonner in 2007. Bonner started the study with a sampling frame of 501 districts in
Pennsylvania which were emailed through Penn*Link. Of the 1500 possible participants, 212
responded. A pre-notice was sent out to all possible participants that informed the receiver of a
10 minute, point and click survey that would be received in two days following receipt of the
pre-notice.
Bonner built a link on the software provided by FreeOnlineSurvey.com which directed
the user to the actual survey. According to Bonner (2007), the web-based software company,
FreeOnlineSurvey.com, offers a pay-for-use service which will remove all advertising, and in
turn will allow the page to download faster, making access easier for older computers. Bonner
analyzed the data by employing one-way ANOVAs with absolute and relative Leadership Type
treated as nominal level independent variables and questions relating to spirituality and
political/educational attitudes treated as interval level dependent variables (p.123).
In both studies, the findings were presented in a series of charts, tables, and graphs
followed by a section dedicated to the discussion of the findings and recommendations for
future research. In both studies, the researchers recommended that future studies focused on
leaders that lead through spirituality and their followers be approached through qualitative
methods.
The Atlas Ti computer program was one of the programs used for the qualitative
analysis of the data. Some of the analysis was collected through raw data, through on-line
40
interviews and the dialogues on the web page. Themes were cited to make connections to the
themes in existing literature and to point out new emerging themes, as suggested by Georgi
(1975).
NUD*IST software was used to analyze the interview transcripts and field notes in a
study conducted by Janette Anne Isaacson in 2001. The data were grouped according to
frequency, patterns, emerging themes, and constructs related to the research questions (Isaacson,
2001).
Reviews of recent studies confirm and expound upon the importance of the study of
spirituality and in educational leadership. The number of in-depth studies is, however, limited.
Overall the studies reviewed involved small numbers of participants and focused primarily on
spirituality from the Judeo-Christian perspective. Most of the researchers purposefully
structured their studies that way; unfortunately attempts to include non-religious or other
religious perspectives have been very limited in the literature. Several of the studies attempted
to separate the idea of religion and spirituality, but the majority of the participants still viewed
them as synonymous.
Interestingly, every single study mentioned the influence that spirituality has in the praxis of
educational leadership. The way the influence was described varied, but in all cases the
influence was related to very broad categories such as:
• Relationships with a Higher Being, others and self
• Sense of Mission
• Influence on the choice to become and remain an educational leader
• Influence in their work as leaders
41
Additionally, the realm of influence was limited to the participant, and in two cases, to the
participant’s employees or subordinates. In no case was the influence described in terms of
upward influence (i.e. the participants’ supervisor or superior). Nor was the influence ever
described in terms of a negative influence.
Furthermore, several studies alluded to the unasked therefore unanswered question of
whether or not the leader “walked the walk or just talked the talk.” This question was
approached by attempts to seek specific examples of enactment of spiritually centered practices
or principles. Unfortunately, the results were very broad and encompassed many competing
definitions and interpretations, specifically because the literature is extremely limited in
research citing specifically named actions or principles. Educational leaders therefore are left to
guess what leading through spirituality looks like. Miller (2002) recommended that future
research regarding the influence of spirituality in educational leadership refer to the specific
practices that reflect spiritually centered leadership.
The findings of recent empirical studies were centered on viewing leading through
spirituality as a new operational system for educational leaders. The table below provides a
look at the findings and emergent themes found in several of recent qualitative studies
mentioned above related to the topic of spirituality and educational leadership:
Author Year Title of Study Findings

Doetzel, Nancy 2004 Personal and Professional Spiritual 1. Cognitive awakenings and
Development: Ten Educational Leaders spiritual awakenings linked to
Share Experiences and Insights epistemological perspectives.
2. Paradigm shift in leadership
practices.
Hooper-Atlas, 2002 The Role of Spirituality in the Work of Findings resulted in five topics::
BL African-American Women Principals in 1. Feminist epistemology
Urban Schools 2. Experience as a criterion of
meaning
42
3. Use of dialogue for assessment

4. Ethic of care
5. Ethic of personal responsibility
Lyon, Sally Beth 2004 Spirituality and Public School Leadership Four Themes:
1. Soul
2. Inspiring others
3. Connectedness and shard
meaning
4. Commitment to transcendent
cause
MacNeil, Edward 2005 Spirituality in Educational Leadership: Emergent Themes:
Joseph Perspectives on Christian Beliefs and 1. Varied definitions of
Administrative Practice spirituality
2. Educational/Administrative
philosophy
3. Organizational Barriers
4. Administrative Practices
Miller, Pamela 2002 An Exploratory Study of the Ways Resulted in the identification of the
Principals Perceive that their Spirituality following characteristics:
Contributes to their Leadership 1. Altruism
2. Idealism
3. Relationships
4. Sense of mission
5. Influences
6. Self-reflection
7.
Ruiz, Rosalina 2005 Spiritual Dimension in Educational Concluded that spirituality affected
Leadership four primary areas:
1. accountability and compliance
2. curriculum and instruction,
3. planning and decision making
4. community involvement
Terrazas, 2005 Perspectives of Spirituality and its Need for leaders to address three
Leonardo Influence on Leadership in Higher areas:
Education 1. Inner-self
2. Interaction with others
3. Tasks and activities
Schaid, Timothy 2005 The Impact of Struggle on Spiritually- “Road Construction” Metaphor-New
Centered Educational Leaders and Their and unexplored routes to educational
Leadership leadership. Leaders may experience
unexpected “detours” leaving a sense
43
of helplessness and confusion.
44
CHAPTER III.
METHODOLOGY
Introduction
This chapter contains a restatement of the purpose and research questions.
Additionally, the chapter outlines the research design and procedures for identifying the
participants used in the study. The chapter also includes the process for data collection and
analysis and information regarding the trustworthiness of this study. The chapter concludes with
information regarding the context of the researcher, the context of the study, and participant
profiles.
Purpose of the Study
The purpose of this exploratory case study is to identify the role of spirituality in the
work of four public school principals. The study will investigate the evidence of spirituality in
the principals’ work as it relates to eight key principles presented in Houston and Sokolow’s
(2006), The Spiritual Dimension of Leadership.
Research Questions
spirituality?
45
Research Design
The research questions were explored through a qualitative methodology. More
specifically, the research project employed an exploratory case study approach. The case study
is not actually a data-gathering technique, but a methodological approach that incorporates a
number of data-gathering measures (Hamel, Dufour, & Fortin, 1993). The empirical benefit of
the case study method lies in its ability to open the way for discoveries (Shaughnessy &
Zechmeister, 1990). The use of the case study strategy allowed exploration of multiple views of
reality in a personal format (Merriam, 1998).
Rationale
The empirical benefit of the qualitative method lies in its ability to open the way for
discoveries (Shaughnessy & Zechmeister, 1990). However, the lived experiences of educational
leaders cannot be portrayed and comprehended through analyzing responses with reference to a
numerical scale (Goddard & Foster, 1999). Denzin and Lincoln (2000) remind qualitative
researchers to understand that research is an interactive process shaped by…[the researchers]
personal history, biography, gender, social class, race, and ethnicity,…[as well as]by those of
the people in the setting(p.6). Coupling this information with the fact that qualitative methods
would provide the researcher with the opportunity to enter the natural setting in a meaningful
way provides yet another consideration for choosing to use a qualitative method.
The researcher’s prior experience as a public school principal created a much engrained
worldview that included the understanding of the importance that relationships play in
leadership. Therefore, a methodology that seeks to better understand human behavior and
46
experience in order to grasp the processes by which people construct meaning and to describe
what those meanings are would be a better personal fit for the researcher.
Unlike scientific methods employed in quantitative research, qualitative researchers
typically enter the field with no hypotheses to test. They enter their research to inductively
affirm or extend existing theoretical perspectives, or to develop new theory (Schaid, 2005,
p.103). This study does not aim to test abstract theory but rather it aims to better understand
principals’ perspectives on leading through spirituality as it relates to eight specific spiritual
principles.
One of the strongest arguments to conduct this study through qualitative methodologies
is presented by a researcher that conducted a quantitative study of spirituality in leadership.
Vicari’s (2003) whose study contributed to the understanding of spirituality in educational
leadership, is cited as saying that the qualitative research of spirituality in leadership is clearly
warranted and necessary in order to pursue depth of meaning of the items identified as viable in
her [quantitative] study. She continues on to state that a qualitative study would enable the deep
exploration of important human dimensions now associated with both spirituality and leadership
where depth of feeling, interpersonal and intrapersonal aspects of intention, commitment,
purpose, vision, developmental changes over time, and leadership styles are all important.
Data Sources
Participant Selection
Purposive sampling was used to select the principals for this study. Using the type of
sampling allowed the researcher to strategically and purposefully select specific participants.
The sample to be studied was comprised of four public school principals nominated by
colleagues.
47
Nomination Process
Similar to the nomination process used by Pamela Miller (2005) colleagues were asked to
nominate public school principals that appear to lead through spirituality. The potential
nominators were given a general overview of spirituality and an explanation of the eight
spirituality principles to be used in the study. The following criteria were used to identify and
select nominating colleagues:
1. Is either a former or current leader at the national, state or local level of
public education
2. Is able to identify former or current principals that appear to lead or have
led through spirituality
3. Is able to nominate principals who are able and willing to articulate their
spirituality
4. Is able to identify principals with different experience levels, gender, age,
and race.
The responses received from the four nominators were used to generate a list of ten
possible participants. Once the list was generated, consideration was given to include a diverse
group of participants. Areas of consideration were age, race, ethnicity, years of experience,
gender, school demographics, and national geographic location. Individuals on the list of
possible participants were contacted by telephone or email to solicit possible interest in
participating in the study. Only one person contacted from the list was adamantly against
participating in the study. The reason he stated for declining to participate was the necessity of
separation of church and state. Other than the one negative response, the next four consecutive
48
phone calls to possible participants resulted in agreeing participants. Four principals were
selected.
Communication with Selected Participants
Once four prospective participants were selected, the researcher contacted each individual
by telephone, email, and/or US mail. At that time, the researcher provided a brief, verbal and/or
written explanation of the study. Upon agreement to participate, an information packet
containing the following items were mailed:
1. A letter of invitation, which served as an introduction
2. An informed consent form that met Texas Tech University’s research
requirements
3. The participant’s Initial Questionnaire
4. A summary that included information regarding the research topic and an
explanation that addressed the following elements:
a. Who the researcher is
b. What the researcher is doing and why
c. What the researcher will do with the results
d. How the study’s participants were selected
e. Any possible benefits and risks involved , if any, to the
participant
f. Assurance of confidentiality for sites and participants
g. Timeline that included the frequency and duration in
which the researcher engaged with the participant for data
collection
49
h. A request to use technology to record the
interviews/observations
The researcher then conducted a follow-up telephone call with each participant to ensure
that the packet was received and then answered any questions the participants had and recorded
comments received. Each participant then signed and returned the consent form via the provided
addressed stamped envelope.
Once all initial questionnaires were received from the four participants, the researcher
set up a listserv account with the email addresses of all of the participants. She sent an email to
all of the participants explaining that they could contact her through email at any time and that
the electronic communication through that account was also available to communicate with the
other participants. They were made aware that they could communicate anonymously if so
desired.
Data Collection Methods
Sequence of Data Collection
This qualitative case study utilized three different qualitative data collection methods: (1)
three interviews (2) one focus group interview and (3) document gathering.
Interviews
The interviewing required for this study involved much more than just asking questions.
Open-ended questions and probes were used to yield in-depth responses about the participants’
experiences, perceptions, opinions, feelings, and knowledge. Data consisted of verbatim
quotations with sufficient context to be interpretable.
50
Qualitative interviews appear similar to ordinary conversations in some ways, but they
differ in terms of how intensely the researcher listens to pick up on key words, phrases, and
ideas (Rubin & Rubin, 1995).
Dolbeare and Shuman (1982) designed a three interview series that was used as the
interview framework for this study. The first interview established the context of the
participants’ history with principalship and spirituality. The second interview allowed
participants to reconstruct the details of their experience in leading through spirituality within
the context in which it occurs. And the third interview encouraged the participants to reflect on
the meaning their experience holds for them.
A set of questions that worked in conjunction with the interview framework were
developed; however, because it was an open-ended interview and allowances were made for
variation. The questions were worded in an open-ended format to provide an opportunity for
more focused, in-depth responses.
The timeframe for conducting the first three interviews with each participant spanned a
period of four months, March through June, 2008. All twelve interviews (three per participant)
were done one- on -one and in person. The researcher allowed the participants to set the
schedule for the interviews and emailed the participants ahead of time to confirm all
appointments. Scheduling and rescheduling of appointments were facilitated through Outlook
calendar by the participants. Because the participants lived in different regions of the country,
adherence to original appointments was crucial. Only two of the twelve appointments required
rescheduling.
51
The interviews were set in the schools of the three practicing principals. The interviews
for the retired participant were conducted in the home of the participant. Each interview was
audio-taped and transcribed verbatim.
Focus group
Denzin and Lincoln (1994, p.365) state that Merton et al. coined the term "focus group" in
1956 to apply to a situation in which the interviewer asks group members very specific
questions about a topic after considerable research has already been completed. The focus
group session took place after all four participants had completed all three personal interviews
with the researcher. Because of the range of locations of the participants, one from Virginia, two
from Texas, and one from California, the following arrangements were made: the two
participants from Texas flew into Virginia the night before the focus group interview and the
participant from California joined the focus group via telephone the following morning. The
focus group interview was conducted in a neutral location in Washington, DC. The proceedings
of the focus group session were tape- recorded and transcribed verbatim.
Document Gathering
The literal value of personal documents as research data is frequently underestimated in
contemporary research texts and courses. In this study, three respondents used written materials
in the forms of an initial participant questionnaire, journal entries, and other personal artifacts
that the participants chose to share.
The Initial Questionnaire was sent with the introductory packet and covered a range of
personal and demographic information. The responses provided through the questionnaire were
used to generate a table of baseline data that the researcher then used to flesh out the participant
profiles used in the context chapter of this study.
52
Journal entries provided electronically or handwritten were also collected. The researcher
provided several journal prompts of which the participants were asked to choose and respond to
at least three. The participants were also provided the option of creating their own journal
prompt with the understanding that the prompts were to be explicitly based on the spiritual
principles. The participants were encouraged to contribute additional entries to the journal if
they felt so inclined. The data consisted of excerpts from documents captured in a way that
attempted to record and preserve context. It is the very fact that these documents do reflect the
subjective views and perceptions of their creators that makes them useful as data in a case study
(Berg, 2001).
Through the listserv that the researcher created for the use of this study, the participants
were able to submit and receive electronic communication with the researcher and the other
participants. The journals were the main source of electronic communication among the
participants. If the participant desired, he/she could ask the researcher to send the journal entry
anonymously to the other participants. Three of the four participants shared their electronic
journal entries with the other participants. The fourth participant submitted the journal entries by
hard copy, not electronically. That participant, however, did receive the shared electronic
journal entries from the other participants. The journals were shared anonymously among the
participants as they were generated. The sharing of the journal entries resulted in the
participants knowing each other better and being familiar with coined terms by the time of the
focus group interview (e.g. spiritual filter, Higher Being, rebel, etc.). Not all entries were
completed by the time of the focus group interview; however, there was no expectation that they
would be.
53
Two of the participants also submitted additional documents. One of them submitted
several documents received from various people in the school community. The documents
consisted of a letter from a former parent that had attached a copy of an essay her child wrote in
college describing his elementary school principal, a letter from an alternative school
administrator, and an email from his secretary describing her gratitude for his influence in the
lives of her and her family. The second participant submitted a copy of the spiritual principles
with several personal notes as they related to his own leadership style and a copy of a drawing
he had did in his early years as a school leader.
Data Analysis
Data Reduction
Relevant records and documents were then examined. Extensive field notes were collected
through interviews, focus group and document reviews. The voluminous raw data in these field
notes were organized into readable narrative descriptions with major themes, categories, and
illustrative case examples extracted through content analysis. It is understood that the themes,
patterns, understandings, and insights that emerged from the fieldwork and ensuing analysis was
the main product of this qualitative study. With technology playing such a major role in today’s
society, it was not feasible to consider undertaking the data analysis of a study like this without
the assistance of computers and computer software. Data in word processor files such as
transcripts of interviews, field notes and emails were imported into a computer program. Once
exported into the program, the researcher edited annotated, added and/or deleted units of text.
Open Coding and Thematic Units
Once gathered, the researcher stored, managed, interpreted, abstracted, and discovered ideas
about the data by coding. Due to the large amount of data that was gathered, a variety of tools
54
were considered for the actual analysis. The researcher followed a standard set of analytic
activities recommended by Berg (2001) arranged in a general order of sequence. First, the data
are collected and made into text (e.g., field notes, transcripts, etc.). Next, codes are analytically
developed or inductively identified in the data and affixed to sets of notes or transcript pages.
Codes were then reconstructed into categorical labels and/or themes. Materials were sorted by
the resulting categories, identifying similar phrases, patterns, relationships, and similarities and
differences. The sorted materials were scrutinized to abstract meaningful patterns and processes.
Finally, the identified patterns were considered in light of previous research and theories, and a
set of assertions and generalizations was constructed. Creswell (2007) designed a template for
in-depth coding that he recommends for use in multi-case studies (p.172). Presented below is a
visually modified version of that template. It was designed by the computer program to
facilitate the coding and analysis of the data collected for this study.
In-Depth Coding
Template
Case Context Case Within –Case Theme Analysis Assertions and

Description Analysis Generalizations
Principal #1 Principle #1-Intention Similarities

Gregoria
Principal #2 Principle #2-Attention Differences

Jaime
Principal #3 Principle #3-Unique

Sterling Gifts Themes
Principal #4 Principle #4-Gratitude

Yolanda Poe
Principle #5-Unique
Life Lessons
Principle #6-Holistic
Perspective
Principle #7-Openness
Principle #8-Trust
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Formal Data Analysis
Formal data analysis for this study was conducted simultaneously with data collection,
data interpretation, and narrative reporting writing. This task was accomplished by enlisting the
assistance of QSR’s N6. N6 is a version of the NUD*IST software for qualitative data analysis.
The software assisted in the organization of the data and allowed the researcher to append notes
and write memos as the study progressed. The researcher, however, first engaged in constant-
comparative analysis starting with the transcriptions of the interviews. Therefore, once the data
was collected and imported into the software, she was able to proceed to then organize the data
into themes and began drawing meaning from it. The researcher was also able to merge data
nodes and modify themes as the necessary. Even though the software assisted greatly with the
management of the data, it did and cannot do the actual analysis.
Once all documents were coded, the researcher then created a note card for each of the
themes generated and systematically approached the process of identifying relationships and
patterns. The resulting categories were then reviewed and rearranged several times to find
different possible explanatory schemas. Schemas for different relationships and patterns took
into account definition, compare and contrast, and cause and effect. The aim of the researcher
was to look at the data with a schema that portrayed originality, consistency and parallelism.
In analyzing and describing a case, the researcher set each case within its own setting. The
setting for all cases was broadly conceptualized in public schools, but the researcher narrowed
down the physical location and the demographics of the site. The case description contained the
facts about the case through a narrative description.
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Trustworthiness
The question of trustworthiness of the data and data analysis is addressed by applying
four different evaluative criteria. They are: 1) credibility 2) transferability 3) dependability
4) confirmability.
Credibility
Credibility is defined as the confidence in the “truth” of the findings. In order to establish
credibility, triangulation and member checks were taken into account.
Triangulation
Triangulation occurred through the use of multiple methods and multiple sources of data
collection during the case study (Denzin & Lincoln, 1994). In this particular case study many
different data sources were used. The multiple methods that were used were: three open-ended
interviews, a focus group interview, and document gathering. It is understood that the
“protocols of triangulation have come to be the search for additional interpretations more than
the confirmation of a single meaning” (Flick, 1992).
Data source triangulation was used to ensure that the case remained the same at other times,
in other spaces, or as persons interacted differently (Stake, 1995).
Member Checking
Lincoln and Guba (1985) posit that this is the most crucial technique for establishing
credibility. The member checking process was used when data, themes, interpretations and
conclusions were reviewed by the participants from whom the data were obtained. This
was done both formally and informally as opportunities for member checks arose during
57
the course of interviews and conversations. The participants were provided electronic
copies of all transcribed data and asked to provide critical observations and interpretations
of the data gathered on them. Member checking provided the participants an opportunity
to correct errors and challenge what they perceived as wrong interpretations.
Transferability
Transferability refers to the ability of showing that the findings have applicability in other
contexts. For this study rich thick description and purposive sampling were used to demonstrate
transferability.
Rich, Thick Description
Thick description is described by Lincoln and Guba (1985) as a way of achieving a
type of external validity. This technique refers to the detailed account of field experiences in
which the researcher makes explicit the patterns of cultural and social relationships and puts
them in context (Holloway, 1997).
Because replicability may be impossible to achieve due to the limits of recreating
unique time and context, the researcher used thick description to describe the time and
context that the study was found to hold. The value and purpose of this is as Lincoln and
Guba (1985) state, “to provide the data base that makes transferability judgments possible on
the part of potential appliers” (p. 316).
Purposive Sampling
The use of purposive sampling allowed the researcher to locate participants with a
purpose in mind. Because the researcher had specific, predefined criteria and she was seeking
maximum variation she purposefully selected each participant. To achieve maximum variation
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she purposefully picked participants of different age, race, ethnicity, leadership experience,
gender, school demographics, and national geographic location. Using this technique assisted
the researcher in identifying important common patterns that cut across variations.
Dependability
The purpose of the dependability factor is to demonstrate that the findings are consistent
and could be repeated if desired. The use of the audit trail technique was used to facilitate the
dependability criteria.
Audit Trail
An audit trail is a transparent description of the research steps taken from the start of a
research project to the development and reporting of findings. The audit trail includes all raw
data, written field notes, and documents. For this study, the audit trail includes a separate
report that provides source information for participant data ( Appendix C), the initial
questionnaire (Appendix D), the interview protocols for Interviews 1, 2, & 3 (Appendix E,
F,G), the interview protocol for the Focus Group Interview(Appendix H), and a list of the
Journal Prompts(Appendix I).
Appendix C entitled Audit Trail Chart, starts out by providing a detailed explanation of
how to read the Audit Trail Chart and tracks the steps necessary to locate material cited by the
participants. The audit trail also allowed the researcher an avenue by which to provide a
roadmap of the various tools used to collect the data, and ensured that all citations reported were
accompanied by supporting documentation
59
Confirmability
The purpose of the confirmability criteria is to evaluate the accuracy and determine
whether or not the findings, interpretations and conclusions are supported by the data. In this
study confirmability was addressed through two of the techniques mentioned above,
triangulation and audit trail.
In addition, in order to further strengthen confirmability criteria, the technique of
reflexivity through awareness of bias was also utilized.
Reflexivity
Reflexivity is a posture of systematically monitoring the context of knowledge
construction, especially to the influence of the researcher. "A researcher's background and
position will affect what they choose to investigate, the angle of investigation, the methods
judged most adequate for this purpose, the findings considered most appropriate, and the
framing and communication of conclusions" (Malterud, 2001, p. 483-484). There is an
assumption among researchers that bias in a research study is undesirable. As Malterud (2001)
writes: "Preconceptions are not the same as bias, unless the researcher fails to mention them" (p.
484).
Awareness of Biases
Continual sensitivity to the researcher’s personal biases was noted in the field notes in
order to limit subjectivity as much as possible (Glesne, 1999). She goes on to add that continual
alertness to your own biases, your own subjectivity also assists in producing more trustworthy
interpretations (Glesne, 1999).

