Abstract:
The paper focused on the challenges facing principals of high-poverty schools in an Education
District in South Africa. It sought to determine how some schools in disadvantaged communities excel academically,
despite the poor living conditions of their learners and other poverty-related disadvantages. It also set out to
establish which elements constitute a profile of effective leadership in high-poverty schools. An empirical
investigation using a qualitative research design was carried out and data were gathered through interviews with the
principals and focus group discussions with teachers from the three selected schools. Based on the research findings
derived from the literature and the views of the participants in the study, it was found that, by employing effective
leadership strategies and having a committed staff cohort, it is indeed possible for high-poverty schools to
maintain excellent academic standards and achieve consistently high results against all the odds. Strategies for
achievement are proposed for principals of high-poverty schools.
