“We Want to Make our Customers Happy”: How Principals of Zoned Elementary Schools Navigate Inequity and Marketing Across Neighborhood Contexts

Despite rich and growing school choice and school marketing literatures, little is known about if and how principals of zoned public elementary schools engage in marketing. We address this gap by drawing on in-depth interviews with principals of nine schools—in different neighborhoods—in the Baltimo...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Urban education (Beverly Hills, Calif.) Calif.), 2025-01, Vol.60 (1), p.185-218
Main Authors: Schock, Natalie, Cossyleon, Jennifer E., Nerenberg, Kiara Millay
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Consumers
Elementary schools
Enrollments
Inequality
Leadership
Marketing
Neighborhoods
Principals
Public schools
School choice
Urban schools
Citations: Items that this one cites
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Despite rich and growing school choice and school marketing literatures, little is known about if and how principals of zoned public elementary schools engage in marketing. We address this gap by drawing on in-depth interviews with principals of nine schools—in different neighborhoods—in the Baltimore school district. We find that principals have internalized marketing as a key component of school leadership. Further, marketing strategies differ depending on school and community contexts (e.g., enrollment, neighborhood, and resources, and principals' perceptions thereof). Our study reveals how differences in neighborhood conditions and inequities in school resources affect marketing pressure, capacity, and actions. Our findings underscore a need to support urban principals as they navigate marketing pressures and also show how neglecting to do so may exacerbate inequity among students.
ISSN:0042-0859
1552-8340
DOI:10.1177/00420859221140064