60
The researcher was aware and sensitive to biases and assumptions she may have brought
into the study throughout all phases of the study. The researcher included clarification of
researcher bias. Additionally, the researcher marked her field notes with brief minutes from each
interview that served as reminders of key areas in which she needed to be aware of possible
biases. She also asked follow up questions to clarify responses she felt were being tainted by her
own interpretations.
The researcher remained aware of her personal inclination toward spirituality and the
role it has played in her educational leadership career. She continually monitored the fact that
she must not allow her background and experience with spirituality to predict the events, themes
and outcomes of the study.
Context of the Researcher
I include a brief personal and professional history to explain how this topic of research
came to be part of my life. My professional experience, which includes 16 years working with
public schools at the local level and now at the national level, lends credibility to the experience
that I am bringing to this research project. Fourteen of those years were in direct service to Title
I schools with at-risk populations including low socio-economic, migrant, limited English
proficient (LEP) and special needs students. The roles varied from teacher to assistant principal
to principal. I currently work at the national level managing educational programs that serve
high risk, highly mobile students through the national migrant program. This work requires me
to work with educational leaders at all levels nationwide to ensure that statutes and regulations
set in place to achieve academic success are being enacted and enforced.
My personal background of being a second generation American of Mexican descent has
provided me with much insight and empathy for the populations that I have served. I am the
61
oldest of five children raised in a single parent home. We moved from place to place in search
of agricultural work as working in the migrant circuit was the reason my ancestors arrived in the
United States. I worked the migrant circuit until I reached the age of 17 and joined the United
States Army.
At the time of my enlistment, I had not graduated from high school and had no intentions
of doing so because education was simply not stressed in my home. Right or wrong, the
emphasis was to work and work hard. The goal was always to take care of each other and those
less fortunate. I do not recall having heard of, or having met, anyone who had graduated from
high schools, much less college. Therefore, when enlisting in the Army, I could not have
imagined my good fortune to be there. For the first time in my life, I had a place to live, plenty
of food to eat, the clothes that everyone else was wearing, the opportunity to travel---and best of
all, I was PAID for it. Wow! I was certain that life could not get better.
Living through a very difficult childhood riddled with much turmoil and despair, I
always found myself seeking the comfort that only the spiritual relationship with my God could
deliver. He was my truest, most faithful friend, and I learned very early in life that I could turn
to Him for my strength, encouragement, and support. So, it was not unusual for me to seek Him
during the tough times of my military career. Even though I was stationed far from my family
and friends, I knew I was not alone.
Almost immediately upon my entrance into the military, I was selected for a leadership
role. My drill sergeant seemed determined to break me of some of the self-defeating thoughts
and beliefs that I held. One of those thoughts was that I did not need an education. The drill
sergeant made my life miserable, and after every “detail” and session of “beating my face”
(push-ups or other form of physical endurance tests), he would ask me if I was sure I did not
62
need an education. Each time, regardless of how exhausted and broken I was, I would respond,
“I don’t like school. School is not for me, Drill Sergeant!”
Summertime would come, and I would see the new recruits arrived, I would hear their
stories of going to college at such and such a university and all their grand plans for their lives
upon graduation. At first, I did not care because deep inside myself, I had accepted the fact that
I would never be smart enough or good enough to be like them. Soon, I began noticing that
some of them were not quite impressive. In fact, some of their antics and responses started me
thinking, “If that person can go to college, I know I can go to college!”
Thus, after much self-convincing, I embarked on my journey into the world of
postsecondary education. My Command Sergeant Major, along with several other individuals,
helped me learn how to navigate the educational system. Before long, I earned my Bachelor of
Arts degree and began teaching high school students. I brought to the classroom an
unbelievable amount of energy and belief in my students’ abilities. I say unbelievable because,
not only did the students not know what to do with such a high-energy teacher, but some of the
other teachers in my building could not believe that I was genuine. They said things that were
very hurtful. Hurtful because their words tore down students and their abilities and any teacher
who still believed in their success. They decided that certain students were “throw aways”. It
was precisely these teachers who, because of their hurtful and resentful behavior, led me to
question the campus principal. I would ask him why he was not reacting a certain way or
implementing a new idea. One day, out of exasperation with me, he said, “Lisa, if you want my
job, why don’t you apply for it?” At first, I was shocked and did not know exactly how to take
that, especially since I thought we were on the same team. Were we not supposed to be helping
the students? Weren’t we supposed to be working toward their success?
63
I began thinking, and then I decided, “Yes, that is exactly what I should do. I should
apply for his job. So, where do I sign up?” I returned to the university and acquired a Master’s
degree with mid-management certification. I became a principal and learned that if I really
wanted to make a difference in policy at the local level, I needed my superintendent’s
certification. So, once again, I returned to school--this time to acquire superintendent
certification. It was during that time that one of my professors invited me to assist with one of
her research projects. It was called the Latina Educational Leaders: Resiliency in Leadership
Project (Mendez-Morse, 2003). That research opportunity changed the direction of my life.
Working in collaboration with the members of the research project team afforded me
invaluable insight into the realm in which resiliency not only exists, but how it is defined in
terms of resistance. My initial role in the project entailed the discussion of “learning to be
resilient”; however, through the natural progression of meaningful interactions with the other
participants, I discovered among many recurring themes, the ever present, strongly felt theme of
spirituality.
Because I was the youngest member on that research team, as well as the participant
with the least amount of educational leadership experience, I felt compelled to truly reflect on
the events that resulted in my being at the doorstep of such an incredible academic threshold.
My personal belief and understanding of how spirituality influenced my life and career
continued to nag at me. I initially felt that spirituality had no place in the academic realm, and I
considered it a personal thing with no room available for such a discussion. However, as my
educational leadership career began to mature, I realized through my relationship with my
mentor, a spiritually-centered leader, that spirituality most definitively contributed to the
formation of my commitment to the advancement of social justice through education. My
64
interest in the role of spirituality in the lives of educational leaders led me to research several
different aspects of spirituality ranging from attempting to define spirituality to what the
enactment of spirituality looks like in practice. I soon learned that the literature available
contained very limited discourse on the topic, and what little that did exist was often muted.
Therefore, I decided to apply for the doctoral program in hopes of continuing my research and
contributing to the presence of literature that describes the role of spirituality in the lives of
educational leaders.
The struggle to continue as an educational leader oftentimes feels overwhelming, but I
know I must stay true to the principles that have not led me astray. The spiritual capital (the
spiritual attributes, possessions, and qualities) that I bring with me to my personal and
professional roles has a value that certainly I have yet to fully comprehend.
Context of the Study
The focus of this study was the evidence and influence of spiritually-centered leadership
as it relates to public school principals and eight predetermined spiritual principles therefore this
study will have multiple sites. Each of the sites was selected primarily for the case. Description
and consideration were given to each site based on a number of different factors as these factors
could result in contextual differences.
The school sites were described and considered by types and grade ranges, (e.g., K-12,
K-8, special services, vocational) district size, districts with and without a within-district option
(i.e., same grade range school) and districts representing diverse demographics (i.e., urban,
suburban, rural) and regions (i.e., western, central, eastern) of the nation.
65
Although the researcher would have liked to see a cross-section representation of levels
such as elementary, middle, and high school; that was not the primary focus. The researcher
focused more on school size, district demographics, and region.
Small schools, those with enrollments of 350 or fewer, tend to have more trusting
environments…and more likely to have a strong sense of community and trust and be more
open to change (Gordon, 2002). Conducting this study in schools of different sizes also
strengthened the possibility of different nuances emerging through differing levels of
interactions and relationships.
Participant Profiles
This section provides a description of each participant selected for the study:
Gregoria
Gregoria is a 65 year-old Mexican married female. Her tenure as an educator included
roles as a teacher’s assistant, nine years as a classroom teacher, two years as an assistant
principal and twelve years as a campus principal. She also served one year as an assistant
superintendent and three years as a Director of Special Projects. She is currently retired from
the public school system but continues to work as an Adjunct Professor for a university in
California teaching pre-service educators in a teacher credentialing program. She has a total of
31 years as a professional educator. The last campus she led was an urban campus setting in
California with less than 200 students. The demographics of her school revealed a
predominantly Hispanic (over 90%), economically –disadvantaged student population. [1]
66
Jaime
Jaime is a 69 year old married Anglo male. Although he has decided to retire at the end of
the current school year, he is currently in his 45th year as a professional educator. Eight of those
years were served as classroom teacher, two years as an assistant principal and thirty five years
as a campus principal. He currently supervises 40 staff members in a rural Texas elementary
school campus that has 325 enrolled students. The grades served on that campus range from
PK3 to 5th grade. The demographics of the school are broken down into the falling categories:
60% Hispanic, 35% Anglo, 5% African American, predominantly economically disadvantaged.
Jaime is the only participant in the study that also served as a principal in a private school
setting in addition to his public school tenure. [2]
Sterling
Sterling is a 43 year old single Anglo male. He is currently in his 16th year as a
professional educator. He started his career in education by serving three years as a teaching
assistant in a special education classroom. He went on to teach seven years as a classroom
teacher, followed by four years as an assistant principal. He is currently in his second year as the
principal of an urban elementary school in Texas. The school has 49 staff members and 340
students. The grades served on that campus include K-5 as well as a Special Needs unit. The
demographics of the student population are as follows: American Indian/Alaskan .57%,
Asian/Pacific Island 1.42%, African American 8.55%, Hispanic 72.93%, Anglo 16.52%, 75.5%
are eligible for free or reduced meals, 29.06% are designated at-risk, and 72% of the student
body are on a school transfer to the campus. [3]
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Yolanda Poe
Yolanda Poe is a 50 year old African American divorced female. She is currently in her
29th year as a professional educator. Her first six years were served as a classroom teacher,
followed by two years as an assistant principal. She is in her 21st year as a campus principal.
Her current campus is a suburban campus in Northern Virginia and serves grades Pre K through
6th grade. The school has approximately 50 staff members and approximately 600 students.
The approximately 600 students in grades preschool through sixth grade are comprised of
predominately Caucasian middle class students. Approximately 9% of the students qualify for
free or reduced meals. Only 11% of the student population is comprised of minority children.
The largest minority group is Hispanic, followed by Asian, with the smallest minority group
represented being African American. [4]
The combination of the context of the researcher along with the purposeful selection of
participants within a specific context resulted with the four participants: Gregoria, Jaime,
Sterling and Yolanda Poe. The next chapter will reveal the findings of data resulting from their
participation in the three interviews, one focus group interview, and document collection.
Summary
To summarize, Chapter III outlines the methodology used in this study. It starts by
presenting the purpose of the study followed by the research questions that were designed in
response to the purpose. The research design outlined the details of the study along with the
rationale for choosing to utilize a qualitative methodology.
Next, the researcher provided information on how the data sources were selected and the
methods utilized for the collection of the data. The data analysis section is followed by a section
regarding the establishment of trustworthiness. The four criteria addressed to establish
68
trustworthiness are credibility, transferability, dependability and confirmability. Each criterion
is paired with techniques used to satisfy the requirements of the criterion.
The final section of this chapter presented contextual information such as the context of
the researcher, context of the study, and participant profiles.
69
CHAPTER IV.
RESEARCH FINDINGS
This chapter is arranged into several sections that serve to present the findings from the
three participant interviews, the three document submissions, and one focus group. Sections
and subsections outline the findings for each of the following research questions: 1.) How do
educators come to be public school principals leading through spirituality? 2.) What are the
lived work experiences of principals that provide evidence of spirituality as they relate to eight
spiritual principles? 3.) How do principals perceive the meaning of spirituality in their work?
The first section provides the findings as they relate to each of the research questions. A
summary of the findings for each of the research questions concludes the research findings
chapter.
Findings for Research Question # 1: How do educators come to be public school

principals leading through spirituality?
This section is divided into several subsections that serve to layout the findings pertaining
to the evolution of the participants into educational leaders leading through spirituality. Each
participant was asked their individual definition of spirituality. Next, each participant was asked
to reconstruct their early experiences with family, friends and/ or neighborhood that resulted in
their being a principal leading through spirituality. The definitions are followed by personal
vignettes that illustrated their early childhood days as their memories came flooding in.
The vignettes are followed by the themes that emerged as elements that helped shape them
into educational leaders choosing to lead through spiritual principles. The shaping elements are
set forth in subsections entitled: family structure, school experiences, personal dispositions,
pivotal events, and primary influences.
70
Spirituality as Defined by the Participants
Every participant was given the definition of spirituality as it pertains to this study, but
they were also given the opportunity to reflect on their own definition of spirituality. The
question, “Outside of religion, how would you define spirituality?” was asked during the first
interview. Responses given at that time are represented below:
Gregoria
I raised my son in the Catholic Church but eventually left
the church. And I still feel very uncertain about that
decision that we made. Because I’m really not quite a
religious person. I’m very spiritual but I don’t like
organized religion. I believe it takes away the strength of
our will. And our faith for some reason. Even when I am
questioned about it, I always say that it’s a stronger more
connected person to a Higher Being that is able to live the
Christian life. [3.3.1:2]
Jaime
Spirituality, I guess, is a process of communication. It is
literally a way of living and approaching life. Because
anything that is spirit is not flesh. It’s not flesh. It’s
everlasting.
So actually, we live in the spirit, we live by the spirit, and

we communicate through the spirit. So it is a mode of
communication. It’s a way of life. So it is the relationship
thing. I think it is our connection to things we can’t see.
It could be even explanations for things we don’t

understand. Trying to reach an understanding of the
unknown maybe. I think we cry out for that. If we don’t
fulfill it sometimes it turns into a very negative thing and a
destructive thing. It is a powerful force and I think that
spirituality is a powerful force and it has a negative side
because there is a dark side to life as we see all the events
and the acts of people that are destructive to others. [3.3.1:3
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Sterling
Well, I’m not even looking at it like religion. It’s partly a
feeling, a sense of helping other people too. But at the
same time it’s part of ourselves, who we are as a person.
And I’m discovering myself, too in a sense of wanting to
help people .Help’s not the word I’m looking for.
It’s a responsibility too when you take on a leadership role.

Look at it this way, too: if you took out the spiritual part of
it, if you took out that aspect of being a leader, I think you
would just be more mechanical, just decisions based on
facts.
But with the spiritual part, it’s deeper than that, it’s a
higher level. I think you see, aside from religion, if you
look at the morals and values and what I base a lot of
things on, you would not just see that in religion, you
would see that in me as a person, a person who is trying to
make an impact .A person who wants to see people at their
best--sharing life experiences with them. [3.3.1:4]
Yolanda Poe
Outside of religion, how would I define my spirituality? I
guess, I guess (long pause) I guess it would be the energy
by which I function as a person and interact with people on
whatever level. And I’m thinking more when I referred to I
believe in treating people the way I want to be treated. It’s
that kind of, it’s the sense of principles and practices you
use to interact with people.
Outside of religion, it’s my place in the world and how I

make it as positive as possible for, not just me, but for
people in general—those whom I come in contact with
and I would consider in my personal arena… just my place
in the world and how I interact with people in
general.[3.3.1:8]
The definition of spirituality that each participant adhered to was taken into
consideration as the researcher conducted all other interactions with the participants. None of
the participants displayed any difficulty in being able to separate religion and spirituality. The
72
division of the two terms resulted in spirituality being seen as a more actualized state of being
and did not necessitate being connected to a religion.
Early Memories
Early childhood memories were used as tools to help the researcher better understand the
participants. Asking the participants to explore their early memories simply involved the
participants looking at the pieces that they had stored in their minds and asking why they
remembered those particular events.
Gregoria
I was born to parents that were immigrants. I was born in
1942. It was actually during World War II. I was the 12th
child. I remember my mother telling me that I was born at
home. And my first bed was a dresser drawer. I was
raised in the house that I was born in. Me being 12the last
of child born to my parents, my older brothers and sisters,
older siblings are old enough to be my parents, actually.
We spoke Spanish at home. And English at school.
My parents were field workers when they first came to the

country. My father was able to get a job with the Ford
Company in Los Angeles and then the railroad, Southern
Pacific Railroad. And then we settled in Bakersfield where
I was born. I think I always felt that I was the least
intelligent of all my brothers and sisters. Most of whom
are, the majority of whom have a college education. The
eldest who graduated from Stanford is a medical doctor.
My father was a Mexican father who ruled. I grew up

fearful of him. He died when I was eleven. I think it’s
then that I began to have some kind of identity because he
was just overbearing. We always had to do what we were
told. My mother was very submissive. She was a very
loving mother. Although my father didn’t have a formal
education, he was self educated. He was a leader in the
union. (Southern Pacific). My mother on the other hand,
was uneducated but I think all my life I felt that she had
more to offer her children. And especially to me being the
youngest. She was very religious. Both parents were. We
went to Mass every single Sunday. And after Dad passed
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away and there were just two of us living at home with

mom. We would walk, it had to be a least two miles, to
the Catholic Church where they gave Mass in Spanish.
And we always had to be there at the 7:00 Mass so we had
to leave quite early. So my childhood was very full with
religion. We were in all the special religious holidays---
the pilgrimages that we had around the church. My
earliest memories are of church related activities. [2.1.4.1]
Jaime
Well, it has to start with family because I grew up with a
mom and dad who were both spiritually oriented-- I'll say
that from the get go. Well, I had an older brother and
myself and we were both heavily involved in biblical
teachings and practice. We lived in a small community
that really didn't have that emphasis in the community but
my family brought that emphasis to our home and to the
people we associated with -- and much of that had to do
with our church experience I guess you could say, through
my Dad's teaching my mother’s singing. They formed a
singing group among the young people. They met at our
house every Saturday night and we sang and my dad
taught spiritual concepts to these young people. And then
we performed as a singing group, which involved spiritual
principles through song. My family also had a quartet, my
brother and I, my mom and my dad, and we sang at
funerals and weddings. We grew up in fundamentalist
group that didn’t use instrumental music so we had to sing
a cappella and that caused our family to be used quite a bit
in all kinds of situations. [2.1.1.1]
Sterling
Well, I was born in Paris, TX where my dad was a teacher,
and mom worked in insurance, and I think we spent like a
year there… My dad was assistant principal and a
principal. And I also come from quite a few educators,
like my grandmother and my granddad on my dad’s side
were both teachers, and my great-grandfather was a
superintendent in a small rural school district.
…So I kind of come from a background of educators, and

then I think there’s some on my mom’s side also.
And once we moved … I was five or six, somewhere in
that age, first grade, and my dad I think was recognized
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like one of the teachers of the year … or principal or

something like that. About that time, first grade a little bit
before first grade. My parents divorced when I was in
around third grade.
I remember one important thing during that time about the

community that stands out in my mind that might
contribute to education. It is the community center that
was across the street from the apartment complex we lived
in, my mom and I lived in. And that was kind of the place
where you could go and be accepted and it didn’t matter
who you are, what your background was. And it was kind
of a safe place to go, we trusted the people there and that
was kind of an educational setting I think in a way uh in
the community and that was important. Because I think I
was the only one that I know of that I can remember that
was a protestant in a catholic environment. The other
thing that I really liked about that is that they didn’t hold
that against me or make m in e feel different because I was
a different religion. It was so accepted. [2.1.2.1]
Yolanda Poe
I’m the oldest of three children; and, as many children do
played school, and was more times than not, the teacher
when my sisters and I played school. And my mother and
father got us involved in the church at a very early age.
We went to Sunday school every Sunday. We became
members of the junior deacon board and junior usher
board, and we participated in the youth organization, the
youth ministry there at the church. I still attend the church
that I grew up in. [2.1.3.1]
Reviewing early childhood memories helped the participants discover things about
themselves and their origins of spirituality that they may never have discovered otherwise. It
also allowed the participants to reflect on how they perceive themselves in relation to others
who played roles in their early lives. The recollections of early childhood also facilitated the
development of the following section that outlined several of the different shaping elements
mentioned in the early childhood memories of the participants.
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Shaping Elements
There were several common shaping elements for these participants. These shaping
elements contributed to the development of these school leaders who eventually chose to lead
through spirituality. The five shaping elements were: family structure, school experiences,
personal dispositions, pivotal events, and primary influences. These are described below, along
with subthemes for each shaping element.
Family Structure
Two Parent Home
Three of the participants had a two parent home family structure. For the purpose of this
study, that means that the participant grew up with both parents in the home for the majority of
their childhood. Gregoria, the youngest of 12 children, had both parents until her father passed
away when she was eleven years old. Her mother passed way in recent years. Neither of her
parents had a formal education.[2.1.4.1] Jaime was the second of four children, his mother passed
away at the age of 55 when he was 26 years old due to uterine cancer. In his late sixties, his
father passed away at the age of 94. [F.N.1.a] Yolanda is the oldest of three children. Her parents
remained married until her father passed away when she was an adult. Her mother is still living.
[2.1.3:2]
Single Parent Home
Sterling was the only participant whose parents divorced. His parents divorced when he
was in third grade. He is an only child and has never married. His family structure was
different as he lived primarily with a single parent for the majority of his childhood. Even
though his mother did remarry later in life; he chose not to claim any connection to the
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stepfather. Both of his parents are still living and he has maintained a relationship with both
parents. His mother has some college experience; his father has a Ph.D. [1.15.1]
School Experiences
Traditional
Yolanda Poe and Jaime both reported a traditional schooling pattern. Yolanda Poe
remembers always being very comfortable in school and doing well academically. She went on
to add that she knew from a very early age that she wanted to be an educator, “… my positive
experiences in school and then, the importance of church and learning about how we were
blessed in a lot of ways, kind of came together to identify for me that I wanted to be an educator
and the importance of spirituality along my journey to become an educator.”[F.27:4.b] Jaime also
shared that he went through school with no real disruptions and entered into university
immediately after completing high school. It is noted that even though he did not mention any
identified or labeled difficulty, he stated that he was never entirely comfortable in the traditional
school setting.[3.2.42:3.b]
Nontraditional
Two of the participants reported being nontraditional students. Nontraditional is used to
characterize their experiences. They did not do well in school academically and did not
complete their college career immediately after high school graduation. When asked about why
they did not go to college, Sterling and Gregoria reported not doing well academically in the K-
12 setting. Gregoria reported, “I didn’t do well in school. I think because we weren’t allowed to
play outside our home. We always had to stay within the confines of our home or yard. I
always got into trouble by my older brother because he watched out for our education.”[F.25:1]
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Sterling went into further detail about his negative experience and described how he felt when
he finally received his high school diploma:
I really struggled. It was a struggle for me in school. I

think, not just academically, but emotionally also...I failed
most everything --almost every subject. I even failed
religion (ha-ha) one year. I went to summer school all
those times. That part was a real struggle. It gets
discouraging after a while...So early on in high school it
was kind of assumed that I wasn’t going to college based
on my testing.[F.17:2.a]
When I finally graduated, I was 26th from the bottom of

