This case study explores one elementary school's 17-year evolution from a traditional Title I elementary school into a learning community and, eventually, a high-achieving democratic school community. The investigation adds specificity and context to the existing theoretical framework outlining this change process. The school's journey is reflected and described through shared learning, leadership, and practices across four thematic findings.

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Currently there is renewed emphasis among theorists and practitioners on democratic schooling. Although frequently equated with school governance, democratic schooling extends beyond governance structures into all aspects of school and classroom practice. What democratic schooling means for the practices of principals, however, is unclear. In democratic schools principals not only no longer sit at the apex of the governance hierarchy but they must also discover what it means to be a democratic school in the various arenas of school policy and practice. What are appropriate practices for principals in democratic schools? This study addressed this question via a qualitative study of principals in schools striving to become more democratic. Three themes were identified that characterized the practices of principals in these schools: expanding involvement in school decision making and discourse, focusing attention on connections, and promoting inquiry around core beliefs.

This multi-case study investigates characteristics and practices in schools that expand the traditional boundaries of school leadership and transform schools into democratic learning communities based on the level of implementation of the IDEALS framework. This investigation serves as a modus to illuminate democratic processes that change schools and address the needs of the students, not the needs of the adults in the system. A sample of five purposefully selected high schools, from the Midwest USA, was utilized. The schools serve Grade 9—12 students, but vary in size, residential area and socioeconomic status of the students. This study illuminates some of the challenges and strategies that facilitate or impede the process of creating more democratic schools that expand the boundaries of inquiry and discourse to include a broader range of community stakeholders and that respect and embrace issues of equity.