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

Abstract

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.