my graduating class. So my rank was 400 and something.
So even though I made it through high school, I was on the
low end.
I remember being very depressed on graduation

night…after I got my rank…that was really discouraging.
Because in my mind I was thinking about all these people
who didn’t try, who skipped classes and did all these
things and they still graduated. And then I’m down at the
bottom and I went to school every day and I did what I
could. That’s what I was really thinking at that time. I
remember really clearly. I felt very discouraged and very
much had given up on the idea of going to school. [F.17:2.b]
Both Sterling and Gregoria also worked as teaching assistants before returning to college
for their teaching certificates. Interestingly enough, both of them worked in special education
classrooms with special needs and learning disabled children. Gregoria remembers, “I worked
myself up from an instructional aide. I was with Spanish speaking children and in special ed
classrooms. I would go home and literally cry. How can they do that to someone? I was so
overwhelmed with teaching, but I knew I was in the right place.”[F.26:1] Similarly, Sterling
shared how he felt about being an assistant in a special education classroom, “I was hooked. I
loved working …with kids with disabilities. They were kids that had learning difficulties and I
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totally understood what it was like to be frustrated with math and be frustrated with reading. I
taught them ways I had learned to learn in a different way.” [3.1:2]
Traditional and non-traditional school experiences divided the participants evenly with
two participants falling into each category. The participants that fell into the traditional
category spoke fondly of school and often displayed happy faces when discussing the topic.
The two participants that fell into the non-category took more time to reflect before articulating
their school experiences. However, the school experiences appeared to have little correlation to
the personal disposition of the participants. As illustrated below, Sterling was the only one who
fell into the introverted category.
Personal Dispositions
Introverted
Sterling was the only participant that claimed to be introverted. He stated,
I was never in the popular mainstream, the kids that got

noticed. I was reserved, pretty respectful to teachers. I
didn’t cause a lot of problems so teachers really didn’t
know too much about me…The not being popular and not
being accepted was difficult I think… it’s real important to
be accepted by your peers during that developmental time;
I felt really different because I didn’t have things in
common with them and that was real difficult. [F.31:1]
This category seemed to describe Sterling quite well. He was the most introverted of all
the participants and he took the most time to reflect on all questions deeply before responding.
He chose his words quite selectively before contributing any comments. During the focus group
interview, he was very measured and mindful to limit his responses and allow others to speak.
79
Extroverted
Yolanda, Jaime, and Gregoria were comfortable being with others and felt that leaned
more toward being extroverted than introverted. Gregoria’s interviews clearly illustrated her
extroverted personality. She said,
So when I went to school, I just loved socializing, I loved

being around people I loved learning about people so I
always just did barely enough to get by. …But I think
that’s what I loved about school … being around people
and learning about a culture that I was unfamiliar with. I
always had a lot of friends. [F.17:1]
This characteristic of being outgoing is related to the next theme identified. The
participants all interacted well with children.
Worked Well with Children
Regardless of being introverted or extroverted, and similar to what Yolanda Poe
mentioned in her early memories, the other three participants recollected vivid memories of
working well with children at an early age and the role that has played in their choosing to be an
educator.
Gregoria: I grew up doing all of the baby sitting in the

family. So at a very early age I felt or kind of thought the
idea that I did well with children and I enjoyed it and I
found a lot of reward in working with my nieces and
nephews and planning things for them and taking them
places…So I think was my first inkling that I had some
kind of something to offer. [F.13:1]
Jaime: When I was 10 years old, my younger sister was

born and when I was 12 years old my youngest brother
was born and I helped my mom take care of these kids-my
little brother and sister. That's when I started being
interested in young children and working with them. I also
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saw in children, some principles, some characteristics that

were representative of spiritual teachings such as purity,
honesty and forthrightness and those kinds of things,
which were very appealing to me. I think that was where
that began; I know it's where it began--- and I developed a
passion for young people and enjoyed the teaching aspect
of it …So here I am finishing up a career of 45 years of
working with young children--primarily elementary school
children. [F.13:2]
Sterling: I asked about substituting one day at one of the

tables in the first grade class if I could be like a leader,
substitute for somebody that’s gone, and she said yes, but
that it would not be a permanent thing because I was too
young. Well, that did turn into a permanent thing. All the
way through high school I taught in the first grade Sunday
School…I don’t know how many years I was involved in
the youth ministry… that’s where I spent most of my time
working with junior high kids and high school. [F.13:3]
Rebellious
Another personal disposition characteristic that surfaced fell into the category of being
rebellious. Both Jaime and Gregoria confessed that starting very early in their careers, they had
a difficult time quietly accepting situations that they felt to be unjust. Jaime felt that there were
times where he was in a battle with “the system” over some of the things that he was asked to do
by the system that he believed were not good for kids. He would openly oppose some of those
things realizing that doing so was not really in his career’s best interest. He would speak out
just the same and do so very strongly. Recognizing that his actions were not popular, he had to
rely on what he really believed, related to kids and spiritual principles, in order to confront the
system and the leaders in that area.[3.2.42:3.c]
Gregoria added the following as she was examining the source of her rebellious nature.
She said:
Being the youngest...I always had eleven or twelve voices

coming at me telling me what to do. I could never find my
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own way; I was always in trouble with my father. I think I

got spanked every day of my life for asking questions. I
just can’t remember a day that went by that I didn’t or that
I wasn’t physically punished for asking questions or
questioning my father. So I grew up always just wanting
and not really knowing if I was a person other than what
my brothers and sisters and father wanted me to do. I
mean that I just felt like I was them, I was a reflection of
them. Because I was always doing what they told me I
needed to do. So, I think that kind of developed my
rebellious side, my questioning side. I guess I always
remember being the rebellious one, and always being in
trouble in my younger years. I have a strong belief that
people should be listened to. That everyone should have a
voice… Well, with our father who never allowed us to
really speak… I was physically punished every time I
asked a question why. And I very open about things. I am
very direct with people. Sometimes my husband will tell
me that I don’t have to speak my thoughts, but for me it is
very important because I want people to know where I am
coming from and I want to know where people are coming
from . I think in order to really develop a relationship with
anybody you have to know the real person and you can’t
be afraid of that. [F.12:2]
Sterling felt he expressed a different type of rebellion. He felt he demonstrated what
could be called resistance. He was resisting the labels and the stereotypes that his teachers and
principals wanted to place on him. He specifically recalled resisting their notion that he would
not graduate from high school, much less go to college. He remembered his high school
counselor advising him to take fundamentals of math class instead of Algebra because Algebra
was for the college bound students. He ended up taking Algebra as a senior in a class designed
for beginners. He said at that point he didn’t care because he started seeing a theme, and the
theme was, “If they say I can’t do it, I end up doing it.” He smiled when he made this statement
because he feels that is still a big part of his personality now. [F.17:2.C]
Pivotal Events
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Each participant was asked if there was a specific pivotal point or event in their life that
resulted in them choosing to lead through spirituality. Every participant was able to pinpoint a
specific event.
Gregoria
I think that up to the point where I became a mother, I
didn't really think about it very much. It was just always
part of my life. But my son and I almost died in childbirth.
And I think that it was at that point that I really felt that
there was something so much more powerful that wasn't
tangible. That allowed us to live through that horrible
ordeal. That made life very precious to me. And not just
my life, but [also] the lives of others close to me. I think it
was at that point that I began to believe that we can't take
everything for granted. That you can't take anything for
granted. You have a lot more power in deciding how your
life is going to go. I think I really willed us to live.
I think most recently when my mother died, that also just

reinforced [spirituality?] at whole different time in my life.
I don't know what the correct term for it is what I call it a
death coma, where she could hear us. But she never re-
opened her eyes again, and she was able to tell me that my
brother had come for her, that she had seen my father.
And whether you believe in an afterlife or not … you
know there has to be something else outside of our
physical body. It was terribly impacting. It kind of
reminded me of how important it is to believe in
something that is not tangible, not human, but terribly
powerful. [F.24:1.a]
Jaime
There is a time when one is called to make some kind of
commitment to what kind of life you are going to lead
spiritually, and that time and point of commitment comes
in all kinds of forms. But that can be one powerful
moment and it’s when you commit your life to God and to
Jesus. It is kind of an adoptive process. Different groups
go about this in different ways, our particular group
believes that if you make that confession and commitment
and were baptized ---immersed in water to be raised like
Jesus was from death to life and walk into this new life at
which time God gave you formally His holy spirit to guide
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you and to live within you for the rest of your life on the
earth and into eternity. I would say that is a significant
event but it was pretty routine in our family and in our
church group of people. [F.24:4]
Sterling
After high school, Sterling was asked to be a sponsor at Christian youth camp and this
became a turning point in his life. He said, “So that was an important point in my life where
things kind of changed and where you didn’t get accepted in high school by your peers and
things. When I went to this, I was accepted my peers. And you know, I really reached out to
the kind of kids that didn’t feel comfortable…” He mentioned that it was through that
experience that he felt full acceptance by others. He also learned that he had a gift for working
with young people because he actively sought to include all children in all activities. He was
extra sensitive to children with special learning and social needs. This time period in his life
revealed to him that giving people time and attention helped them to also see their own gifts.
That event ultimately influenced his decision to go into the children’s ministry. [F.24:2]
Yolanda Poe
Well, certainly one, the first one that comes to mind, was
my mom became very ill my first year of teaching. And it
happened very suddenly. …we eventually found out that
she had a brain tumor, and the doctor said to us that she
would have had to have had headaches for a very long
time for the tumor to be as massive as it was. Now, Lisa,
you have to know that my mom is my best friend, and
we’ve always been very, very close. So this was
devastating—her mortality— for us not to get any
preparation, so to speak. … to have to make some very
tough decisions in a very short period of time. Thank the
Lord; she is fine. She survived it. And, if you met her, you
wouldn’t know that she had a brain tumor. She is a very
different mother than the one I grew up with. But, people
who meet her for the first time can’t tell that she’s had
those kinds of health issues.
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I remember having a conversation with God and saying,

“I can’t do this, you know, I know I’m the oldest and I’m
supposed to make this right for everyone. But, I can’t do
this unless you show me how to do this.” And I guess that
came from my mom, [she] was very spiritual. And we got
that from her. …I believe that He healed my mom. He
showed us what we were supposed to do. That’s just one
of several that come to mind, but certainly a very
important one. [F.24:3]
Primary Influences
Primary influences in the lives of the participants revealed the source of the models used
to compare to when making leadership decisions. The different examples illustrate the differing
contributions and roles of the influencer. All influences were aligned to having spiritual value
and contribution.
Parents
Gregoria, Sterling, and Yolanda Poe mentioned that they believed that both of their
parents influenced their lives; however, they claimed to have a much closer and significant
relationship to their mother. Gregoria mentioned her mother in the first interview. She said,
“My mother was very submissive. She was a very loving mother. My mother… was uneducated
but I think all my life I felt that she had more to offer her children. Especially to me being the
youngest. She was very religious. We went to Mass every single Sunday. And after Dad passed
away there were just two of us living at home with my mom. [3.1.23:1]
Sterling spoke very fondly of his mother and credited her for being a strong person after
having endured many personal challenges. He credited her as having many of the
characteristics that his grandfather possessed such as being kind to others, and accepting of
85
people from different backgrounds, races, and economic status. She also valued friendships,
loyalty, and family. He said, “She doesn’t know a stranger and people love being around her.”
[3.1.23:2]
Yolanda Poe became visibly emotional when discussing her mother and the influence
she has had on her life. She described a time when her mother was very ill due to a brain tumor
and she almost lost her life. She said, “…You have to know that my mom is my best friend, and
we’ve always been very, very close…My mom was very spiritual. And we got that from her.”
She specifically stated that her strong belief in the need to lead through spirituality is strongly
influenced by her “awesome relationship” with her mother. [3.1.23:3]
Jaime also claimed his parents influenced his life and shaped his choosing to lead
through spirituality; however, he specifically cited his father as being a direct influence on his
leadership style:
I'll tell you this story because it does relate to this. I've
used it throughout my career, when kids came into
conflict. This directly bears on spirituality in the teachings
of Jesus, where we repaid good for evil. Because they
[two neighborhood boys] were mean to us and threatened
us, chased us and beat us up. And my dad went to their
house and asked them to go to the Big World store and we
sat on red stools and ate ice cream. And my dad said, ‘My
boys don't want to fight, they want to be friends.’…
Through my dad's leadership with them they let us play
with them. That is a powerful piece of early life… One of
those boys, Danny, came to me at the reunion and told me
that my family had impacted his life. I didn’t realize that.
[F.9:2.a]
Grandparents
Yolanda felt that her career choice and leadership style were influenced by her
grandparents because her grandmother was a school teacher and her grandfather was a Zion
86
minister. She believed it was a natural occurrence because she and her sisters would spend the
entire summer with them in North Carolina. She recalls the thing she enjoyed doing most with
her grandfather was going with him to church because it was a small town. And when she was
little he was the minister of several churches in several small towns. She beamed as she said, “It
was exciting for us to go from church to church to church, and to hear him speak, and to see the
kinds of things he did to help people. And to spend that kind of time with him.”[F.27:4]
Jaime believed that his grandparents were significant contributors to his spirituality and
values because what they taught him was synonymous with what he learned and did at home.
He felt his grandparents served as service models to him and his siblings because they willingly
served them wherever they went. He acknowledged that it was not until his later years that he
truly recognized and appreciated the sacrifice his grandparents had made when they relocated to
the city where he was to attend university so that he could live with them. [F.9:2.b]
Gregoria mentioned her husband’s grandmother as a positive influence in her life. She
shared that when she died, they were so “dirt poor” that they could not afford the gas to drive up
from southern California to central California to be at her funeral. She expressed, “That was
weird how that was a motivator for us to take a look at where were in life and to set, kind of, life
goals. Her death just changed our lives tremendously. It just turned it around and that is when
I went back to school to finish school and went back to work with children and I loved
it.”[F.24:1.b]
Sterling credited the influence of his grandfather as a major contributor to the leadership
model he uses today. He confided:
There is a really important part about growing up that I left

out. I mentioned my grandfather, about that time spent in
the summers, because a lot of who I am today has to do
with him because he was a person who was, I keep going
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back to community, but I think that’s part of the

leadership. He was accepted amongst the people in the
places…in front of our house was a gathering area because
we had a stand. It was a common area, a place where
people would come from all areas, tourists, locals, and
they would tell stories and talk about life. What I found
out about my granddad is that it didn’t matter who you
were… you were kind to people and accepted people of
different backgrounds, races, and economics. …He valued
people. Friendships and loyalty were the most important
to him, and family. …I think he helped teach me life
lessons, talked a little bit about wisdom as a leader… And
he would stretch me until I was very uncomfortable in
whatever it was, but he would do it on purpose for me to
learn and be more successful.
So sometimes as a leader, we’re going to stretch people

more than what they’re comfortable with, because we
know that they’re going to need to know how to do it.
That’s what I’m doing now as a leader, stretching people.
[F.27:3]
Mentors/Role Models
When the role of mentors came up in the interviews and focus group, both having a
mentor and being a mentor were cited as influencing their current leadership style. Both
Gregoria and Sterling gave specific examples of being mentored by other educational leaders.
For example, during the focus group, Gregoria recalled a dean of Education in San Diego State
that selected her for a master’s program that helped her acquire her credentials to become an
assistant principal, principal, director of special projects, and superintendent. [F.9.1] Sterling
mentioned his mentor during his first interview, “My principal kept encouraging me to go back
and get my mid-management because he saw something in me. I don't know exactly what he
saw but he said, ‘you need to go ahead and get your mid-management.’ I thought about it and
thought about it, and went ahead and enrolled and started that process.”[F.9:4]
Jaime described his experience from the angle of being the mentor:
88
I was brought in as a mentor. That experience was one of

the high spiritual experiences that I guess I have ever had
in my life, which is pretty involved to talk about. There
were times that she and I would sit and talk about spiritual
principles and concepts and … how school related or how
that related to our job and school and not limited to school
but uniquely connected to the school experience.[F.9:2.c]
Role models were also mentioned in this category. The role models, however, never
realized they were serving as role-models as they were being observed from a distance. Sterling
said,
There were a couple of principals that when

I had my video business; I did some video work for them
with the kids. I knew when I stepped into that building that
there was a spirit there, an acceptance, a love in that
building. Two different buildings, two different principals
that I worked with. They were probably in their late 50s,
maybe early 60s, close to retirement. Both of them treated
their kids and their community well. They were well
thought of. They were genuine people. That’s what I
want, years from now when I retire. I mean, want that
before I retire. I want that feeling, when people come into
the building to know that it’s different.
The two principals I was telling you about, they didn’t

have a clue that I’d say today what I’m saying about them.
How I was talking about feeling the spirit when I walked
into their buildings, I believe it came from them being
spiritual themselves, having that. You say, “How do you
know they had it?” It’s that presence and what they did
and what they said and the kind of environment that they
created. [F.9.5]
Others
Sterling felt that there was a non-family member that played an important role in this
capacity:
I have to mention throughout college, there’s one other

factor that really played into me going to college and that’s
my granddad’s best friend Dr. Barker. Dr. Barker would
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take time even though he was still practicing medicine; he

would drive 30 miles to come get me one or two times a
week to take me fishing. And we’d fish from 11 to 12 and
then he’d drop me off and he’d go back and practice
medicine the next day. But he used that time to talk to me
about my education. In fact, I memorized his speech
because he gave it to me every single time. And he would
always say, and I use this now with students I know,
‘There’s one thing they can’t take away from you, and
that’s your education. They can’t take away your
education. Because they can take your money away or
they can take your people away but they can’t take what
you learned away.’ And you know he said that over and
over until I was sick of it but at the same time he was
helping me prepare to make sure I went to college. And
unfortunately he didn’t get to see me graduate from
college. He wouldn’t have been able to know that, but I
think that factor played an important role in me going to
college too. [F.24:2.b]
When discussing others that influenced their leadership style, the role of colleagues that
shared the same spiritual leadership style also surfaced. Jaime provided an example that
included the effect of working with others that are not of the same mind set followed by an
example of working with colleagues that are. He expressed that when he worked for a
superintendent that didn’t exemplify spiritual principles in his leadership, he often felt distracted
and unfulfilled in carrying out his work; he would often feel in a place of unrest. However, he
went on to describe how communicating with a close colleague from a different school about
spiritual principles in a positive and pronounced way would leave him feeling inspired. He said,
“That is an experience that just confirms this spiritual belief. You can’t really prove that to the
world unless it shows through you in your behaviors.” [3.2.44:4]
Higher Power
The participants were not specifically asked about a Higher Power but all four
participants explicitly acknowledged being influenced and connected to a Higher Power. When
90
probed about the definition of a Higher Power, the responses varied from a known God to an
unnamed sense or feeling. They reported relying on a Higher Power for strength, guidance and
support. Both Gregoria and Sterling referenced a Higher Power when discussing how they have
connected to it in the past. They also discussed the different reasons why they connect to it.
Even though the origin of the Higher Power was not clear to Gregoria, this is how she explained
one function of a Higher Power:
I don’t know, does that come from a higher power. I don’t

know but it’s like that spirit has captured everything that I
have learned from everyone that I have encountered. When
all is said and done, we must value ourselves and that goes
back to spirituality and our connection to God, or a higher
power and our eternal existence and our dignity as a living
soul created by our creator. [F.37:1]
Sterling’s comments seemed to encapsulate the belief and the role of a Higher Power in
his leadership style when he said:
What I believe in is that there is intervention, there is a

Higher Being, a person within you who is helping guide
you through the process…what comes to my mind is a
sense of fulfillment. And until I connect with that, with
the spiritual part and feel like I made the impact that we
were talking about or connecting with the people, there’s a
longing for that, and I feel like that’s what I’m working
towards; there’s that sense …within me that needs to be
met, that needs to connect with the higher power… my
advisor. [F.6:3]
Yolanda and Jaime also felt they communicated with the Higher Power in several
different leadership situations but they also referenced the need to communicate with a Higher
Power in relation to future use. Jaime expressed his reliance on a Higher Power when
discussing the difficulty he was having as he contemplated his upcoming retirement:
All of a sudden not doing this anymore, it's pretty

depressing, if I just think of it in that context. But when I
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have hope and faith and trust in my connections to a higher

