Reconsidering school improvement through the community equity literacy leadership assessment (CELLA) for principals

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to reconsider school improvement from the perspectives of community leaders who support urban schools in equitable ways. Design/methodology/approach This study employs the Delphi method to elicit feedback from community leaders. Findings Findings highlight how the community equity literacy leadership assessment’s (CELLA) constructs can be expanded to include essential knowledge and practices that improve schooling conditions for students. Originality/value This study extends the existing research on school improvement in two ways. First, this study reconsiders school improvement from the perspectives of community leaders who support urban schools in equitable ways. Second, and in doing so, this study examines how a panel of 16 “expert community leaders” offered feedback on the CELLA for principals, an emerging survey instrument to help educational leaders improve school and community conditions.