Garza, EncarnaciónGear, Maria Guadalupe2024-02-092024-02-0920119781267084705https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12588/3517This item is available only to currently enrolled UTSA students, faculty or staff. To download, navigate to Log In in the top right-hand corner of this screen, then select Log in with my UTSA ID.Establishing learning environments and instructional practices that are conducive to at-risk students' learning is a daunting task for today's school leaders especially in the midst of federal, state, and local accountability mandates. Academic, social, and economic risk factors add to the complexity of at-risk student learning. The purpose of this single case study was to explore the perceptions and behaviors of a team of school leaders that led to the academic achievement of at-risk students in an urban high school. The research question in this study was approached through a qualitative single case study methodology to identify school leader attributes, beliefs, and behaviors that contributed to the academic achievement of at-risk students. Data was collected through in-depth semi-structured interviews, observation/field notes, document reviews, and reflective journal entries. The school principal, four academic deans/assistant principals, and a lead counselor were purposefully selected based on their leadership capacity at the research site. Results from the study revealed a strong cohesion among the team of school leaders that helped to establish an environment that met student learning needs. Effective relationships between the leadership team and stakeholders prompted a communal effort to address academic achievement. Additionally, school leaders were found to take an active role in promoting instructional practices that were both goal oriented and responsive to student needs.244 pagesapplication/pdfAcademic AchievementAt-Risk StudentsHigh SchoolSchool leadership teamEducational leadershipThesis