order, higher power, Higher Being, I rely on that and find
peace. Peace with pursuit. Because I don't want to quit
looking, doing, living and not just for pleasure. [F.6:2]
All four participants shared examples of hearing the voice of the Higher Power. Some
of those examples will be shared in the responses for Research Question #2 as it was cited in
reference to specific spiritual principles. In summary of Research Question #1 responses were
divided into several subsections that identified the findings pertaining to the evolution of the
participants into educational leaders leading through spirituality. The first subsection contained
individual definitions of spirituality that were followed by the recollection of early experiences
with family, friends and/ or neighborhood that resulted in the participants choosing to be a
principal leading through spirituality. The last subsection presented the main themes that
emerged as shaping elements that helped shape the participants into educational leaders
choosing to lead through spiritual principles were: family structure, school experiences,
personal dispositions, pivotal events, and primary influences.
Findings for Research Question # 2: What are the lived work experiences of principals
that provide evidence of spirituality as they relate to eight spiritual principles?
To facilitate an understanding of each principle, the definition as provided by Houston
and Sokolow (2006) in the definition section will be presented directly below each principle.
Following each principle’s definition will be examples of the participants lived work
experiences as they pertain to that specific principle.
The Principle of Intention
We all affect eternity by our thought patterns, our words and our deeds. They emit energy fields that contribute to
the fabric that is woven into the unfolding pattern of life. What we think, say and do always has a crucial
underlying element, which is our intention or intended purpose. Our intention can be expressed in countless ways,
but the better we know ourselves the more aware we can be of our own true intentions. The more our intentions are
aligned with our inner being and our life’s purposes, the happier and more fulfilled we are.
Intention also serves as a powerful force in attracting people; material resources and other energies that can help
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us transform our intentions into reality. Enlightened leaders are aware of their intentions and naturally focus them
on serving others rather than themselves.
This principle seemed to resonate with the participants for a variety of reasons but the
most prevalent reason was because it allowed them to focus on their purpose ,which in all four
cases, was specifically tied to service to others. This particular finding was the most cited theme
in the study. Service was mentioned by every participant numerous times. The theme surfaced
in individual interviews as well as in journal entries and in the focus group. Fifty percent of all
documents reviewed for this study contained references to the role of service to others.
Alignment of Intention through Service
The intention of service to others was understood by Jaime later in life when he realized
that his “passion for kids and for people especially kids that were under privileged and didn’t
have family situations that would lead them to an education of opportunity”. [3.2.9:1] He
underlined the importance of understanding that his intentions had to drive his actions when he
was dealing with both children and parents. He felt that intention was important in his
communication with parents, especially about their kids and what they wanted for them. He
felt that it was important to remember that the parents and their children were his clients and
that after all his role was to serve them. He went on to say, “We have to be sensitive to the
clients that we serve, as well and try to harmonize without changing or trying to change their
belief systems or our belief systems, but try to come into agreement on what we do at
school.”[F.40:4]
Sterling thought of how he knew what his intention was as a teacher--it was really to
serve others and help others and share with others; to help people feel valuable. But when he
became a principal it turned into a much broader spectrum because there were so many more
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elements involved due to the increase in the number of people he came into contact with on a
daily basis. He also shared that being aware of his own intentions has helped him to be more
mindful of the intentions of others when they come to him. He recognizes that in the past he
would be reactive to things when people said things he didn’t agree with and now he searches to
find reason and purpose behind their comments.[3.2.58:4.b]
Alignment of Intention through Connections
Yolanda felt that her intentions lead her to strive to make special connections with her
teachers, students, and parents. In this way she is able to provide a service that allows her to
help people carry the burdens and challenges that they have to carry. She felt that doing so has
proved to have a reciprocal effect on her life. She said, “ And I would hope , well I know that
when I am going through things there are angels that just appear to help me get through those
kinds of things I am blessed and I have been raised to try to be a blessing to others as much and
as often as I can”. She also shared that she believes that every person in her school has been
“called to service” and that belief promotes the desire and willingness to help whether that
means helping a child who struggles with learning, helping a colleague who wants to be a better
teacher or helping a family who is in need. [3.2.14]
Understanding individual intention was only a part of the experiences recounted when
discussing the principle of intention. Alignment of intention in thought and spoken word were
also mentioned. Jaime said, “I think this principle relates to our purpose in life, the intention or
purpose … and how we focus on serving others and ourselves. I would like to say that our
purpose or intention must be authentic, and it has to be aligned to our intentions and our
self.”[3.2.62:1] This alignment that he spoke of seemed to play a role in the lives of all four
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participants in that they seemed to calibrate their lives by identifying their intention and
recognizing how it changed in the different roles they played in their professional lives.
Alignment of Intention through Prayer
One method of aligning thought to intention was through the vehicle of prayer. The
activity of prayer to the Divine was cited as helping two of the participants gain tremendous
peace and hope. Jaime spoke of striving to pray “without ceasing”. He experienced praying in
private but also praying with colleagues who had a similar belief for kids and parents and for
themselves and for others. [3.3:3]
Yolanda’s experience with prayer incorporated the belief, the faith, and the trust in the
things she was taught as she was being raised. She recognized that prayer was a choice of action
when she gets to a point where she just doesn’t know what to do. She was able to easily connect
prayer to her career because when she had a test coming up in school her mother would say,
“Do the best you can. Study, like you are supposed to study, and then say a little prayer.”
[3.2.1:3.a] So, later in life when Yolanda would go for an interview, she would prepare, research,
ask her friends to give her sample questions and practice, and then, before she would go in for
the actual interview, she would say a little prayer.[3.2.1:2]
Yolanda mentioned that prayer is so much a part of her being and practice that
when she makes her morning commute to work she starts in prayer and continues throughout the
day especially when she has certain things to pray about. She also uses prayer when she is
“checking herself to make sure that I’m in the right place [mentally] to do the right
thing.”[3.2.1:3.b] She noted that adherence to the principle of intention through prayer was crucial
to her leadership during emergencies or situations that require her immediate attention. She has
found that the activity calms her if she takes just a second before she responds to ask God for his
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guidance and to ask him to make sure that her actions and her words are his actions and his
words. She reports that she has been consistently complemented on being able to remain calm
during crisis situations and she attributes the calmness to her practice of prayer before response.
[3.2.2:2]
Important to mention is that intention through prayer was also utilized when she felt that
what she wanted to do was in conflict with what she believed she should do.
She provided the following example:
For example, when I was mentioning about the teacher

that wanted to make a move and I needed to pray about my
own motives and the right thing to do, because I knew that
there was another piece there. And I knew that that was
what I wanted to satisfy. But there is a part of me that just
really wanted to put the other teacher out, the one who had
hurt me; I wanted her to feel some of that pain. And when
you are growing spiritually, you recognize that part of you
that human part of you, but you try to be bigger than that --
different than that, better than that. And when I recognize
that conflict in myself, then I say, ‘Yolanda, you need to
put yourself in check you need to pray. [3.2.1.2:2]
Alignment to Intention through Walking the Talk
In respect to alignment of intention to actions, all four participants agreed that the leader
absolutely must “Walk the Talk”. The intention alone meant nothing if it was not accompanied
by aligned actions. The reasons and the challenges of doing so were discussed during the Focus
group as well as in individual interviews. Gregoria shared that early on in her life she became a
great believer in live it, do not talk it. Do not pretend it, but really live it. In regard to the
education that schools provide children she explained:
It’s more than just a book and paper pencil kind of

education that they’re getting; but that they see modeled
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how people should work with one another, treat one

another. And I think children are always looking. They’re
always looking at their teacher, they’re always looking at
the principal, they’re always looking, and you know, at the
custodians, everybody that they work with, to see how we
would interact. And I think that’s what guides us really in
terms of knowing proper behavior around children,
knowing what to model… is immensely impacting in their
future. And so for me, being a leader means I had to
model the kind of professionalism that went beyond
professionalism. It would enter another realm. And none
of us would talk about it; I don’t even think we knew
about it. [3.2.44:3]
Jaime confirmed that you really could not prove the power of the intention of being a
spiritually –centered leader to the world unless it showed through you in your behaviors. He
expressed, “One strong way to do that is through your example by forgiving, by loving, by
caring, in spite of how other people act. So, a demonstration of your belief or faith speaks loudly
and this may not need to be verbalized.” [3.2.44:6]
Walking the Talk does not come without challenges, Sterling pointed out. One of those
challenges is running the risk of being misunderstood. He stated that when leading by example a
lot of pressure is put on you because people are watching you all the time. According to him,
they tend to look to find his true intentions and question if his decisions are based on what is
really best for them or what is best for him, or if there is some other reason. [3.2.44:7]
Another challenge in walking the talk is vulnerability. Yolanda Poe said, “In order to be
an effective spiritual leader, you have to allow a certain amount of vulnerability. Your staff
needs to know you and know what drives your decision making…there are some people who sit
back and wait for you to do what they say that you do anyway. You know that you have to walk
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the talk--you have to walk the walk. And that's hard!” [3.2.40:7]
The Principle of Attention
We all have the same 24-hour day to fill. How do we choose to spend that time? We continually make choices about
the amount of time we will spend thinking, doing and being as well as what we focus on. Some people or tasks
demand our attention while other aspects of our attention are like discretionary income, to be spent as we wish.
Enlightened leaders have insights that guide them in deciding where best to turn their attention. They tend to pay
attention to the right things and do so for the right reasons. Our attention is powerful because it serves as a magnet
that attracts others and helps us collectively align our energies. What we attend to shapes what we create, and
what we create helps shape our reality.
Recalling experiences of the principle of attention caused the participants to reflect on
what they claimed to be their intentions versus what they actually did in reality. Clearly evident
in regard to this principle was the fact that the participants gave attention to the areas they
perceived as needs. One of the perceived needs articulated by all four participants was the need
to develop relationships with teachers, students, parents and colleagues. The actual theme of
relationships actually surfaced in several of the principles and will only be discussed in this
section as it pertains to the actual act of giving attention.
Attention through Relationships
Jaime felt that the principle of attention was actually an extension of the principle of
intention because the combination of the two this had permeated his 45 years of working with
children. He said:
We have a 24 hour day to fill, how do we fill our time?

What do we do with our discretionary time? What do we
pay attention to? Obviously with all businesses there’s
lots of paperwork, lots of organizational things, lots of
meetings that we can attend and create and continue to
improve oneself, but we have to make some choices about
how
we spend our time. I have chosen in my career to spend a
great deal of that time interacting with children, focusing
on encouraging them and relationships with them. One
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thing that I’ve come to say, I didn’t read it anywhere, I just

came up with it, but, one’s presence demonstrates one’s
priorities.[3.2.48:2]
The next two subsections demonstrate how different types of attention through
relationships exemplify the principle of attention.
Attention through Relationships with Children
He went on to describe the benefits of giving children meaningful time and attention. He
said:
Their response to that was just so wonderful that it was

encouraging and inspiring to me to do the work to keep the
school going because of my relationship with them and my
connections with them. I enjoyed going out, I still do,
going out and getting a football and tell the guys and girls
to line up if they want to catch a pass. And the ones that
do, they do. And we throw a pass and they catch it. And
you interact. They love that interaction because you’re
doing something that they like to do. You get to talk to
them and encourage them and meet them at their level of
life. If you really care about kids, you really enjoy that
interaction.
And obviously they enjoy attention to them. So you just
interact at a very pure level with children. When you’re
dealing with them with behavior difficulties they have,
you’re always humble about receiving that. [3.2.10:6]
The importance of giving attention to children was profoundly evident in Jaime’s overall
being and actions. On the second interview, he presented an artifact included in Appendix A. It
is a photo copy of a note from the mother of a student he had been principal to several decades
earlier. The note was just saying how wonderful it was to have run into him at a local restaurant.
It goes on to say that her son, Spencer, had very fond memories of him and of his kindness and
encouragement. She wanted Jaime to know how special that relationship was to Spencer so she
attached a copy of a paper that Spencer wrote in 1996 for an English class at the college level.
Spencer had written about a time when Jaime had walked into his first grade classroom where
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he was sitting feeling frustrated and confused. He described how he was worried about the work
he hadn’t completed. He was feeling really down as he watched his peers simply breeze
through the simple assignment and that this time the principal through the doorway.
He described the gentle principal asking him if he needed assistance and how Jaime had
put his hand over his, and they grasped the husky, fat pencil together. Spencer recalled being
overwhelmed with this man’s overall kindness. [F.N.1]
Jaime continued to marvel at the fact that such a seemingly insignificant random act of
attention demonstrated in that simple moment could produce such an impact in the life of that
child. The letter reinforced Jaime’s belief he must remain focused on the need to give
constructive and purposeful attention to children because it can impact them in a very powerful
way.
Yolanda Poe felt that it was necessary to touch bases with her students daily in order to
give them words of encouragement if she knew the child was going through a family situation.
She would also make time to congratulate them at the end of the day or simply to give them an
“atta boy” at the end of the day. She said she was willing to do that even though it meant that
she would have to go back to her office to make phone calls and check e-mail late into the
afternoon.[3.2.45:4]
Attention through Relationships with Parents, Community Members and Teachers
Sterling and Gregoria discussed the notion of having an open door policy in order to give
attention to the needs of the parents. Sterling described how once he had established that
precedence he had to deal with parents wanting his attention right then. He said they would not
want to wait. They would want an answer right away. He later came to understand that a lot of
times they had worked up their feelings, and stresses. In some cases they had stewed on them
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overnight or over the weekend and they’re ready for battle when they came in. So he had to
learn how to transition quickly from whatever he was doing and focus his attention on
them.[3.2.48:3.b]
Gregoria felt that the giving attention to parents, community members and teachers
resulted in her having the absolute support of parents wherever she went. She couldn’t recall a
single school community in which she did not have their support and she attributed that to her
open door policy. Even when she disagreed with the parents at least they felt free enough to
come in and visit with her. She felt such open communication helped both her and faculty
because they were able to talk about things. She did admit that having such a policy did have its
challenges because she also had to give attention to the kind of people she really did not have
patience for because it was so very important to her not break the two-way communication---she
described that part as being one of her greatest challenges. [3.2.49:2]
Attention through Listening
The act of listening is essential when enacting the principle of attention. Gregoria
possessed a very strong feeling that everyone has a voice and that they should be listened to
even when you do not agree with what you are hearing. [3.2.48.4:1] Yolanda Poe described how
important it is to watch the reaction of the other person while listening to what they say because
in the end it is a win-win situation that you want. [3.2.48.4:4] Sterling felt that listening was one of
the strengths that spiritual leaders must have because when parents are angry or frustrated and
they want answers you can take them into the office and speak to them, talk to them, listen to
them and usually, almost all the time, when they leave, they are satisfied and feel that they have
been listened to. He admitted that when he has practiced this, it was not necessarily that he was
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giving them great advice or words of wisdom, but merely that he had taken time out of the day
to listen to them and help them find a solution.[3.2.48.4:3]
Attention to People before Paper
Giving attention to people and the relationships the participants built with them also
came with challenges. One of the main challenges is that giving so much time to people often
results in paperwork and other “administrivia” taking the back seat. Coupled with that is the
criticism that the participants opened themselves up to when they spent late hours at the school
trying to get caught up on other requirements of the job. Comments such as, “Oh, you can’t get
your job done during the school day,” or, “You’re slow,” and “You don’t have good time
management” were recollected by Gregoria when she had to work until 9:00 at night to get her
work done. She said that once she even sought the advice of a principal who was well-known
for being very efficient, she remembered asking him, “Jerry, how do you do that? How do you
go home at 3:30 every day?” to which he responded to her, “Gregoria, you have an open door
policy. Do you know? I just don’t do that. People need to make appointments because my work
is more important in order to get it done. I come to work at 8:00 and I go home at 3:30. And I
don’t feel that my teachers who do the same thing are not doing their job.” Gregoria then asked
him, “So you don’t meet with parents when parents drop in?” And he said, “No.” “Unless it’s an
absolute emergency, they have to make an appointment to see me.” Gregoria recalled thinking,
“Well, if that’s what it takes, I guess I’ll never be there, because I can’t do that.” [3.2.25:2]
Sterling agreed because he felt that in the role as a principal, you never really
know what will happen in a day. He learned that you really cannot plan your day out.
You have meetings and things that you have to do, demands from central office and deadlines
that you have to meet, and documentation that you have to do, phone calls that you have to
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make, the management part, paperwork kind of things, but then you may say, “I’m going to
accomplish these two things today with paperwork,” but there might be a parent who comes in
who might be really upset about their child with something that’s happened that’s usually a
misunderstanding, but they’re mad at the teacher or a decision that was made or even at their
own child and you have to take the time to give them the attention they need.[3.2.48:3]
The Principle of Our Unique Gifts
Each of us is blessed with unique gifts and talents. We are each a piece in a three-dimensional puzzle of life,
striving to figure out where we fit. And just like a puzzle, life is incomplete without us. Each of us is important to
the whole. Enlightened leaders help others see the contours of their lives so they can see how they can best
contribute to the whole.
Enlightened leaders strive to help others identify their own gifts and talents and then cultivate them, helping them
find their place in the puzzle. Some enlightened leaders may even see the gifts that others have before they
themselves are aware of them. When we recognize our own unique gifts, we want to share them with the world.
Enlightened leaders facilitate this process.
We are continually given the opportunity to learn and to grow and to manifest the gifts that we have been given. We
also can gain insight into our unique gifts and talents by reflecting on our life experiences and connecting with our
divine spark, our higher or true self. Enlightened leaders are aware of this process and are ever alert to the
opportunity to shine light on the potential in others.
The experiences related the principle of attention ranged in application from having
others see their unique gifts to being able to identify the gifts in teacher leaders that served to
better certain processes within the school community It also included leading through the
strengths of others whether that strength was owned by the teachers, students, parents or the
principal.
Recognizing the Unique Gifts in Teachers and Staff
During the focus group, Gregoria related that it was due to others recognizing the gifts
that she possessed that led her into educational leadership. But even so, she has been genuinely
surprised when others have come to her and said things such as, “If it had not been for you, if
you had not done, the time that you took with me” or statements along those lines. She simply
could not understand that she had done anything other than give them time and talk to them
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about the fact that she believed in them. She was able to share a couple of specific examples.
The first one was related to a teacher that had previously been on her staff. One day she received
a call from a person that was seeking a recommendation for the teacher. She went on to say yes
that she would recommend her and they asked why. She shared with them that the teacher was
someone who… marches to the beat of a different drum. But that her quality of work was just
great. If they could be patient with her, they would find that her work was just excellent,
outstanding. She went on to say that it was hard for people to see beyond that. She explained
that the teacher was stuck, she was really stuck, until she helped her by getting her rolling and
finishing her administrative credentials, Gregoria felt that the teacher was just so talented but
people often overlooked her gifts.[3.2.34:2]
Yolanda Poe echoed the necessity of leading with people strengths and being able to
recognize that there is good in all of us. She said she wants her school climate to be a place
where people see the good in one another and give the benefit of the doubt to one another. That
there should be an understanding of, “You do the things you are good at and I'll do the things
that I am good at, and the kids will benefit from the greatness that will come out of us doing
what's good.”[3.2.34:6] She also shared that she had experiences with parents that just will not see
the good in a person not because of the person but because of their own issues. In those
situations, she felt that it was really sad because their decisions were not based on what was best
for the child but rather on what was best for them individually.[3.2.34:6.b]
Recognizing the Unique Gifts in Parents
Another example Gregoria shared was related to a parent that she had worked with who
had received a degree in his native country but upon arrival to the US found that the degree was
not going to help him. She worked with the parent and encouraged him to pursue a career along
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the same field in the US and she helped him to find the resources necessary to do so. She said
even in that case, she did not feel like she had done anything special. In fact, she isn’t even
quite sure that she recognized his gifts but rather “reminded him of the gifts and talents he had”.
[3.2.34:2.b]
Recognizing the Unique Gifts in Students
In regard to identifying the gifts in talents in children, Gregoria felt that could be traced
back to that feeling she had as a child---the feeling of being really dumb. So, in her work with
children, she never wanted them to have that same feeling. That was why she always found
herself trying to find the best in children and just work on that, to really have them feel that they
were special, that they had gifts, and that they had value. [3.2.34:3]
Jaime felt that the act of identifying the unique gifts of students was something that
needs to be taken on more aggressively in our educational systems. He went on to say that our
schools ought to be designed around kids’ gifts and talents and there should be talent-based
schools instead of other kinds of objectives that adults design for children to accomplish, but
focus on kids gifts and talents and use our gifts and talents to help them decide and choose some
of those things as they go through their schooling so that they might receive more
encouragement.[3.2.34:4.a] For example, if a child struggles with reading and/or math all the way
through school, and they never really master those skills in a significant manner, it is really
discouraging. That same child might have a form of intelligence or a gift or talent that is not
expressed specifically through written word or mathematics in a book format or even through
some kinds of manipulatives, may be gifted in what he called hands-on intelligences.[3.2.34:4.b]
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Jaime asked, “ Wouldn’t it have been so much better if we could have given them more
success in their talented areas rather than just beating them up with reading and math and
English rules and all the things that we do that make them feel they are not smart.” He believes
everybody is smart in one or more areas and that everybody is gifted but he does not believe that
society as a whole recognizes that. [3.2.34:4.e]
Recognizing One’s Weaknesses Leads to the Recognition of Unique Gifts in Others
Jaime also shared an example of how finding one’s strengths and leading with those
strengths applied to his leadership role.
I’ll pick out one critical activity within the organization of

a school, related to me and my gifts and my weaknesses
and understanding that and how it works in a system. I’ve
never been too good at organizing schedules. In fact, I just
go crazy trying to do that. I finally realized that. So what I
would do back in the school where I worked in the 80s, I
asked a committee of people. I had 3 people I trusted
deeply who had the gift of organizing time frames into a
daily schedule. So they would work on the schedule under
my supervision, bring it back to me and I’d give them
input about it. They’d tell me what it was like and the
strengths and weaknesses of that schedule as it related to
grade levels and individuals and then we’d work on that
and publish it. Then we’d bring it to the whole staff and
get a commitment from everybody to follow that schedule.
That worked well, and I’ve always had to follow that.
[3.2.34:4.c]
He recognized that he could have chosen to sit around and feel like he was not smart but
instead chose to turn that activity over to people who were good in that area and let them design
the schedule and present or modify it with the assistance of the whole staff.
He also shared how he would utilize the same model when working with new assistant
principals. He would say to them, “We’re going to do this together. I’m not going to give you
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the undesirable pieces of the operation to do. It is not going to be you do the dirty work and I’ll
do the glorious work. But we’re going to do all of this together.”[3.2.34:4.d] He would allow that
person, in fact; empower that person to take the lead in any leadership aspects that they wanted
to. He felt that the model of using gifts and talents and putting the pieces together so that the
leadership team worked holistically in a unified manner to help the school keep some balance
was something he had been able to do fairly well with other people.
The Principle of Gratitude
It has been said that you cannot be too rich or too thin. That is certainly debatable, but I would argue that you
cannot be too grateful. Enlightened leaders are grateful to the people around them and to life itself for the
countless gifts they have been given. They have an “attitude of gratitude” and show it both internally and
externally.
Gratitude is not just a feeling. It is a form of energy. Gratitude begets gratitude. The energy of gratitude has the
power to attract and empower. We know that when we appreciate others, they are more likely to appreciate us and,
similarly, when we appreciate the unique gifts of others, they are more likely to appreciate our unique gifts.
Gratitude and appreciation are among those special things that you can give away but still possess. Enlightened
leaders abound with gratitude for the honor of serving others.
The principle of gratitude was described as being one of the most liked principles but it
also was one of the most underutilized principles. All of the participants were able to articulate
various forms of expressions of gratitude and the need to express gratitude; however, the
reasons for displaying gratitude were limited to appreciation for support and effort. Also noted
was the fact that all four participants were uncomfortable with receiving gratitude. They felt it
was an unnecessary event in their lives as they were “just doing their job”.
Forms of Expressing Gratitude
Yolanda Poe was already actively working on weaving the principle of gratitude into her
planning for the upcoming school year. She felt that it was something she enjoyed doing but
rarely did enough. She felt that perhaps teachers never feel principals do enough by way of
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gratitude---no matter how much they do. She wanted to be more sensitive to this. Some of the
things she does to express gratitude were things such as giving kudos in the school newsletter
for individual teachers, staff, and students, as well as sending glad notes and birthday cards, and
statements of congratulations on the school black board website. She also mentioned taking the
time to talk with people individually and recognize them at staff meetings. She still felt maybe
there were things that she had not thought of to do. She agreed that people, most people,
respond to demonstrations of appreciation for them by continuing to do things to get
appreciation. [3.2.38:4]
Jaime described the principle of gratitude as a powerful principle even though some
people refuse to participate. He felt that showing appreciation by giving gifts is an opportunity
to express gratitude but that others may think it looks like bribery. However, when it is offered
in genuine, heartfelt ways, it is empowering to oneself. This principle can be motivating to staff
and it can also serve to induce gratitude on the part of people who are receiving the benefits of
an education. [3.2.38:2]
Jaime shared an example of a time when he wanted to express his appreciation for the
school board because he had a deep appreciation for their extending his life in education through
the opportunity to work in the school. At that particular time he was retired and working in a car
store when the opportunity to become principal of the school was presented. He felt that it was
so unusual to be sought after, that he had a deep appreciation for that opportunity. After a few
years of employment with the school district, he decided that he would give the board and the
superintendent a gift every year. [3.2.38:2.b]
He went on to describe how they really did not know what to do with that. They did not
know how to express themselves back, but he really felt empowered and loved giving those gifts
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to them. He continues to wonder how the principle is so magnetic in that it attracts others to also
express gratitude while increasing energy level. [3.2.38:2.c]
Sterling enjoyed being able to express gratitude to people who rarely receive such
messages. He specifically stated taking the opportunity to thank the people that worked in the
central office whether by email or phone call to tell them how much he appreciates what they do
for the school community. He said he does it because he knows that it is a job that often gets
overlooked. Sterling discussed the power of the written word when expressing gratitude. He
offered that writing it down gives the receiver something tangible that can be continually looked
at and therefore be encouraged. He noticed that those notes of gratitude end up in important
places in teachers’ classrooms, or on their desks or pinned up on the wall as a visible reminder
of encouragement. [3.2.38:3.a]
He has also learned in his role as a leader that some people need expressions of gratitude
a lot more than do others. His experiences have led him to realize that some people need such
expressions every day or every hour---they just need to hear that they are doing a good job.
[3.2.38:3.b]
Reasons for Expressing Gratitude
Gregoria could not remember when she first realized that nobody gets to where they are
without the help and support of people around them. She still remembers every person that
guided her throughout her life. She fondly recalled a man that helped her when she was a pre-
school teacher: who was killed in an airplane accident. She never forgot him; he had opened the
door of opportunity for her. She was forever grateful because his actions started her on the path
that she was supposed to take in life. She was thankful for other people that came into her life
who somehow interceded at a point in her life when she was ready to move on. She specifically
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expressed gratitude toward students who taught her so much about human needs. She also felt
gratitude for her father and mother. Even though her father died at an early age, his struggle to
get her educated lived on after him. Because Gregoria returned to college after being married,
she felt that her husband deserved a great deal of gratitude. He supported her, and sacrificed a
lot getting her through college, both financially and with family time. He never once said she
should not or could not continue her education. She remembered him encouraging her and
working up to seven jobs to keep them going. She shared all of this because she felt it was
important that educators understand that no one gets where they are alone and that by expressing
gratitude as educators we model the understanding and appreciation that we are all in this
together. [3.2.38:1]
Receiving Gratitude
One thing that was very interesting was that none of the participants chose to discuss
being on the receiving end of gratitude. In fact, they appeared to be uncomfortable about
receiving compliments or public expressions of gratitude. When Sterling was asked about
receiving such expressions he said that they were not necessary , but that he could operate on a
single “I appreciate you” , or “Thank you” for a long time.[3.2.9:8] He felt that over time he had
learned to be more dependent on his inner feeling, his Higher Being for recognition.
When the same question was posed to Yolanda Poe, she said she really did not need a lot
of that and that she did not do well with public attention. Receiving attention was not why she
does what she does. She is comfortable in knowing that she has done the best that she can and
in knowing that she touched someone's life positively. She felt that she did not need fanfare. In
fact, it made her feel uncomfortable. She said that feeling came from her belief that good
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principals give the credit and take the criticism. Her credit will come from what happens for her
“kids” because her job is to serve them and to serve their parents and to serve the staff.[3.2.39:1]
The Principle of Our Unique Life Lessons
Life is a series of unfolding lessons that enable us to grow and become our best selves. Embedded in the challenges
and vicissitudes of life are opportunities for growth and self-expression. Enlightened leaders look at the events
around them and the challenges they are confronting not only with an eye toward meeting those challenges, but
also searching within themselves for the life-lessons embedded in their experiences.
The universe almost demands that we pay attention to what can change our lives. If we understand and appreciate
the lesson, our reward is usually another lesson, for each lesson becomes a stairway to the next. If we ignore the
important lessons that come to us, they often escalate into a more difficult form.
Enlightened leaders not only contend with their own lessons but also help others identify and work through their
lessons as well. Enlightened leaders try to look for the silver lining within every cloud and see life’s lessons as an
opportunity for growth and self-expression for themselves and others.
This particular principle was difficult for the participants to discuss without relating it to
a tremendous amount of pain. The pain originated from a number of different sources through a
variety of life lessons. The impact was felt at very personal levels. Time played a significant
role in being able to stand back and discern the lesson being provided in each situation. As the
participants revealed their understanding and experiences with this principle, it was evident that
much reflection and trepidation was involved. In some instances, they revealed things they had
never really spoken of out loud. It seemed that the act of verbalizing some of these painful
experiences allowed them to grasp the lesson associated to the experience. Several different
themes emerged in this particular principle. The terms used dealt primarily with “going inward”
and being “reflective” about the situation. The term “inner voice” was used quite often as the
participants ran situations through their “spiritual filter” seeking guidance, direction, and peace
all the while adding the lessons learned to their cache of wisdom.
Self-Growth and Self-Expression
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Jaime shared a very personal example of how he believed this principle had a role in his
self-growth and self-expression. He started out by recalling that as a child he was shy and was
never really comfortable with the learning mold that he was in. He did not do poorly in school,
but school was neither comfortable nor easy for him. He went on to say:
I finally figured out that I was kind of smart; I just

