Leadership for Success: The Jamaican School Experience lays the foundation for an important discussion on school leadership and management in Jamaica. The foundational issues raised in the book may be summarized as: (a) the leadership versus management dialectic in interpreting the primary role of the principal; (b) the trait versus environment (nature versus nurture) influence on leadership; (c) the twin factors of leadership and quality of teaching and learning as the key determinants of students’ performance; and (d) the characteristics of effective schools.

The problem of underperforming schools has been a feature of the educational landscape of Jamaica for decades. The scientific literature on school leadership is consistent in the view that the quality of leadership is one of the two most critical factors in determining the performance of a school. This study seeks to explore what specific elements of leadership were responsible for the turnaround that two non-traditional high schools in Jamaica have experienced. The study found six themes in the strategies which were used by the principals to realize turnaround in their schools.