couldn’t prove it in a classroom. It’s interesting that I
ended up in that arena all my life.
I always battled systems. That was the shortcoming in my

life. I thought it was a strength when I was engaged in it,
but I fought the system. I criticized it and battled it and
thought I was doing it defending children, and I think what
I was really doing was defending myself and my struggles
with education personally.
The lesson I learned was that we had to embrace the

system as a system and accept it and learn to work within
those parameters to do the things that we felt passionate
about and to follow the guidelines to the degree that we
were expected to instead of battling with them. That is a
form of alignment as well, and quite a trick. I think what
happens to us is we don’t realize the issues that are
challenging us from within, but they do frame the attitudes
and approaches that we use without. [3.2.42:3]
Yolanda Poe confided an incident that happened during her second year at her current
school. That was the year she ran into a teacher that was a “queen bee” and at the time Yolanda
Poe did not know she was the queen bee. That year Yolanda Poe made the mistake of proposing
that the teacher do things a little differently than she had been doing them for the past 25 years.
The teacher obviously did not feel like she needed to do anything differently, and she set out to
prove that to Yolanda Poe by garnering support from the parent community. Yolanda Poe
recalls that period in her life as “simply awful”. It was simply awful because the teacher had
years of experience in the school and she had built a huge support system. Yolanda Poe recalls
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asking God to show her the right way to deal with the situation so that she was not adding fuel
to the fire and that the truth would come to light. She recalled how frustrating it was because
she would have conversations with the teacher and they would be positive. They would present
differences of opinion and agree to disagree and then the teacher would go out and schedule
private meetings with parents and helped to develop a petition against the principal. The teacher
would say things that were not true and get parents all riled up and it was all because she had
suggested that she should try some different things.[3.2.41:4]
During that time it was difficult for her to go to work knowing that she had to be ready
to battle day after day after day and to hear some of the unkind and ugly things that people said
in support of their friend or colleague. It was a chore to have to continue to smile and model the
things you say you believe during times like that because it is so much easier to model those
things when things are going well.[3.2.43:2]
The teacher ended up requesting a transfer at the end of the school year and once the
transfer was honored asked if she could come back to the school. The decision was made that
the teacher would not be allowed to return to Yolanda Poe’s school. Yolanda Poe knows that
that was just the best thing to do for the sake of her school and it made a huge difference. The
lesson she learned was that you have to lean on what you know is good and true even when you
feel you are fighting a losing battle. In the end it is the courage within you that helps you make
decisions that positively impact the lives of your students. [3.2.41:4.b]
Sterling likened the overall experience of life’s unique lessons to an experience he had
as a young man learning how to drive in the mud. His grandfather would often put him in
situations that would make him very uncomfortable. He would do it on purpose for Sterling to
learn and to be more successful.
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So sometimes as a leader, we’re going to stretch people

more than what they’re comfortable with, because we
know that they’re going to need to know how to do it.
That’s what I’m doing now as a leader, stretching people.
I’m having them take a step further than what they want to
do.
And we have some here that just want to do the same
thing.
And I say, ‘We need you to do this. I need you to think

about being more involved, because we can’t just do the
same thing all the time.’ And they’re uncomfortable with
it, but it seems to me in most cases that they’re
appreciative after it happens because they realize that
they’re better for doing it. [3.2.42:4]
In one of his journal entries, Sterling wrote about the difficult lesson learned when
leaders consciously choose not to be selfless. He admits that there have been times when he has
chosen not to be selfless and even though he is not proud of it, he recognizes that even in doing
so he is given an opportunity for growth. [3.2.58:7]
Spiritual Filter
Sterling linked that thought to his second interview when he discussed how he tries to
see the situation through what he called a “spiritual filter”. He defined spiritual filter as the
inner conversation between self and spirit. After making a poor decision the inner conversation
begins and the wisdom that comes from the Spirit helps prepare him for the situation when it
occurs again. [3.2.58:7.b] This theme appeared many times throughout the study once the term was
discovered through a journal entry. The participants were able to relate to the process quickly
and readily and likened it to self reflection except that the spiritual filter required a
predetermined goal of spiritual leadership whereas sheer self-reflection was noted as being more
open-ended.
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Wisdom
Sterling continued by saying that over time, one of the keys is wisdom, because he feels
each experience has contributed to what he referred to as the wisdom bank. He said, “I’m
looking forward to getting older, because I know with experiences and time, I’m going to gain
wisdom. The more wisdom you gain, the better able you are to handle situations that come up.”
[3.2.7:1] Gregoria and Jaime also commented that the years of experience have created a bank
of wisdom that could not have been actualized in their early years as school administrators.
The principle of Unique Life lessons was highly personalized and resulted in taking even
the most painful events and gleaning tools from them. The process of being able to using the
lesson and applying it to new dilemmas and situations was desired by the participants so as to
avoid having to repeat a lesson along with repeating poor choices.
The Principle of a Holistic Perspective
A spiritual truth for people and organizations, indeed the universe, is that the parts affect the whole and the whole
affects the parts. Since we are part of the whole, it is in our own enlightened self-interest to devote our vision,
energy and gifts to shape the world that is unfolding.
We are complex beings comprised of mind, body and spirit. For our best selves to emerge, we must nurture and
balance these three aspects. Enlightened leaders nurture and balance these characteristics in themselves and in
others. They see the mysterious interconnectedness of everything in the universe and seek to understand how the
parts of any system affect each other.
Enlightened leaders know that what we think, say, and do affects the universe and what affects the universe affects
us. They know that for any system to operate effectively and efficiently, all of the parts must be able to work well
and work well together.
Enlightened leaders help others recognize that they are part of something that is larger than themselves, but also
that every part is vital and important to the success of the whole.
Jaime, who viewed himself as a holistic thinker, clearly understood the holistic
perspective as being how the parts affect the whole and how the whole affects the parts. He said,
“We’re part of the whole our own enlightened self-interest, how we devote that to our vision,
energy and gift to have some kind of influence in the world. We’re composed of mind, body and
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spirit. And we need to keep a balance of those in ourselves and encourage our systems and
departments to operate efficiently, working well together.” [3.2.58:3.a]
Parts of the Whole
He referenced a Biblical reference found in 1 Corinthians 12:12, that talks about the
body and the parts of the body and how every part is important---some of them more public, and
some more private, and how they all work together. He felt that was a powerful piece to apply to
a human system because of its implications to how one manages those systems and how one can
use that information to help inform leadership and encourage the parts of that system to work
well together.[3.2.58:3.b]
Gregoria illuminated further on the notion of seeing the whole person. She initiated this
thought in her first interview when she referred to seeing children as little spirits. She continued
to reference this belief in every interview thereafter. She discussed seeing all people as a spirit
in terms of holistic perspective. She said when she sees the children she sees them as someone
she serves and attributes more to their being than just a mind. Gregoria said, “The spirit is
probably the most important part of every human being. Without the spirit your mind can’t
reach the heights of achievement, and without a spirit I don’t even think you can keep a healthy
body. But I think that’s my whole approach. Even as a classroom teacher, I looked at children as
very fragile. Just like I think all human beings are very fragile.”[3.2.59:3]
Need to Retain Dignity of all Parts
Gregoria eloquently proceeded to connect that belief to the belief all beings are
interconnected through their spirit and should be treated with dignity. She discussed how her
decisions and behaviors have the possibility of affecting the life of someone else either in a
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positive or negative way. Therefore, she has to take extra care to see everyone, especially the
children as little growing souls that need care and nurturing and the respect that they deserve. To
her that is the spirituality in the work and the workers. When asked who she was talking about
when she said the workers, she responded by saying,
You talk about your secretaries, you talk about your

custodians, you talk about, and you know the certificated
staff, the classified staff. Every single person needs to be
treated with dignity. Even if I don’t agree with them, even
if I don’t think they’re doing a good job, you know, I have
to try to find a way to help each other, enlighten ourselves.
You know, both me learning from them and them learning
from me. Because I don’t think that just because you’re a
leader you know everything. [F.38:4]
Sterling shared the view that leaders must understand that when working with every
individual tied to the school community, you must know that you are dealing with the whole
person.
You are a leader, a spiritual leader, because it’s the whole

person that’s coming to you. Sometimes it’s broken
people, its hurt people who’ve had experiences that
weren’t positive. I’m thinking too how complex, because I
was looking through the holistic part, how complex we are
as people…Because I felt that I was micromanaging
everything and they would look at it as me telling them
what to do, and this time they’re actually a part of the
decision making. Once they’ve accepted your leadership, I
think the staff starts looking at you…They feel safer
coming and speaking to me now. And even in saying that
saying that, you have to understand you can’t please
everybody all the time, because you can’t. Sometimes
you’re only pleasing a few people because they’re not
looking at the big picture or something bigger than what
they’re seeing with their own eyes. There’s a
responsibility, negative and positive, you have a
responsibility. [3.2.58:4]
Community Building
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Gregoria also connected the holistic perspective to building community by bringing the
parents into the equation, especially in the hard to reach communities:
To give them that respect and to welcome them and give

them the time that is necessary to make them be real
partners in the whole process, benefits the school, it
benefits the children. I used to see over and over again the
children whose parents, you know, are welcome into the
school and who are treated with respect by the
leadership, their self-esteem goes up. You know, they’re
beginning to believe that they have value, that their parents
are now a part of. It’s not home and school over here, but
its home and school blending, because that is the life of a
child. Those are the two major places where the child sees
a lifetime…from the start of pre-school all the way to high
school, in terms of having their parents part of that
process, I think that’s a great, great, benefit for kids.
[3.2.58:2]
Rebuilding the Whole
Yolanda Poe felt that some of the negative occurrences of the past school year had left
her staff feeling fragmented and that there was a need to do some team building exercises in
order for her staff members to recall that they each play an important role in their school family.
At the time of the third interview, she was working on the staff development plans for the
upcoming school year. She included a staff retreat that would take them to a leadership camp
that would include different activities such as to divide the staff up into groups in which they
would have to problem solve in the hopes of also developing camaraderie. She added that doing
such activities together would “help to remind us that we are a team and we need to do in work
together to foster trust and build relationships.” She felt helping her staff understand their
individual role and contribution to the team would not only help her staff understand their self-
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worth but ultimately would lead to better being able to serve the students and parents of their
school community. [3.2.37]
The Principle of Openness
Enlightened leaders appreciate openness in themselves and others. They try to be open to all aspects of themselves,
to their environment, to the divine aspects of other people and to the divine.
The universe is pulsating with limitless information. It comes to us at conscious and unconscious levels in direct
and indirect ways. Information comes through our senses, through our dreams and intuition, through synchronicity
and through divine sources. Are we receptive to this information? Do we take advantage of it? We must struggle
with forces such as fear, illness and stress that push us to be closed rather than open.
Enlightened leaders work not only at hearing their own inner voice, but also hearing the voices of others. Through
wisdom, enlightened leaders learn to discern which voices and which information carry the highest truths and
which carry lesser truths or untruths. It is not easy because sometimes the truth is unpleasant or painful or it means
we have more work to do, but enlightened leaders continually work at being open to divine guidance to pursue the
highest good.
This particular principle appeared to be the most crucial principle discussed. Many
different terms were attached to this principle. Responses ranged from the requirement of
honesty and the direct link to the principle of trust to the necessity of understanding the role of
attitudes and expressing care, encouragement, forgiveness and grace. Also included was the
extremely difficult task of being reflective enough to build a strong relationship with self to
discern and be guided by the inner voice.
According to Jaime, the principle of openness has the potential of being “one of the most
dangerous” principles. [3.2.57:3] It is dangerous in the sense that if it is not accompanied by the
principle of trust, it can have some very detrimental and negative effects on both the giver and
the receiver. Several different relationship scenarios in which the principle of openness
surfaced were discussed. The key understanding, however, was that a relationship existed. The
degree of depth and honesty in which openness could occur was dependent on the degree of
trust that existed within each relationship that was exemplified. With all four participants, the
principle of openness was discussed in four categories. The four categories related to openness
were openness with children, openness with staff, openness with parents and openness with self.
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Openness with Children
When discussing the role of relationships within the principle of openness, Jaime found
it necessary to bring up the issue of power. He noted a stark difference when dealing with
adults versus when working with children. According to him, when working with children there
exists a perceived sense of powerlessness. He attributed that perception to their innocence and
found that their response is often from the perspective of having less power than the adult with
whom they are interacting. He believes that if educators choose to be open to the insight of
children they can receive much encouragement through conversations and interactions with
them because children are “real” human beings. [3.2.26.4] Examples he shared of such interactions
included football passing, and getting on the playground with 3 or 4 year olds. He went on to
describe playing on the playground with children.
They will talk to you and ask you questions and you get to
talk to them and encourage them. ‘Let me see you slide
down the slide,’ and ‘Good job.’ And it just sets you up.
So then when you get into the classroom, and you get into
more challenging areas of learning, that carries over. It’s
really easy to do with children because they’re very
accepting and trustworthy. They’re very trusting of people
who care about them. [3.2.30:3]
He went on to share that for many years teaching has been about “power over” children
without regard to their feelings and needs. Some of the most common needs center around the
child's physical and emotional well-being, academic success, respect, a shared reality, support,
community, cooperation, and reciprocity. “Power with”, however gives both parties in the
relationship the potential to have both their needs met. To him the principle of openness is the
means to getting needs met and if the lines of communication are open and honest, children,
staff, parents and even self stand a better chance of getting individual needs met.
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Honesty was reported to be especially crucial when attempting to work with school staff.
In this regard, Gregoria felt that in some ways she was honest to a fault. She felt that people
who understood her intentions in the profession accepted her honesty and openness, but there
were always people that questioned that. She thought they questioned her integrity. But, she felt
that whether they did or not, it was how she determined whether people were in the profession
for the right reasons. She gave an example of a co-worker with who through her open
relationship learned about each other. She found out that they had the same goals in the
profession. She said they did not always agree about every little thing but openness allowed
them to work together quite effectively. [3.2.57:1.a]
Openness with Staff
Openness with staff resulted in being one of the most difficult forms of openness.
Gregoria went on to describe the difficulty in being open with staff; however, she felt that she
was required to be honest, open and direct because she did not have enough time professionally
not to be. She said, “You know, when a child loses a year of good learning, that could be a
lifetime; and, I just felt that it was too important for us not to be, not to be open.” [3.2.57:1.b]
During the focus group discussion, Jaime agreed and said that he felt that openness with
staff was a facet that principals need to strengthen. He challenged principals to understand that
when they find people in the field that are having a negative impact on children they need to be
removed and that needs to happen in a loving but very firm way so that others would see that
this does happen. He said that such interaction occurs with children all the time but that adults
do not do it to one another as often as necessary. He said that “loving confrontation” is a skill
and an essential element of the job that takes much courage and is risky to accomplish. Failure
to do so could tear down the rest of the staff and certainly damage children. [F.11:1] Jaime
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provided an example of just how difficult but rewarding such an interaction can be. As he was
discussing the principle of openness in regard to interactions with staff, he said,
When we really tell people privately and even

appropriately how we think, what we view their work and
their influence within our organization, it many times
brings a very almost frightening responses. You know,
when you call somebody into a conference relating to their
performance, an appraisal conference, you have a choice
of whether to really critique that person honestly or
whether to just smooth things over if you find things that
aren’t going well in your opinion and hope they’ll just
figure it out sometime. Well, with this teacher it just
wasn’t going that way, so I confronted her and talked to
her about her disorganization, sporadic teaching, lack of
continuity and so one related to this particular observation
and told her that I wasn’t going to give her a continuing
contract but I would keep her on probation. She became
violently angry and attacked me and wanted to talk to my
superior, and I told her that would be fine. So we did. She
was very offensive. I just didn’t react, I just let I just
continued to listen to her, let her vent. And then later set
up an opportunity to have my supervisor come out and
have a joint conference. The outcome of that, because of
this person’s attitude was very positive. She went to work,
she asked questions. She did look
at herself and come to realize, after she got over her hurt.
[3.2.57:3.b]
In discussing openness with staff, all four participants agreed that it was important to also
be open about their own weaknesses. They felt it was appropriate and necessary to let staff
know that they did not know everything and that they were expecting to be able to learn from
them. Jaime warned, “It is important to remember that our colleagues see things in us that
they’d like to interact with us about. So, if principals think they have the courage and trust and
want to develop openness with staff they must be willing to accept their comments about him or
herself.”[3.2.57:3.c] As intimidating as that can be, Yolanda Poe felt that such an understanding was
necessary for good working conditions. She believed that it was important that such
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conversations be able to work both ways so that staff could feel like part of the solution. She
said, “ If people feel a part of, if people feel cared about and people feel supported then they will
do the best that they can do, and even share when they can't do the best that they can do and
know that they won't be judged but will be supported.” She went to state that people are
different and one size does not fit all but that we are all human and we all want to feel supported
and loved and cared about so she tries to do those things that make her staff and students and
parents to feel that way through openness. [3.2.27:4]
Sterling described the situation as yet another example of vulnerability to which spiritual
leaders open themselves. It was worth taking the risk because ultimately such interactions would
benefit the students. [3.2.40:6] Gregoria believed that one key strategy in becoming more open laid
in the ability to learn how to listen---listening to learn. So, she made it a practice to constantly
strive to learn from her staff. She said, “I think that kind of opened doors with faculty that
might not have been opened if I had not been so open about the things that I didn’t know. I was
readily able to admit what I didn’t know and what I wanted to learn. I think that carried me
through.”[3.2.57:1.c]
Openness with Parents
Openness with parents was mentioned as being just as necessary as being open with
children and staff. Overwhelmingly, interactions with parents were cited as having the potential
of being negative because often when parents want to visit with the principal, they are speaking
from a place of fear and anger. Gregoria shared that sometimes she felt her desire for openness
required her to be a strong child advocate at her own risk. She was specifically referencing
situations in which children are abused or neglected and being able to confront the challenge of
helping them through that, whether it was through special agencies or the parents. For her, that
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was a horrible part of the job because she would have to really talk directly to parents about
their children and share things they did not want to hear. [F.11:2]
Jaime viewed openness with parents in two ways. The first way dealt with allowing
parents to be critical of the principal as long as it was reasonable and did not get carried out in
an ugly manner. He said, “We need to receive those comments and criticisms and take them into
all consideration to see if adjustments need to be made. That’s the way you develop trust and
openness with the people that we serve. If we don’t have that spirit, you just build barriers.” The
second way he shared was much more delicate because it involved more than just listening but
rather it dealt with helping a student that had been experiencing many discipline problems in
school by being very open with the parents, particularly the father.[F.11:1.b]
Openness with Self
The last category in relation to the principle of openness was the most difficult for the
participants to discuss. Even though the topic naturally emerged during the interviews, they
said they found it very difficult to articulate to the degree of clarity what they demanded of
themselves. That in and of itself was ironic because Jaime, Gregoria, and Sterling immediately
offered that they felt they were their own worst critic.
They also agreed that the relationship a person has with their selves is vital to the leading
process. Sterling connected openness with others as a key to not only getting to learn more
about others but also as an opportunity to learn more about himself. He claimed that listening to
others point of view regarding his actions helps him better understand himself. He said that until
he knows himself he did not think he could be effective in helping others.
I just think where I am in my life at this point getting to

know myself and the better I’m knowing myself the better
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I’m connected spiritually in understanding that inner voice

and that person within me. [3.2.10:1]
Gregoria, as mentioned earlier, is quite aware that she is harder on herself than she is on
anybody else with whom she has any connection. She readily admits that she does not know
that she totally understands herself and was not sure that it was even possible. She did know
that she likes to continue to push herself because she feels that there is always more that she can
do and she is never satisfied with what she has done or what she can do.
I think there’s a lot of self imposed pressure. A lot of self

imposed pressure to do more and to do better and I think I
wish I had a more positive relationship with myself.
I wish I could ease up a little bit I wish I could relax a little

bit more. I just feel that even after retiring and now going
back into it and knowing that I have a little bit more
wisdom than I did some years back and now trying to use
that wisdom quickly and as powerfully as I can. I think
I’ve also said this, not that I think I am right but just
knowing that there are some things that I now know better
than I did a few years ago and wanting to share that makes
my relationship with myself pretty difficult.[3.2.10:1.b]
Jaime also felt that the relationship with self was difficult because it was very important
to him to balance that with his belief that he was not better than anybody else and recognizing
that he was hard on himself to the extreme. He shared that there were often times that he felt he
had to do things that he would not do if would just learn to turn it loose and allow others to
“carry the burden of expectation”. [3.2.10:1.c] He went on to say that, “Knowing one’s self is one
of the most complex things we have to do and I think it’s critical, it takes a lot of courage, it
takes forgiveness of one’s self.” He said that as difficult as it is to do, it was necessary to try to
have open communication within the school community within the school itself and recognize
from the beginning that it is easy to say---- yet, so difficult to do. He said that in the past he told
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his staff, “If you have something to say to me please come and tell me.” Then when he was
faced with the teacher that actually did it, he found himself wishing he had not said that because
he was afraid the comments being made were true and he hated to have to see himself in that
mirror.[3.2.10:1.d]
He also recalled an experience that occurred in a school district that was using an
instrument called a called a reciprocal. The reciprocal was designed to be used after the
principal had appraised the teachers and they were then able to come back to the principal with
an appraisal of the principal. He found that receiving their criticisms was very challenging but
that it certainly helped him improve schools and to improve his self. He once again reiterated
the necessity of strong relationships. He said he heard a marriage specialist say, “The best way
to improve your marriage is to become good at it yourself.” [3.2.10:1.e] He accepted that statement
as a personal challenge to improve his relationship with himself.
I think we must take on ourselves and we have to have

other people that love us enough to have the courage to tell
us things we don’t want to hear. To tell how we look to
somebody else…When all is said and done, we must value
ourselves and that goes back to spirituality and our
connection to God, or a higher power and our eternal
existence and our dignity as a living soul created by our
creator. We must value ourselves… we must dignify
ourselves or we can’t dignify others. [3.2.10:1.f]
Relationship with self and the ability to be self-reflective allowed the participants to be
able to step back from situations and run them through what Sterling termed a “spiritual filter”.
Sterling first used this term in one of his journal entries. He again used the term during the
focus group at which time the other participants started using the term. For Yolanda Poe,
Gregoria, and Sterling, the process of doing so afforded them the opportunities to not only see
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the problems from different angles but more importantly the opportunity to listen to their inner
voice.
Openness to the Inner Voice
In order to comprehend and appreciate the concept of inner voice as it relates to the
principle of openness, the participants were asked to describe when they first heard this inner
voice and to give details surrounding the role of the inner voice. Gregoria very clearly
remembered the time she first became aware of her inner voice.
I’ve must have been in the 3rd grade and that may have
been the very first time I realized that what I had done was
not right and it’s exactly because it dealt with another
Hispanic child and meeting her in the restroom and having
her talk to me in Spanish after we had been told there were
strict rules stating we did not speak in another language---
we spoke English and you know she [the other girl] was
just real confused and didn’t understand what was
happening to her. So she asked me for help in Spanish and
I didn’t respond because of this rule that was hanging over
my head you know ‘you will not speak anything other than
English’... I have carried that my entire life…that I did not
do the right thing. No, that I did not do the right thing and
I did not help her. That I let the rule control my behavior,
that I knew it was wrong but at that time I felt powerless
over that but I have never forgotten that incident.[3.2.50:1]
Sterling found that he was in agreement with Gregoria statements and he found it
especially interesting because he too recalled first hearing his inner voice around third grade.
He stated that perhaps his inner voice had been there all along but it was at that age that he
started becoming in tune with it. He learned over the years that much wisdom can be obtained
through his conversation with his inner voice as it has taught him how to “figure out” possible
solutions when faced with various dilemmas.
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As I’ve grown as a leader, one of the biggest differences in

handling situations and being able to cope with the distress
and demands is listening to the voices that are inside of
me.
Sometimes you have to be careful because the
conversation can go really negative because your past
experiences can really play into it. The past can help the
negative part, because you might think, “Based on a past
experience, it isn’t going to work. It isn’t going to
happen.” I always think there is a positive and a negative
conversation going on, and you have to make a choice
what you’re going to listen to. It’s kind of a battle. The
right decision, the good decision comes from that inner
part of you. The part of you that would make the good
choice, the better choice, and really the right choice.
[3.2.50:5]
Sterling’s inner voice has also taught him how to know when it is time to get
reenergized.
For him that is achieved by having some alone time or being away. He said he needs that in
order to do his job effectively. If that is taken away from him, he is not going to work very well
because he tends to make reactive decisions. [F.3:1.a] He provided an example about a time three
years back when he was going through a difficult time and he drew a picture (See Appendix B)
that he felt reflected him. The picture is of a person that appears to be in despair. The person
has his hand on his head, which Sterling also does when he is dealing with stress. But what he
most related to were the eyes in the picture. The eyes he drew did not have pupils. He said he
did that because he really did not know where he was going, and he felt really down and
wondering what was going on with his life. Even more interesting about that particular drawing
was that at the time, he did not know he was choosing that to draw because of the way he was
feeling. Looking back on it he was able to see that it was a way of expressing himself.
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The Principle of Trust
Trust is an essential principle for enlightened leaders—a principle that must begin within us. First, we must learn
to trust ourselves and to be trustworthy. Then we have to learn to trust others and to give trust to others as a gift.
Last, we must learn to trust the universe and to trust the divine.
However, trusting ourselves is not always easy. Trust must be tempered by wisdom to avoid trusting the wrong
people or to protect against people betraying our trust. We trust leaders who are authentic, leaders whose walk is
aligned with their talk. We trust people who do what they say and say what they really do.
Trust allows people to learn and grow although they may err along the way. Trust means living our integrity and
respecting the integrity in others. Enlightened leaders tend to trust more so than not and, when in doubt, they are
more likely to choose to trust rather than choose not to trust.
As the discussion of this principle evolved it was easy to see the necessity of having trust
if openness was to be used in a meaningful way to inform educational leadership. In fact, the
intertwining of the principles was mentioned throughout the study. In one specific instance,
Jaime said the principle of intention was necessary so that he was intentional about being open,
but that his being open was ineffective if he did not give and earn trust.
Building Trust through Time and Healing
Jaime said it was obvious that you have to trust yourself first but that the building of
trust takes some time through relationship and interaction and open communication.[3.2.21:2]
Sterling added that unless you have that time to get to know a person, that time to go through
the experiences, they are not going to trust you. [3.2.10:9]
Because Yolanda Poe had just completed a very difficult year in her school and the staff
had suffered some damage to the trust relationship, she recognized the need for healing for the
entire school community especially the personal relationships that would have to be repaired.
She stated that it was in that posture in which she wanted to start the next school year. She
wanted to focus on the rebuilding of trust so that they could then refocus on their mission,
vision, and values. [3.2.21:4]
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Building Trust through Relationships
The participants provided specific working examples of the principle of trust that related
to working with colleagues, children and parents. Sterling said that he often reminds himself
that the staff is on different levels in their development and that he must take that into
consideration when he is handling the different situations. But because he is continually
working on developing that relationship of trust, when there is an area that a staff member needs
to improve on he is able to feel comfortable about addressing that without the conversation
becoming defensive and reactive.
Jaime described the principle of trust through his experiences with his “partner
principals” [the term he used for his assistant principals].
I think trust requires commitment, love, communication

and courage. One of the specific acts in my life related to
trust, one thing I’ve already referred to is working with my
partner principals. I had to trust them, and I did.
I took them in and said,
We’re going to be a part of this together.

We’re going to be co-principals.
We’re going to work on this.
We’re going to have lots of conversations.
We’re going to be very open.
We’re going to try to be transparent with each other.
And we’re going to be committed.
We’re going to care for each other.
We’re going to communicate with courage and share back
and forth.
And we’re going to try to do this with our staff, kids and
parents.
So this seems to have been very fulfilling, empowering,

and profitable educationally and spiritually to have done
this. To help encourage these folks to lead and develop
themselves and to learn how to lead better myself by
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trusting my partners and my staff rather than operating

through skepticism and control. [3.2.21:2.b]
Building Trust with Children
Jaime was also able to articulate an example of building trust with children. Every year
he has chosen a student, usually an upper grade student to raise and lower the school flags---the
United States flag and the state flag every morning, and to take it down every afternoon. He
said that was difficult to find children who could do that responsibly and consistently. But one
year he chose a little boy who had some problems with school attendance. He described the
little boy as being very precocious but not socially friendly with other children. The child
readily accepted the flag raising responsibility, and he has not missed a single time. Even when
he was sick one day, the child sent his mother to raise the flag. Jaime said, “I trusted him. I still
trust him. And I love him, and he knows it. And when he’s gotten in trouble in his relationships,
I’ve used this trust we’ve built to help him work through his problems so he can have more
friendships with his schoolmates.” [3.2.21:2.c]
Building Trust with Parents
Issues of trust with children are also contingent with the parents of the children being
able to trust the principal. Yolanda Poe shared an example of an activity she does every year in
order to start the relationship in the direction of building trust.
At the beginning of the year I call every new family that

comes to our school to welcome them personally to
introduce myself. Usually, I have gone down to their
classroom to actually eyeball their child so that I can say to
the parents, "I saw Lisa today and she was working with a
friend on a math problem. And she seems to be doing
very well. If you need me for anything not just today, but
at any time please don't hesitate to give me a call." I do
that kind of thing so that I can build a relationship and
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establish relationships to make parents feel comfortable

about having their children here. [3.2.10:10]
Yolanda Poe felt nurturing trust with parents was important because she recognized that
parents help set the tone of the attitude their children bring to want to learn, and to feel safe and
secure in school----and that enables them to learn. [3.2.29:4] Sterling also stated the importance of
building trust with parents but for a slightly different reason. According to him, if you start
building that rapport with parents early on and you start knowing them, what they are doing, and
where they are coming from then you have a better chance of understanding why they make the
decisions that they do. He also works with parents to help them see the other side of the story
and teaches them different ways to respond. He agrees that he wants parents to see the person-
side of the principal and be open with them but he pointed out that there are times when his
authoritative role has to be enforced. He gave an example of a parent that often came in upset
and angry because he did not feel that his child was being protected or being watched
adequately. Overall, the parent felt that the school was neither secure nor safe. One day, the
parent came in to the school very upset and spoke very badly to the office assistant and left the
assistant very shaken. Soon thereafter, Sterling met with the parent and said in a very
authoritative tone, “You will not do that here. We don’t do that at this school.” The parent
responded quite well and apologized to the assistant because he was able to receive Sterling’s
comments in the nature in which they were intended due to the relationship of trust they had
previously established. [3.2.55:2]
Betrayal of Trust
It is evident that the act of nurturing and achieving trust is important to the principle of
trust but it is also necessary to discuss the effect of the betrayal of trust. Jaime and Gregoria both
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shared examples of such betrayal. Jaime started by saying that when you trust somebody that is
not full of integrity, it is hurtful and sometimes embarrassing or destructive.
There’s one incident in my school experience, I guess I’ll

tell about it because it really speaks to this issue of
integrity and who you trust, who you can trust, who you
can depend on and so on. But in my career, one of my
bosses that I observed one time carrying out an activity
that I thought was totally wrong. It was against everything
that I believed and so on. It was in the field of a bribe with
a federal official. And I saw this going on with my own
eyes and really struggled with what to do with that piece of
information. In those days I felt like I had to be open, I had
to tell this to someone. So I gathered up some of my
colleagues, my fellow principals. We had a group of about
10. And I brought this to their attention and asked if they
would go with me to some of our board members and
share this information because I felt like it had to be
shared. Of those 10 people,
there was one person who said he would go. That’s when I
found out who would really stand with me in reporting this
incident. And he did. And we did go to three school board
members and share this information, not trying to defame
or destroy the image of our leader, but I guess just to get it
off my chest. Now was
that the right thing to do or not, I don’t know. But I learned
about a new dimension of trust. [3.2.21:2.d]
Gregoria also shared an example of the betrayal of trust but she added the details of the
effect it had on her professionally and personally. She referenced the fact that when she was
younger, she felt much more confident than she presently feels. One of the factors she
mentioned was the fact that all during her schooling she attended mostly majority culture
schools. The impact of doing that was that she began to lose faith. Now she thinks she is always
being judged by the color of her skin and that has robbed her of that level of confidence that she
once had. She also believes that it has made her less trusting of people. Now she finds herself
being “very, very, very careful” about people and has a tendency to be very guarded. However,
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she does feel that she is good at “reading” people, so if she feels that she can trust the other
person; she is able to allow a relationship to be built. And even though she felt that trust was
very important, she found it very difficult to obtain. [3.2.21:1.c]
Another factor that added to her perception of betrayal of trust was that as a principal she
felt betrayed by some of her leaders. She said, “I did not trust my leaders in terms of their
intentions toward minority students. I felt as if they said one thing, but really didn’t support that,
or what we had to do. I just saw the discrimination!”[3.2.21:1] She also shared that she felt
betrayed when she was always given the schools with all the children of color and the schools
that were falling apart, and then those schools did not have adequate materials. To make it
worse, she would drive down to a school that was a few blocks away that happened to be “an
all-white school and they have everything—beautiful lawns, playground equipment, I just began
to lose the trust that I thought I should have in the people that had the power. I just have to
know that things are fair. I have to have honesty and I have to have a voice…and trust is at the
heart of it all.”[3.2.21; 1.b]
The building of trust resulted in being the pinning behind meaningful working
relationships. Time and healing were recognized as being necessary to repair broken
relationship and establishing new, stronger relationships with teachers and staff for the benefit
of the entire school. However, building trust with children and parents was also noted as being
necessary for effective school leadership. Natural examples and events, in which interactions
could occur, help strengthen such relationships. The reality of the betrayal of trust and its
ramifications solidified the humanness of the participants. Recognizing the effects of such
betrayal led to better assessment and gauging of personal responses.
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Findings for Research Question # 3: How do principals perceive the meaning of

spirituality in their work?
During the first interview the participants were asked to define spirituality in order to
clarify their working definition of spirituality and in that same interview, they provided the
details of their lives that resulted in them becoming an educational leader leading through
spirituality. In the second interview, the participants were asked to provide examples of the
lived work experiences they had that provided evidence of spirituality as they related to the
eight spiritual principles. The third interview focused on the final research question to be
answered, “How do principals understand the meaning of spirituality in their work?” The data
analysis revealed an answer with five discrete parts. These were (1) meaning of spirituality, (2)
connected to source; (3) purpose of choosing to lead; (4) negative effects; and (5) positive
effects of leading with spirituality resulting in five discrete parts.
The first part illustrated the meaning of spirituality to them as individuals and providing
details of how they understood the meaning of spirituality in their work. As a result of the
process, the participants were able to clearly delineate to what they connected their spirituality.
And even though all of the participants were able to articulate the purpose of leading through
spirituality, they did so with the knowledge that choosing to lead through spirituality had both
negative and positive effects. The following sections detail each of the six parts related to the
meaning of spirituality in the participants’ lives.
Meaning of spirituality
Discerning the meaning of spirituality for each participant did not appear to be difficult
for the participants. Every participant answered the question quite readily and with a sound of
conviction in their voice. To Yolanda Poe, spirituality meant the energy by which she
functioned as a person and interacted with other people at any level. She felt that meaning was
135
rooted in the fact that she treated others the way she would like to be treated. She added that for
her spirituality created the guidelines for dealing with people that allowed her to be the best
person that she could be, for determining her actions, and for living her life. [3.3.1:8]
To Gregoria, spirituality means even more than the sum effect of her personal
background. Spirituality meant being aware of her guiding inner voice. It is the voice of the
spirit that was built by capturing everything she has learned from everyone that she has
encountered. The conversation with the spirit that she has come to value is the very being of
who she is. She admits that she is not a religious person. She believes that organized religion
takes away the strength of her will; therefore she knows that her spirituality is her direct
connection to a Higher Being. [3.3.1:1]
For Jaime, spirituality meant the interactions of people with each other and then their
interactions with their creator. To him it also meant a process of communication and literally a
way of living and approaching life. He said, “We live in the spirit, we live by the spirit, we
communicate through the spirit. So it is a mode of communication. It’s a way of life.” He felt
very strongly felt that spirituality was tied to connections through relationships but also included
connections to things unseen and unexplainable. [3.3.1:3.b]
To Sterling, the meaning of spirituality was linked to an unspoken purpose. He felt the
purpose was deeper than the heart. It was clearly the main part of his being. He also felt that by
definition, spirituality was meant to be shared through relationships with others. [3.3.1:6]
Connected Source
Once the meaning of spirituality was determined for each participant, it was clear that
each participant connected that meaning to other sources in addition than to a Higher Being.
For Gregoria, spirituality in educational leadership was directly linked to her desire for social
136
justice. Throughout her interviews, the fact that she viewed herself as an “outspoken advocate”
was mentioned several times. She said that it was during her involvement in the movements for
justice for “invisible children” that she knew she was where she was supposed to be even
though there were serious risks involved. [3.3.3:1 Yolanda Poe also connected her spirituality to
the source of advocacy for children. She believed that “kids need to be protected” and deserve
to have the best educational foundation. She stated that she believes her position of trust
obligated her to protect children until they possess the skills to advocate for themselves. [F.37:11]
Sterling’s source of connection was a feeling of responsibility to help other people while
trying to also help himself. He felt that once a leadership role is accepted the responsibility was
also accepted. To him, without spirituality, leadership would just be a set of mechanical
responses based on facts rather than the rich meaningful relationships one builds with others.
When you are that leader, you are a person who wants to see other people perform at their best.
[3.3.1:5]
Jaime’s source of connection was different than the rest. To him, his spirituality was
connected to reality. He explained it as:
We live in the flesh and the physical world. Obviously

that doesn't last very long and at age 69 and 45 years in the
school business. It's, it's like a vapor that has already
passed and I don't even know that it's past. So, the reality
of my life, of my career is already gone. It wasn't very
long. So if that's all I have to believe in and think about
and depend on in terms of length of endurance. It’s not
very long. It's pretty brief. And the belief system that I
choose to have about the spiritual world that it’s eternal.
And the things that connect and relate to that world are
going to be lived forever. Beginning on the earth and
continuing after my death on the earth into eternity. So,
my spiritual connections need to be growing and need to
be built and established and growing so they can take me
into the next world in a wonderful and positive way…I
have to be about establishing and carrying out those
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eternal connections… so they can last for eternity and

hopefully influence others to do the same because that
is part and parcel [and] integrated into my being to allow
that light. [3.3.1:3.c]
He later added that by choice and personal design, his everyday reality was connected to
spirituality because leading schools and working with children and other adults was burdened by
the “human predicament” which included the never ending cycle of “ups and downs”. [F.39:5]
Purpose for Choosing to Lead
Even though the meaning of leading through spirituality and its connected source was
important, it became clear that the meaning and the connected source the participant attached to
leading through spirituality was different than the purpose for choosing to lead. The purpose of
choosing to lead came to be defined as the guidepost by which decisions in their schools were
made. Indeed the purpose varied to a certain degree but overall the purpose of choosing to be an
educational leader was in order to “do what is best for kids” and always retaining the dignity of
others.
During the Focus group, Jaime said he has heard colleagues say that they were “going to
do what’s best for kids” and he always thought that such statements were flippant because
when it came to an issue related to a child’s self esteem and survival the intensity of
commitment and sensitivity to children as human beings with feelings simply was not there. He
said that he believes without a doubt that there are many, many teachers that love children, but
he also recognizes that there are also so many pressures on teachers for test score results that it
almost usurps the spiritual connection with other adults and with children. He felt being a
spiritual leader that has the purpose of “doing what’s best for kids” would require getting
beyond that trap by making efforts toward building strong sub-leadership among staff. Building
such sub-leadership would require:
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loving our teachers, by knowing how to help them to be

successful, knowing how to treat them with respect and
dignity and if they don’t get the message that that’s the
way they are to treat the children then we have to do some
dignifying and redirecting and possibly even challenging
in some ways that helps teachers keep their dignity but yet
they understand that this is the way we are going to treat
children. [3.2.33:1]
Yolanda Poe said she had heard the “doing what’s best for kids” response before as well.
She agreed it was never a bad thing to refocus on what is best for kids because that is supposed
to be the purpose ---to do what's best for kids, but she added, “I believe that if we wave that
banner then we need to put our actions in check and not focus so much on the I, I, I of the job
and focus more on what we should do for the benefit of the kids.” Being able to remain focused
on that purpose allowed Yolanda Poe to see the positive difference she could make in the lives
of the people that she served including the kids, the teacher’s, and the parents. Doing so, she
added, helped keep her healthy in what could sometimes be an unhealthy environment. It also
gave her the strength to be in a “fishbowl all the time”. [3.2.33:11]
Gregoria expressed a similar purpose for her choosing to lead. To her, the purpose was
to keep the spirit of everyone at her work setting intact. She felt that her purpose was expressed
through her priorities and through the respect that she had for each and every person, whether
she agreed with them or not. Knowing that her work involved dealing with souls gave her a
strong sense of responsibility. For Gregoria, keeping in mind that what she does and/or fails to
do can have an effect on hundreds of students helps her to remain focused on always treating
others with dignity. [F.38:4]
Interestingly, she also added that it was necessary for her to also recognize that there
also existed a selfish side to her purpose. She explained the selfish side of the purpose emerged
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from her desire to prove to herself that her voice and her spirit were strong and could do well.
She said she always had this picture of herself that portrayed her as bad even though she did
not feel she was bad. Therefore, she found the act of being “altruistic” tremendously rewarding.
That sense of being rewarded was amplified by being able to walk away at the end of the
workday knowing that she and her staff had made a difference in the lives of the children that
they served. She concluded that having the purpose of understanding children’s hearts and what
they love behind her every decision made, every challenge that she had to go through,
experienced and every negative experience that she had to endure, worthwhile.[3.3.17:2]
Even though Sterling also felt his purpose relied heavily on doing what is best for the
child but he also included doing what is best for parents. He said caring for the parents helped
provide a balance for the child as well because the parents play one of the most important roles
in the lives of the child. He later added that he held the same sense of purpose in regard to how
he dealt with teachers. He recalled a situation that had happened recently that caused him to
depend on his inner voice because his brain was asking him to respond with a human response,
which at the time was a response of anger and frustration. He said, “I had to actually ask
myself, ‘How would my spirit have me respond to this situation?’ but because I was so angry, it
was very difficult to do.” The situation that he was referencing was a situation in which a
young, new teacher in whom he and his master teachers had invested much time and attention
decided to quit teacher within the first months of school, in the middle of the week, without any
notice.
I thought to myself that I will choose to show compassion

on her. I could take this opportunity to help her leave with
some dignity and encourage her not to give up on teaching.
This conversation is happening just prior to talking with
her and all throughout the conversation. The spiritual
guidance would help me to look at her with empathy and
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compassion. That is the decision I would make. I was

going to, with help from a Higher Being, help her leave
with dignity. I would put my selfish needs away, and
focus on what I could do of what being a spiritual leader is
about. Taking my eyes off of me and looking to others to
guide and direct in a way that promotes dignity and self-
worth. [J.E.3]
In that same entry, he confessed that learning to reflect on challenges through a spiritual
lens is difficult at first, but his commitment to the children, parents, and teachers was strong
enough that he had no other choice but to learn how to be reflective enough to make spiritually–
based decisions. [J.E.3]
Negative Effects
The meaning of leading through spirituality also carried the necessity of understanding
that choosing to lead through spirituality, regardless of the connection and purpose, this form of
leadership practice also carried the weight of both negative and positive effects. This section
will discuss the negative effects and the next section will discuss the positive effects.
Yolanda Poe responded to the question regarding negative effects by expressing the need
of a skill set that was vastly different than the ones she seemed to acquire naturally or through
the instruction that was provided in her administrator preparation program.
I guess one of the things, that is a negative effect would be

having to find different skills to use to do the job. You
can't always go right to what comes naturally. You have
to develop that piece that gauges, whether it's knee-jerk or
whether it's based on the spirituality. And by that, I mean,
like I say, [that], I don't go to every fight I'm invited to-- I
think, if I were in a different place I might just do what
comes naturally , the knee jerk , [response], human
nature. I would use those skills, which would do more
harm than good in the long run, in this job. Whereas
relying on the spirituality allows me to rise above the
human nature or the knee-jerk [reaction] and deal with
whatever it is from that prospective to get the result that I
feel is important to get. [3.2.61:11]
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Yolanda said that sometimes people have taken her spiritual posture as a sign of
weakness because she relies on a different, more reflective skill-set than perhaps someone who
does not lead through spirituality. The example she provided was the choice not to rely on the
position of power as much as she relied on the focus of treating others in the manner she would
want to be treated. She said that sometimes people have perceived that as weakness initially and
have attempted to take advantage of her. Additionally, because she refers all her challenges to
her spiritual filter, there have been times that she is perceived as not being as emotional as
others would have some expected her to be which then led to the perception of Yolanda Poe
being perceived as being uncaring. She did note, however, that once others learned about her
style they were able to realize that she was caring but that her caring was demonstrated
differently.3.3.4:5]
In one of his journal entries, Sterling wrote that one negative effect of choosing to lead
through spirituality came from the difficulty of explaining what it means to be spiritual leader.
He said that before the study, he was never able to articulate what he felt about his leadership
style because it was so different than that of his colleagues. He cited being part of the study as
an opportunity to help him see that there are commonalities among spiritual leaders. He felt that
it was important because it allowed him to gain more understanding of his own reflective
processes while providing the opportunity to share this type of leadership with others. In the
past, he felt very vulnerable because not only would he run up against people simply not
understanding his leadership style due to their lack of basis or life experience of living under the
spiritual guidance but he also did not feel like he could adequately explain it. [3.2.47:6]
Speaking of vulnerabilities, Gregoria added that she has also felt that her leadership style
was attacked due to the idea behind the separation of church and state. She recalled that at one
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time during her career that whole issue was big and that she and her colleagues only knew about
that they were not to talk about religion. In fact, she remembered the time religion came up in
her school surrounding some of her students that were Jehovah’s Witnesses. The students were
not able to participate in particular events such as Christmas programs and that eventually led to
the evolution of Christmas programs becoming holiday programs. This struck Gregoria because
although she is not attached to organized religion, she felt a certain fear of being reprimanded
for “being defiant” and leading against the norm but at the same time that feeling made her feel
even stronger because she knew that if she was getting that kind of a reaction, she must be
hitting a nerve because she was right. She was specifically referencing instances when she had
to stand up against the system as an advocate for children. [F.39:1]
Jaime added to the discussion regarding separation of church and state. He warned that
spiritual leaders have to use caution and be mindful of not being dogmatic or insisting that
others believe the same way, even related to certain principles because people can become
offended. He felt that that particular response really create a negative response, and people
would start accusing you of trying to proselytize or get other people to believe the same spiritual
concepts that you believe. He said he had experienced parents calling him up for trying to
admonish the kids to follow the principles of honesty and hard work because it sounded
“a little preachy”. He shared that those parents also “cussed me out and said, I'm glad my kid is
leaving your school. So we don't have to listen to you preaching anymore.” [3.2.40:4] He said
receiving that type of scorn was painful and he finally learned to see it from their perspective.
Since then he has worked to be more cautious about discussing his spirituality and prefers to
focus on living his spirituality. [3.2.40:4]
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Another negative effect Gregoria referenced was that as a spiritual leader she has
experienced both teachers and superiors viewing her as being “touchy-feely”. When they have
done that, they have undermined her ability as an instructional, academic leader. She added that
the fact that she was female compounded the perception of weakness because she was
constantly being compared to male principals. She stated that sometimes choosing to lead
spiritually felt like choosing to live with a double standard because it seems to affect personal
credibility; therefore, you have to work that much harder to show evidence through
achievement.[F.39:4]
Positive Effects
The positive effects of choosing to lead through spirituality ranged from personal
benefits that assisted the participants as they led their school to schoolwide benefits that had
implications on the school community and on the school curriculum. Positive benefits
stemming from expanded and continued connection to other educational leaders leading through
spirituality were expressed both as desire and as a need.
Yolanda Poe said one of the most positive effects was evident through her leadership. In
fact, she claimed that leading through spirituality designed her leadership style and enhanced
her leadership skills. She said that leading through spirituality helped her become more
sensitive to the perspectives of all school stakeholders. She also felt that she had become
stronger in her ability to experience and survive the challenges of the job. Learning to utilize her
spiritual filter and holding on to the spiritual principles when problems arose with no solution in
sight has helped her be successful and effective throughout her career. She believes that
spirituality is the catalyst through which she continues to get better at what she does. According
to her, spirituality also creates a foundation for values and beliefs that shape the mission and
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vision of the school. It creates a closeness based on common goals through dignifying
relationships. She said that without a doubt, she would continue to rely on her faith and
spirituality for guidance, peace, and direction---as long as she continued the journey. [3.2.45:2]
In regard to being able to recognize the positive effects of leading through spirituality,
she said, “All you have to do is work with a spiritual leader and you will see the difference.”
When pressed to explain the statement she referenced one of her journal entries:
I think the answer is the sense of peace that exudes from

the spiritual leader especially in the midst of storms. I
notice that during tumultuous times in an elementary
school, a spiritual leader seems to be able to identify the
problem without negative emotion and create a win/win
situation for all involved. The spiritual leader doesn’t
place blame; yet guides and assists so lessons are learned
without judgment of the person who acted. The spiritual
leader seems to pick up the mirror instead of the
magnifying glass always looking for ways to improve and
ways to impact, positively, the lives of the people they
serve. The spiritual leader sees his or her job as a
“calling” directed by God, so he or she tends to stay in a
place because they believe God has a purpose for them
until they are directed by God to make a change. The
spiritual leader depends on his or her faith on which to rest
when the burdens of the job get heavy. [3.2.45:3]
She ended that interview by stating that in the end of her career, if someone can describe
her the way she described a spiritual leader then she has obtained the most positive effect of all.
[3.2.45:3.b]
Jaime described one positive effect as being the opportunity to strike a balance between
heart vs. head. He commented that traditionally, principals are taught to use your head and
follow the follow the rules and regulations.
You follow school board policy, you follow state policy.

You follow the laws and the rules that govern what YOU
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DO. You just apply it as consistently as a human can in

every case and you treat every one of them the same.
Well, when you use your heart you get involved with the
person and you try to see through a relationship how they
are feeling what they have been up against, why they are
responding the way they are and then you tailor your
response to them to some degree based on that. That
involves heart, that involves getting to know that
individual and know what they think and how they feel
and what their life experience has been ---even though it is
a five year old child, they still have five years of
experiences and we don’t always know what they are but
we need to try to understand where they are coming from.
I don’t see---if you just apply a law to everybody it is
heartless. And when you apply forgiveness, and love and
understanding, you know grace---that’s the heart side and
it doesn’t make sense sometimes on the human side. [F.29:1]
He recognized that leading with that balance was atypical. But, but he also believed that
failing to do so could cause things to go awry very quickly and that it could result in principals
feeling hopeless. Jaime further added, “But because one of the greatest advantages and positives
of spirituality is having beliefs and connections, you can always rely on or go to spirituality for
advice and direction without imposing that system on other people; therefore, breeding new
hope.” [F.40:4.b]
Gregoria also mentioned the positive effect of hope. Her example was a little different
in that she was viewing it from the perspective of the positive effects it could have on future
leaders. The possibility of spirituality being discussed with pre-service principals seemed quite
appealing to her because it has been her past experience that once she started talking about
spirituality people would look at her as if to be asking, ‘‘Where are you from? What are you
talking about? We’re educators!” without even trying to see the connection or value. [F.39:3] She
felt that generally people are not open to talking about how they function in their profession or
why they lead the way they lead. [3.2.47:1] She said that principals can tend to become so wrapped
146
up in the process that they forget the human aspects of the profession. Until her participation in
this study, she could not remember ever having had the conversation with anyone.
It gives me great hope to know that there are other leaders,

especially being retired, and having passed the torch so to
speak…that there is a new generation of leadership that is
looking at these very essential components of our work.
To see children as little spirits to know that what we do
impacts them for the rest of their lives and it doesn’t just
deal with paper, pencil, book learning. It gives me hope
that more people will be courageous enough to start
speaking about it and its importance. I have come to
realize that that some of the things I did were of value to
children that I may never see again who will grow up and
be good productive citizens. [3.2.47:1.b]
Sterling’s thoughts on the topic expanded the conversation of the next generation of
school leaders leading through spirituality. He said that although there are many challenges in
preparing others for spiritual leadership, the investment would be worth it. He would like to see
more research in the area of spiritual leadership, especially in the area of education; not only
from the principal’s perspectives, but also the teacher’s perspective. He felt it would be
extremely important to have spiritual leaders facilitate the discussions. These discussions
hopefully would occur on the university level. The facilitators would need training on how to
effectively begin discussions that would accommodate people of many faiths and belief
systems. As he reflected on his preparation program to become an administrator, he could not
recall even one discussion on being a spiritual leader even though he attended a Christian
university. He felt that he would have benefited from hearing from others who had experienced
spirituality in their work as administrators. He added that he does not believe that a principal
preparation program would automatically produce spiritual leaders at least it would begin
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a discussion that could then create in future leaders the desire to learn more and begin their path
to spiritual leadership.[J.E.2]
Summary
The purpose of this exploratory case study was to identify the role of spirituality in the
work of four public school principals. The study investigated the evidence of spirituality in the
principals’ work as it related to eight key principles presented in Houston and Sokolow’s
(2006), The Spiritual Dimension of Leadership. The conceptual framework that guided this
study included research from educational leadership and spirituality as it connected to the eight
key principles to leading more effectively as presented in The Spiritual Dimension of
Leadership (Houston, & Sokolow, S.L., 2006). The eight spiritual principles that comprised the
framework were:
• The Principle of Intention

• The Principle of Attention
• The Principle of Our Unique Gifts
• The Principle of Gratitude
• The Principle of Our Unique Life Lessons
• The Principle of a Holistic Perspective
• The Principle of Openness
• The Principle of Trust
The three research questions that the study was designed to answer were:

spirituality?
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Summary of Findings for Research Question # 1:
How do educators come to be public school principals leading through spirituality?
Each participant in the study provided a definition of spirituality. The articulation of this
definition assisted in understanding the role of spirituality as the participants shared how they
came to be principals leading through spirituality. The participants then went back to their
earliest memories to locate a starting point as they chronicled the events of their lives that led
them to their thinking at the time of the study. The exercise of recollecting the early memories
provided a starting point for understanding the development of the spiritual leaders. It also
resulted in the act of self-awareness through reflection by the participant.
The effects of such recollection helped to identify several different themes as they
related to the development of the leaders. The different themes that emerged were grouped into
a main category called Shaping Elements as each element played a role in the shaping of each
participant’s life. The Shaping Elements category is comprised of five separate elements.
The first shaping element pertained to Family Structure. Participants provided
information regarding family size and lifestyle in both a two parent home and a single parent
home. The second element addressed the participant’s School Experiences, divided into
traditional and non-traditional roles. Element number three, Personal Disposition, was sub-
categorized into either introverted or extroverted. Regardless of personal disposition, all
participants experienced working well with children at an early age. This in turn influenced their
decisions to pursue professions in education.
Next, Pivotal Events were discussed as those represented a turning point in the
participant’s life. More clearly, the pivotal events pinpointed a moment in time that resulted in
the participants making a very conscious decision to accept spirituality as a guiding force in
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their life. Because no one lives in a vacuum and without the influence of others, Primary
Influences, constituted the final shaping element. The primary influences identified fell into the
following categories: parents, grandparents, mentors/role models, others and a Higher Power.
What are the lived work experiences of principals that provide evidence of
Since the research question specifically required examples of lived experiences it was
necessary to include a number of those examples as presented by the participants. Whereas the
number of examples provided may seem excessive, the researcher felt they were necessary to
adequately capture the alignment of their experiences and perceptions as it relates to the work of
educational leadership. Retaining a large amount of actual data text provided evidence of
practice and enactment which can serve to provide future leaders with experiences to which they
can relate. All four principals were able to describe vivid, pertinent lived work experiences as
they related to the eight spiritual principles.
The Principle of Intention started with the understanding that principals must first
identify what their intentions are—whether they are related to a vision, a mission, or personal
aspiration. Next, emerged the necessity of alignment of intention through service, connections,
prayer, and walking the talk. Noted was the fact that intentions are useless if they are not
accompanied by actions.
The second principle, the Principle of Attention goes hand in hand with intention in that
once intentions are identified they must then be given attention. Attention can actually surface
in a variety of ways. The most prevalent way of giving attention was by the giving of time
through open door policies and active listening. Attention through relationships included
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relationships with children, parents, community members and teachers. The most important
form of giving attention was through the act of attending to people before paper.
The Principle of Unique Gifts called for the recognition of unique gifts in teachers and
staff as well as parents and students. Additionally, it was necessary to identity one’s own
weaknesses to assist in the identification of strengths in others.
The Principle of Gratitude even though it was the most liked, and identifying forms of
expressing gratitude appeared easy, the actual reasons for expressing gratitude were minimally
articulated. Interestingly all four participants were uncomfortable receiving expressions of
gratitude.
The Principle of Unique Life Lessons was filled with the need of self awareness and
reflection for the purpose of self growth and self-expression. The altruistic act of being selfless
was mentioned in terms of the struggle that often accompanies such action. The development
and utility of a Spiritual Filter (SF) was identified through this principle. The overarching
benefit of elapsed time producing the element of wisdom was cited as a desired effect of
learning unique life lessons.
True to the principle of holistic perspective, each principle was viewed as a part of the
whole and spirituality was deemed necessary and crucial to the continued leadership of each
principal. Most importantly in regard to the Principle of Holistic perspective is the absolute
necessity of retaining the dignity of all living beings through meaningful interactions as those
individuals constitute a part of the whole of the universe. The interactions were also cited as
being the building blocks of community building and holistic rebuilding.
Of the eight principles discussed, the Principle of Openness emerged as being the most
critical: the key to each of their individual leadership styles was heavily contingent on in-depth
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self reflection, self- awareness and relationship-with-self in order to then build functional
relationships with all members of the school community including students, parents, staff, and
colleagues. The act of being open was often accompanied by the burden of conflict and
confrontation. However, the overall benefit to the students’ lives was cited as the driving factor
for the necessity of being able to have those types of interactions in straight forward, honest, but
still dignifying ways.
Last but not least, is the Principle of Trust. Trust emerged as an essential ingredient for all
meaningful relationships. Trust must accompany conversations and interactions that seek truth
and honesty for the sake for accomplishing like goals and missions. Trust through the giving of
directed time and attention was cited as producing a healing effect on even the most difficult
and strained relationships. The building of trust is not only for the interactions with teachers
and staff but it is also necessary in the relationships with children and parents. Children need to
know that the authority figures in their educational lives have a genuine interest in their well
being and respect them as human beings with needs, potential and personal power. The
building of trust with parents is also necessary if leaders are to enlist the assistance of parents in
the educational lives of their children.
How do principals perceive the meaning of spirituality in their work?
The meaning of leading through spirituality varied with each participant as all
participants had connected their spirituality to different sources; however, many common
themes did arise from the discussion of leading through spirituality. One key theme was the
recognition, development and utilization of a spiritual filter. All participants used a spiritual
filter as a basis for decision-making and as an informed framework for their leadership. The
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negative effects of leading through spirituality included misunderstanding and stereotyping of
leading through spirituality on the part of others, attacks on leadership style, increased
vulnerability, isolation, and overwhelming self-imposed pressure. The positive effects of
leading through spirituality ranged from gaining strength, courage, wisdom, stability, and
gaining an increase in the communication skills of listening and speaking through relationship
building. Additionally, the participants viewed as a positive effect, the overall effect their
leading through spirituality has had on the school community and on school curriculum. All
participants expressed a strong desire to be connected to other principals leading through
spirituality as they viewed their spirituality as necessary in order to continue working in schools
and being able to survive.
In sum, Chapter IV presented the research findings as they pertained to the three
research questions designed for this study. The first research question asked the participants
how they came to be public school principals leading through spirituality. This section started
out by first offering each participant the opportunity to define spirituality. The next section
revealed the participants’ early memories. The discussion regarding early memories led to the
identification of a series of shaping elements in the participants’ lives. The shaping elements
were categorized into five subsections. The five subsections were: family structure, school
experiences, personal dispositions, pivotal events, and primary influences.
Research question number two asked for specific work experiences as they pertained to
the eight spiritual principles. Even though several of the principles interact with each other to a
certain degree, each of the principles was presented separately. The participants were able to
provide vivid, detailed experiences for every principle. Every principle is presented with the
corresponding examples of experiences. The Principle of Intention resulted in having four
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different categories of alignment to intention. They were: Alignment through Service,
Alignment through Connections, Alignment through Prayer, and Alignment through Walking
the Talk. The second principle, the Principle of Attention is presented in subsections entitled:
Attention through Relationships, Attention through Listening, and Attention to People before
Paper. Because Attention through Relationships was so strongly emphasized by the
participants, it was necessary to categorize further within relationships. This resulted in having
two additional sections dealing with relationships. They were Relationships with Children, and
Relationships with Parents, Community Members, and Teachers.
The Principle of Unique Gifts was discussed in the respect of recognizing the unique
gifts in teachers and staff, in parents, and in students. One theme that also emerged was the
need to be able to recognize one’s own weaknesses which in turn leads one to recognize the
unique gifts of others. The next principle presented was the Principle of Gratitude. The themes
that emerged in this principle were the Forms of Expressing Gratitude, Reasons for Expressing
Gratitude, and the Receiving of Gratitude.
The fifth principle, the Principle of Unique Life Lessons was heavily dependent on the
participants’ ability to be self- aware and self-reflective. The result of such action is discussed
in the subsections: Self-growth and Self-Expression, Spiritual Filter, and Wisdom. The sixth
principle, the Principle of Holistic Perspective discussed the Parts of the Whole, the Need to
Retaining Dignity of all Parts, Community Building, and the Rebuilding of the Whole.
The Principle of Openness was cited as being one of the most dangerous yet very
necessary principles. Openness was categorized into Openness with Children, Openness with
Staff, Openness with Parents, Openness with Parents, Openness with Self, and Openness to the
Inner Voice.
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The last principle discussed in Chapter IV, was the Principle of Trust. Trust was mainly
discussed in regard to building trust. The Building of Trust was presented through Time and
Healing, through Relationships, with Children, and with Parents. The issue of the Betrayal of
Trust and its effects were also presented.
The third and final research question asked how principals perceive the meaning of
spirituality in their work. The perceived meaning was first discerned and then the Connected
Source was identified. The Purpose for Choosing to Lead was discussed along with the
perceived Negative and Positive Effects of leading through spirituality.
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CHAPTER V.
CONCLUSIONS, LIMITATIONS, IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE, AND

SUGGESTIONS FOR FUTURE RESEARCH
Conclusions
Several years ago, as I was assisting in a study of resiliency and resistance in Latina
leaders, I became fascinated by the recurring theme of spirituality as it related to their
perseverance, self-preservation, and fulfillment of purpose in life. I remember feeling very
intrigued yet very frustrated that the educational leadership literature failed to articulate the
thinking of spiritual leaders in a way that could inform decision making and leadership through
practical application by way of lived work experiences. Six years later, as I write this
concluding chapter, I am beginning to understand how resiliency, resistance, and well-defined
spiritual principles inform my work and the work of many other educational leaders. In
particular, I have discovered many in-depth perceptions on the functioning of spiritual
principles. Whereas, I know that each individual leader has her/his own definition of
spirituality, shaping elements of life, lived work experiences as they pertain to these spiritual
principles, and meaning for spirituality in their work, I also recognize the connectedness of the
perceptions of spiritual leaders pertaining to the right to retain dignity of all human beings. In
saying this, I assert that awareness and relationship with self are of great import if educational
leaders are to persevere and remain effective.
The Eight Spiritual Principles proved to be useful to the participants in this study as a
way to examine their thoughts, beliefs, and actions. The unrestricted accessibility of each of the
principles also aided in their utility. Every participant was able to use every principle with
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conscious but minimal effort. Once the principles were identified through actual experiences it
became apparent that a cognitive process was being utilized during decision making. As a result
of this study, by reconceptualizing the shaping elements of an educational leader’s life, Houston
and Sokolow’s Eight Spiritual Principles, the definition of spirituality, the meaning and purpose
of leading through spirituality, and the actions of an educational leader, centered around
spiritual leadership, I have developed a schema entitled the Spiritual Filter. The main purpose
of the Spiritual Filter is to contribute to the understanding of how principals lead through
spirituality. It can also assist educational leaders in viewing themselves through a spiritual filter
that has been laid over the current reality in order to develop self- awareness or gaps in self-
awareness created by assumptions, past experiences, or current events. Additionally, it is also
intended to challenge educational leaders to synthesize all received information from different
perspectives and frames of reference. Continual use of the spiritual filter will allow the leader to
replace the enlistment of theoretical and impractical approaches of school leadership with
meaningful, effective, and productive spiritual approaches. The schema is illustrated as follows:
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Spiritual Filter (SF):
Each of the circles represents the individual segments surrounding Spiritual Leadership.
However, the focus of this visual is to illustrate the process that is used by spiritual leaders as
they filter their decision making through the Spiritual Filter. The dark shaded part on the
bottom half of each circle signifies perceived reality. The light overlay represents the same
segment once it has been filtered. There is no specific starting point as leaders come into
leadership at different developmental levels. The process is contingent on self-awareness to the
degree of being able to articulate a personal understanding in every phase of the process. The
depth of how spirituality affects leadership is also dependent on constant, cyclical self-
reflection.
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Limitations
This case study did not attempt to label any of the principals in the study or their
respective campuses as effective. This study was exploratory by design and was intended to
gather information on the selected principals and the role of spirituality in their work therefore
causal relationship to success or lack thereof was not intended to be established.
This study did not address the instructional aspects of educational leadership or the
merits of any instructional program or practice; therefore, no assumptions were made as to the
credibility in regard to the data that revealed any such topics.
Due to the small size of the sample of this study, the findings are not transferable beyond
the principals that were studied. Additionally, this study did not conclude that selected schools
were representative of demographically similar campuses.
Implications for Practice
The findings and the resulting schema give rise to implications for educational
leadership practice as well as to educational leadership preparation programs. The implications
offered here open the door to considering leadership from differing perspectives. This
consideration of differing perspectives can also serve as a vehicle for viewing spiritually-
centered leadership through more than just an idealistic lens
The first implication is directly related to the need to practice self-reflection and self-
awareness. Identifying the origination of personality development, and belief systems through
the active review of early childhood memories and shaping life elements including family
structure, personal school experiences, life changing events and the role of influential people in
their lives could serve to inform the actions and reactions being made in present situations.
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Additionally, being cognizant of the mental processes that lead to physical actions, choices and
decisions can allow leaders to more strategically and holistically approach everyday obstacles.
The second implication for leadership practice is the ability to identify a set of guiding
principles by which leadership decisions are based. The development of guiding principles for
leadership decisions can facilitate the assessment of situations by producing a mind map of what
the desired outcome is. The flow and progression of steps to fill areas of deficiency can then
better follow a pattern of known implementation and effectiveness. An example of such a
guiding principle could be use of the Spiritual Filter (SF).
The third implication for leadership practice is similar to that of Schaid (2005) where he
proposed the possibility of educational leaders seeking out personal mentors. In this particular
case, educational leaders can seek out other leaders that lead through spirituality for the purpose
of holding each other accountable to utilizing the Spiritual Filter as they face dilemmas in their
careers. Being able to share both successes and failures, along with the guidance of someone
with similar goals and beliefs can assist leaders through the struggles and hardships of
educational leadership.
The final implication for educational leadership is the awareness of a framework
that includes the eight spiritual principles by which to gauge all aspects of educational
leadership. The positivist views of leadership along with its cold managerial approach no longer
have to be accepted as the norm in educational leadership. This implication is in agreement with
Dantley’s (2002) conclusion that the positivist frame assumes that the affective and even
spiritual dimensions of people in public spheres are best left ignored and illegitimated. To deny
their presence, however, disregards elemental parts of the human experience and compels us to
see ourselves as being compartmentalized, disparate, and disjointed (p.350). Adherence to the
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principles can provide humanistic and affirming ways of providing the service of social justice
through education to all members of their school community including self.
In regard to educational leadership preparation programs, the implications compliment
the implications of educational leadership. The first implication is the most crucial and that is
the need to learn and practice self-awareness. Preparation programs must include training on the
process and value of meaningful self-awareness through reflection. It must encompass all
aspects of the prior knowledge pre-service principals bring to the classroom including the
development of personal being. As Shields (2005) clearly states,
When the educational enterprise takes on the creation of

spaces in which people’s lived experiences are
acknowledged, welcomed, and respected, it has chosen a
path towards creation rather than fragmentation; to
unifying heart, mind, and soul, rather than dividing and
separating them; to fostering wisdom and judgment and
not simply the transmission of information.
The second implication for educational leadership preparation programs is openness to
the notion of leading through spirituality. The avoidance of spiritual discourses within the
confines of public education may be grounded by fears that the taut line separating church from
state will somehow begin to loosen (Capper & Keyes, 1999). But that same fear of
discriminating against others is true when silencing the discourse of spiritually centered
leadership. Negating the existence and value of the approach without allowing students the
opportunity to access the knowledge by which to compare the approach is in and of itself a form
of discrimination. Principals should be afforded the benefit of at least being informed that the
perspective exists and that the research shows that others have been able to use it quite
successfully.
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The final implication for educational leadership preparation programs is the paying of
attention to the needs of the educational leaders. The needs exhibited by the lack of emotional
balance and support and lack of strength to persevere through difficult periods of leadership.
Discussions of the very real challenges and responses founded on real life experiences rather
than meaningless theory should be facilitated. These open discussions can then allow students
to engage with other leaders with similar beliefs and values even if just in the role of having a
neutral sounding board that is invested enough in their personal success to guide them to
approaches that are aligned with their social justice aspirations.
Suggestions for Future Research
By reconceptualizing a few shaping elements of a principal’s life, the lived work
experiences of four principals as they related to the eight spiritual principles and the meaning of
spirituality as it pertains to the educational leadership of these four principals, I have developed
a schema that can assist educational leaders in going beyond the enlistment of theoretical and
impractical approaches of school leadership. Beginning with the most basic dilemma faced by
educational leaders, a researcher employing this Spiritual Filter can understand the requisite of a
process that clarifies and connects awareness of self to school community and decision making.
The most apparent need for future research, in terms of the Spiritual Filter, is for further
application and refinement. Use of the Spiritual Filter by other educational researchers could
provide information of its utility as a way to understand how spirituality affects decision
making. The most obvious refinement could be achieved by applying the process to work
experiences not described in this study. For example, the filter could be applied to the work of
educational leaders working in secondary and alternative schools.
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Continued and prolonged use of the Spiritual Filter could also help to enhance
understanding of the role of self awareness and the use of well-defined spiritual principles in
achieving perseverance and effectiveness in educational leadership. Such studies would also
help to develop frameworks in which to apply the spiritual principles in a more natural yet
systematic way to common but challenging situations.
Using the proposed schema, critics could actually construct or illustrate the makeup of
their leadership. The outcome of that would be to provide a mirror of personal responses to
everyday dilemmas with the goal of informing individual growth. Ultimately, investigating that
concept could show how the different principles remain focused on doing “what’s best for kids”
with the intention of showcasing what “is right with our schools” and our school leaders.
In conclusion, this study advanced the research that indicated evidence of leading
through spirituality as it related to spiritual principles that had evolved through prior research
and it documented the effect and meaning of leading through spirituality. Consequently,
establishing the purpose of cognitively choosing to employ these principles while having a
functional understanding of possible effects, positive and/or negative, on educational leadership.
It also contributes to the literature by adding to the minimal understanding that exists about the
lives of educational leaders that choose to lead through spirituality. Such contribution can serve
to encourage other researchers to approach this topic in meaningful ways so as to reveal
otherwise muted discourses. Lastly, this research may serve to impact the training and
development of future public school educational leaders to the extent that it could find a
permanent place in future educational leadership preparation programs.
163
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Appendix A: Document from Jaime
174
175
Appendix B: Document from Sterling
176
Appendix C: Audit Trail Chart

Reference Refers to the directory number assigned to each code. This column is listed in
Number chronological order.
Participant Refers to the name of the participant being cited
Document Refers to the name of the document being referenced. See the chart below for
Name examples:
Name- Reference Document:
• Questionnaire • Initial Questionnaire

• Gregoria 1 • First Interview with Gregoria
• Gregoria 2 • Second Interview with Gregoria
• Gregoria 3 • Third Interview with Gregoria
• Gregoria J1 • Journal Entry #1 from Gregoria
• Focus Group • Full Focus Group Interview
• Appendix A • Document Appendix A located in the
Appendices
Text Unit The text unit number refers to a chronological number assigned to a sentence or
combination of sentences located within a specific document. N/A is used in cases
where a compilation of all information provided on a given document was used
therefore a specific text was not assigned.
Example:
…enlighten ourselves. You know, both me learning from them and
them learning from me. Because I don’t think that just because you’re
a leader you know everything. [F.38:4]
Referencing the Audit Trail Chart, locate the number encased in brackets at the end of the
citation. This number can be found in the first column entitled Reference Number.
Reference Number Participant Document Name Text Unit

F.38:4 Gregoria Gregoria 3 33
Moving from left to right, in column two, entitled Participant, you will learn that the citation
was made by Gregoria. Column three, entitled Document Name, lets you know that the
citation was made during the third interview with Gregoria. Column Four, entitled Text
Unit, provides the number assigned.
In this example, the text unit number assigned is 33. Upon locating the transcript of the third
interview with Gregoria and finding text unit 33, the following will be found:
And then, you talk about your secretaries, you talk about your custodians, you talk about,
you know the certificated staff, the classified staff. Every single person needs to be treated
with dignity. Even if I don’t agree with them, even if I don’t think they’re doing a good job,
you know, I have to try to find a way to help each other, enlighten ourselves. You know, both
me learning from them and them learning from me. Because I don’t think that just because
you’re a leader you know everything.
177
Reference Number Participant Document Text Unit
1 Gregoria Questionnaire n/a
2 Jaime Questionnaire n/a
3 Sterling Questionnaire n/a
4 Yolanda Poe Questionnaire n/a
1.15.1 Sterling Questionnaire n/a
2.1.1.1 Jaime Jaime 1 3
2.1.2.1 Sterling Sterling 1 15
2.1.3.1 Yolanda Poe Yolanda Poe 1 10
2.1.3:2 Yolanda Poe Yolanda Poe 1 212
2.1.4.1 Gregoria Gregoria 1 9
3.1.23:1 Gregoria Gregoria 1 25
3.1.23:2 Sterling Sterling 1 561
3.1:2 Sterling Sterling 1 368
3.2.1.2:2 Yolanda Poe Yolanda Poe 3 68
3.2.1:3.a Yolanda Poe Yolanda Poe 3 59
3.2.1:3.b Yolanda Poe Yolanda Poe 3 77
3.2.10.1.b Gregoria Focus Group 329
3.2.10:1 Sterling Focus Group 319
3.2.10:1.c Jaime Focus Group 373
3.2.10:1.d Jaime Focus Group 377
3.2.10:1.e Jaime Focus Group 390
3.2.10:6 Jaime Jaime 2 35
3.2.14 Yolanda Poe Yolanda Poe 2 75
3.2.21:1.b Gregoria Gregoria 2 171
3.2.21:1.c Gregoria Gregoria 2 153
3.2.21:2 Jaime Jaime 2 314
3.2.21:2.b Jaime Jaime 2 322
3.2.21:2.c Jaime Jaime 2 347
3.2.21:2.d Jaime Jaime 2 356
178
3.2.26:4 Jaime Jaime J1 3
3.2.33:1 Jaime Focus Group 276
3.2.34:4.a Jaime Jaime 2 117
3.2.34:4.b Jaime Jaime 2 119
3.2.34:4.c Jaime Jaime 2 226
3.2.34:4.d Jaime Jaime 2 241
3.2.34:4.e Jaime Jaime 2 144
3.2.37 Yolanda Poe Yolanda Poe 2 284
3.2.38:2 Jaime Jaime 2 152
3.2.38:2.b Jaime Jaime 2 162
3.2.38:2.c Jaime Jaime 2 172
3.2.38:3.a Sterling Sterling 2 210
3.2.38:3.b Sterling Sterling 2 219
3.2.40:4 Jaime Jaime 3 239
3.2.40:7 Sterling Sterling J1 38
3.2.42:3 Jaime Jaime 2 182
3.2.42:3.b Jaime Jaime 2 181
3.2.42:3.c Jaime Jaime 2 187
3.2.44:4 Jaime Jaime 1 239
3.2.44:6 Jaime Jaime 3 197
179
3.2.45:3 Yolanda Poe Yolanda Poe J2 60
3.2.45:3.b Yolanda Poe Yolanda Poe J2 n/a
3.2.47:1.b Gregoria Focus Group 403
3.2.47:6 Sterling Sterling J1 n/a
3.2.48.4:1 Gregoria Gregoria 1 122
3.2.48.4:3 Sterling Sterling 2 92
3.2.48.4:4 Yolanda Poe Yolanda Poe 133
3.2.50:1 Gregoria Focus Group 168
3.2.57:1.a Gregoria Gregoria 2 183
3.2.57:1.c. Gregoria Gregoria 2 207
3.2.57:3 Jaime Jaime 2 252
3.2.57:3.b Jaime Jaime 2 253
3.2.57:3.c. Jaime Jaime 2 292
3.2.58:3.a Jaime Jaime 2 213
3.2.58:3.b Jaime Jaime 2 218
3.2.58:7 Sterling Sterling J1 21
3.2.58:7.b Sterling Sterling J1 24
3.2.9:1 Jaime Focus Group 68
3.3.1:1 Gregoria Focus Group 157
3.3.1:3.b Jaime Jaime 1 131
3.3.1:3.c Jaime Jaime 1 361
180
3.3:3 Jaime Jaime 3 316
F. 11:2 Gregoria Gregoria 3 49
F.11:1 Jaime Focus Group 271
F.11:1.b Jaime Jaime 2 307
F.13:2 Jaime Jaime 1 16
F.13:3 Sterling Sterling 1 242
F.17:2.a Sterling Sterling 1 49
F.17:2.b Sterling Sterling 1 179
F.17:2.c Sterling Sterling 1 177
F.24:1.a Gregoria Gregoria 1 277
F.24:1.b Gregoria Gregoria 1 181
F.24:2.b Sterling Sterling 1 276
F.24:3 Yolanda Poe Yolanda Poe 1 149
F.27:4 Yolanda Poe Yolanda Poe 1 4
F.27:4.b Yolanda Poe Yolanda Poe 1 14
F.3:1.a Sterling Sterling 2 178
F.37:1 Gregoria Focus Group 157
F.37:11 Yolanda Poe Yolanda Poe 140
181
F.9:2.a Jaime Jaime 1 37
F.9:2.c Jaime Jaime 1 107
F.N. 2 Sterling Appendix B n/a
F.N.1 Jaime Appendix A n/a
F.N.1.a Jaime Jaime J1 n/a
J.E.2 Sterling Sterling J2 n/a
J.E.3 Sterling Sterling J3 n/a
182
Appendix D: Initial Questionnaire
Pseudonym: (Choose your own)

1. Mailing address:
2. Telephone number:
3. Best times to contact you:
4. Email address:
5. Gender: Male Female
6. Race:
7. Age:
8. Marital Status: Single________Married________Divorced_________
Widowed____Other__________
9. Number of years as a teacher:
10. Number of years as an assistant principal:
11. Number of years as an principal:
12. Number of years in another position (please specify position)
13. Number of years in current position:
14. Number of employees you currently supervise:
15. Number years of total professional educational experience:
16. Circle the term that best describes your campus setting:
Rural Urban Suburban
17. Total number of students in your building:
18. Grade levels served on your campus:
19. Demographic breakdown of student population:
183
Appendix E: Interview 1 Protocol
Interview #1- Focused Life

History 1. Will you please reconstruct your early experiences with
your family, friends, neighborhood that resulted in you
How do educators come to be being a principal leading through spirituality? In other
public school principals words, HOW did you come to be where you are today?
leading through spirituality?
2. Outside of religion, how would you define spirituality?
3. Can you describe a specific event(s) that resulted in you

choosing spirituality in your life?
4. Do you have anything you would like to add in terms of

your focused life history leading to your current position
of leading through spirituality?
184
Appendix F: Interview 2 Protocol
Interview #2- The Details of

Experience
1. Could you tell me as much as possible about the details
What are the lived work of your experience at work as a spiritually centered
experiences of principals that leader?
provide evidence of spirituality Probe: What are some examples of ways you practice
as they relate to eight spiritual your spirituality?
principles?
2. Will you reconstruct a day for you at work that describes
your experience with students, mentors, faculty, staff,
parents, community members, etc. as it relates to any of
the spiritual principals?
3. Have you ever experienced a struggle or obstacle that

resulted from leading through spirituality?
4. Have you ever experienced a struggle or obstacle in your

role as a leader that led you to depend on your
spirituality?
185
Appendix G: Interview 3 Protocol
Interview #3-Reflection on the 1. What does spirituality mean to you?

Meaning
2. How do you understand the meaning of spirituality in
How do principals perceive the your work?
meaning of spirituality in their
work? 3. To what would you connect your spirituality? ( e.g.
social or racial justice)
4. What is the purpose of leading through spirituality?
5. What are the negative effects of leading through

spirituality?
6. What are the positive effects of leading through

spirituality?
186
Appendix H: Focus Group Interview Protocol
Focus Group Proceedings

Allow all participants to give a brief description of their educational background.
Review the topics of the three interviews that all four participants have concluded.
1) Each of you shared me about your life history; how you started
out and how you came to be a spiritual leader-leading through
spirituality.
2) Then it was followed by a second interview in which you were
able to tell me about your work experience as it pertained to
spiritual principles.
3) The third interview was about what the meaning of spirituality
has for you in your life, your personal life and as it pertains to
your work as well.
Inform the participants about the process regarding the transcribing of the tapes from the
interviews and let them know that they will have the opportunity to review and respond to
the transcriptions.
Questions
1. Regarding a recurring theme in all of the interviews: Why are you asking me
about it now? Why are people starting to talk about spirituality now? Did it not
exist before? So of course the answer is yes it did exist before but nobody was
really talking about it so why weren’t people talking about it? So why weren’t
people talking about spirituality and leadership? What keeps that discussion from
happening?
2. Why did you feel you couldn’t talk about spirituality and educational leadership
before or why didn’t you talk about it before?
3. One of the things that you mentioned in your interviews was hearing an “inner
voice”. When was the first time you heard this voice and to what do you attach
this voice?
4. In your interviews, there were several times that you had conflict with yourself
because you felt like you knew the right thing but sometimes you “rebelled.” Can
you describe what it was that overcame you that led you to rebel?
187
Journal Prompts:
Provided below are possible journal prompts. Please remember that you are not
limited to these prompts. You are welcome to submit your entries electronically or by
hard copy.
Also, if you come up with a prompt that you feel you would like to share with the
rest of the group, please let me know by emailing your prompt. I will then email it to
the rest of the group. My email is spirituality08@yahoo.com.
Please submit your journal entries to me no later than September 20, 2008.
Three is the minimum number of entries but there is no maximum number of
entries.
5. How is your relationship with yourself involved?
188
How has leading through spirituality enhanced your abilities as a leader?
Do you see spirituality as a way to escape or engage in your role as an educational

leader?
How do you continue to develop your spiritual self and/or the spirituality in others?
What characteristics or attributes would you identify as belonging to a spiritual leader?
What risks are involved in the spiritual side of leadership?
What role does spirituality play in the future of educational leadership?
How does spirituality affect school climate?

What are examples of spiritual school experiences?
How can/does spirituality affect any or all of the following:
• Low teacher morale

• Dropout rates
• Unethical student accountability reporting
• School violence
• Parental involvement
• Failure rates
• Teacher retention
• Principal retention
• Academic achievement
Why don’t more principals “Walk the talk”?
What are the challenges behind “walking the talk”?
How do you recognize another spiritual leader?
Why do you find it difficult to speak about spirituality as it relates to your work?
How could spiritual discussions be facilitated?
What value or purpose would discussions about leading through spirituality have in
principal preparation programs?
How has being a part of this study affected your future in educational leadership?
What meaning do you attach to having been part of this study?

Which spiritual principle means the most to you and why?
Appendix I: Journal Prompts
189

Four Public School Principals' Perspectives On Leading Through Spirituality

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Spirituality in the Praxis of Educational Leadership:

Four public school principals’ perspectives on leading through spirituality

Lisa R. Ramírez, B.A., M.Ed.

Submitted to the Graduate Faculty

Dr. Sylvia Mendez-Morse (Chair)

Dr. Margaret Johnson

Dr. Margaret Price

I would like to acknowledge my appreciation to Dr. Sylvia Mendez-Morse, my

but by being the example.

and may I Pay It Forward.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ........................................................................................................ ii

ABSTRACT .............................................................................................................................. .viii

Problem Statement ...................................................................................................................................................... 4

Purpose of the Study ................................................................................................................................................... 4

Conceptual Framework .............................................................................................................................................. 5

Research Questions ..................................................................................................................................................... 6

Significance of the Study ............................................................................................................................................. 6

Overview of the Study ............................................................................................................................................... 12

CHAPTER II. ...............................................................................................................................13

REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE ...........................................................................................13

Spirituality in Fields Other Than Education .......................................................................................................... 18

Spirituality in Educational Leadership ................................................................................................................... 21

Separation of Church and State .............................................................................................................................. 22

Previous Studies on Spirituality in Educational Leadership ................................................................................. 36

CHAPTER III. .............................................................................................................................45

Purpose of the Study ................................................................................................................................................. 45

Research Questions ................................................................................................................................................... 45

Research Design ......................................................................................................................................................... 46

Rationale .................................................................................................................................................................... 46

Data Sources .............................................................................................................................................................. 47

Data Collection Methods ........................................................................................................................................... 50

Data Analysis ............................................................................................................................................................. 54

Trustworthiness ......................................................................................................................................................... 57

Context of the Researcher......................................................................................................................................... 61

Context of the Study .................................................................................................................................................. 65

Participant Profiles.................................................................................................................................................... 66

Summary .................................................................................................................................................................... 68

Attention through Relationships ........................................................................................................................ 98

Summary .................................................................................................................................................................. 148

CONCLUSIONS, LIMITATIONS, IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE, AND

Spiritual Filter (SF): ................................................................................................................................................ 158

Limitations ............................................................................................................................................................... 159

Implications for Practice ......................................................................................................................................... 159

Suggestions for Future Research............................................................................................................................ 162

APPENDIX A: DOCUMENT FROM JAIME .......................................................................174

APPENDIX B: DOCUMENT FROM STERLING ...............................................................176

APPENDIX C: AUDIT TRAIL CHART................................................................................177

APPENDIX D: INITIAL QUESTIONNAIRE .......................................................................183

APPENDIX E: INTERVIEW 1 PROTOCOL .......................................................................184

APPENDIX F: INTERVIEW 2 PROTOCOL .......................................................................185

APPENDIX G: INTERVIEW 3 PROTOCOL .......................................................................186

APPENDIX H: FOCUS GROUP INTERVIEW PROTOCOL ............................................187

APPENDIX I: JOURNAL PROMPTS ...................................................................................189

interviews, (2) one focus group, and (3) document gathering.

impacted by the shaping elements of their early lives.

for decision-making and as an informed framework for their leadership.

stereotyping of leading through spirituality, attacks on leadership style, increased vulnerability,

the communication skills of listening and speaking through relationship building.

An abundance of approaches to achieving school accountability can be found in

specifically addressing the needs of educational leaders has seen an increase.

addresses the meaning and purpose of choosing to lead (Hunter, 2002).

increasing interest in spirituality, specifically as it relates to educational leadership.

(Kessler, 2000; Miller, 2000).