A Study of Principal Instructional Leadership Behaviors Manifested in Successful and Nonsuccessful Urban Elementary Schools

A Study of Principal Instructional Leadership Behaviors Manifested in Successful and Nonsuccessful Urban Elementary Schools

Author: Margaret Mary Irma Cantu

Publisher:

Published: 1994

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13:

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The purpose of the study was to discover the principal instructional leadership behaviors differed in successful and nonsuccessful urban elementary schools. Six schools were selected and paired according to size, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and attendance to discover the salient leadership behavior differences between and among them. A descriptive survey research design was utilized to collect data through the Hallinger-Murphy Principal Instructional Management Rating Scale (PIMRS) which assessed frequency of leadership behaviors. Six (100%) of the principals and 95 (49%) teachers responded. The research questions were tested statistically using Analysis of Variance to decipher leadership differences between the pairs of schools and differences of perceived principal behaviors based on teachers' grade levels and teaching experience. The instructional leadership behaviors manifested by the principals in the selected schools were identified through the PIMRS and tested using the .05 confidence level as the measure of significance. The current literature reported that higher frequency of leadership behaviors, such as those identified in the PIMRS, could lead to academically successful schools. The results of this study went against the grain of the current literature since high scores on the PIMRS did not ensure successful schools and provided confoundment rather than clarification. The principals in the paired schools showed few differences in job behavior patterns, yet one school in each pair was academically successful; the other was not. The research questions stated: 1) There are significant differences between the instructional leadership behaviors demonstrated by the principals of schools with high student achievement when compared with the principals of schools with low student achievement; 2) student demographic characteristics (ethnicity, attendance of students, socioeconomic status) influence student success; and 3) there is a difference in teachers' perceptions of principals' instructional leadership behaviors based on their years of teaching experience and grade level taught. The first and third questions were rejected since the data in this study did not support the questions. The second question was not statistically tested due to a lack of difference in the student populations in the schools. Further study and testing of the Ballinger-Murphy Model is required in order to draw final conclusions on the relationship between principal instructional leadership behaviors and student achievement


School Leadership that Works

School Leadership that Works

Author: Robert J. Marzano

Publisher: ASCD

Published: 2005

Total Pages: 210

ISBN-13: 1416602275

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Describes a variety of leaders hip responsibilities that have an effect on student achievement.


Assessing Instructional Leadership with the Principal Instructional Management Rating Scale

Assessing Instructional Leadership with the Principal Instructional Management Rating Scale

Author: Philip Hallinger

Publisher: Springer

Published: 2015-05-22

Total Pages: 210

ISBN-13: 3319155334

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This volume provides a succinct up-to-date summary of global research on principal instructional leadership as it has evolved over the past 50 years. The book’s particular focus is on the development and use of the Principal Instructional Management Rating Scale (PIMRS). The PIMRS is the most widely used survey instrument designed for assessing instructional leadership for research and practice. It has been used in more than 250 studies in more than 30 countries around the world. The authors provide a detailed conceptual and data-based description of the rationale and development of the instrument as well as the ways in which it has been used in practice. The book also provides, for the first time, a comprehensive assessment of the scale’s measurement properties. This represents essential information for future users of the instrument across different national contexts. Finally, the volume outlines an agenda for improving future research on the role of principal instructional leadership in student learning and school effectiveness.


Educational Management

Educational Management

Author: Harry Tomlinson

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2013-10-30

Total Pages: 1813

ISBN-13: 1136935762

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Education management and leadership is a key area of study in education. Educational Management: Major Themes in Education brings together the most important literature in the field, exploring the historical context, the training and development of leaders and their roles in leading people and managing resources in education. The collection provides a focus on the major issues which are current in educational management throughout the world. The four volumes are arranged thematically, as follows: Volume 1: Educational Values Values and Religion Emotions and Gender Politics and Micropolitics Volume 2: Educational Theory Theory School of Effectiveness and School Improvement Financial Management and LSM Further Education Volume 3: Educational Leadership Leadership and Headteachers Learning Leadership Middle Leadership Volume 4: Educational Change History and Research Strategy, Marketing, Change and Culture A new introduction by the editor provides an overview of the field and guides the reader through this wealth of material. Titles also available in this series include, Literacy (June 2004, 4 Volumes, £495), Special Educational Needs and Inclusive Education (August 2004, 4 Volumes, £495) and the forthcoming Early Years Education (2005, c.4 Volumes, c. £475)


A Mixed Methods Case Study

A Mixed Methods Case Study

Author: Khalid N. A. Sutton

Publisher:

Published: 2019

Total Pages: 250

ISBN-13:

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In the Philadelphia area, there are too many high schools where students are not making adequate academic progress, as measured by the Pennsylvania Value Added Assessment System (PVAAS). As a result of this insufficient academic progress, there are many young adults lacking the minimal skills necessary to enroll in college or to enter into the workforce. The purpose of this mixed methods case study was to explore principal leadership behaviors and characteristics, and the extent in which they contribute to the achievement of students in urban high schools within the Philadelphia region. In every institution of learning, the overarching goal should be centered on providing students the necessary skills to assist them in growing academically, as well as socially. Principals as the leaders, of K-12 buildings, play an important role in ensuring that students receive the best education possible, while also maintaining and creating a safe environment for students and staff members. The research question for this investigational study was: What is the relationship between principal leadership behaviors and high school student achievement in urban districts within the Philadelphia area? The researcher used the following sub-questions to provide answers to the overarching question: (1) What leadership behaviors do teacher respondents perceive as positively impacting student achievement in urban high schools; (2) What leadership behaviors do principal respondents perceive as positively impacting student achievement in urban high schools; (3) How do principals describe the direct effects of their leadership behaviors on urban high school student achievement; and (4) How do principals describe the indirect effects of their leadership behaviors on urban high school student achievement? At two high schools in the Philadelphia region, 27 teachers and two principals participated in this mixed methods study. The high school teachers completed a survey using the well-known and validated Principal Instructional Management Rating Scale (PIMRS), designed for teachers by Dr. Philip Hallinger. The two principal participants took part in a semi-structured interview and completed the PIMRS survey designed for school leaders. The semi-formal interviews, scheduled for 30 minutes, were recorded using two digital devices and transcriptions were electronically and manually completed. Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) software was used to interpret and analyze quantitative data while InVivo and hand coding was used for qualitative data analysis. From the analysis of the qualitative data, three major themes emerged for principal behaviors: (a) data collection and analysis is essential, (b) curriculum and instruction must be monitored and (c) school culture is a factor. This study may inform current and future school leaders on the leadership behaviors essential to improving academic achievement. Considerations for further research in the area of principal leadership are offered.


What Works

What Works

Author: Jason R. Moffitt

Publisher:

Published: 2007

Total Pages: 152

ISBN-13:

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Author's abstract: Effective leadership behaviors are imperative in contributing to student achievement and the overall culture of a school. School leaders must mold the culture of the school in order to create an environment which is conducive to learning. Studies on school leadership and student achievement have highlighted the evidence of school leadership behaviors which contribute to student achievement. The purpose of this investigation studied the extent of school leadership behaviors and or characteristics that contribute to student achievement. This study was designed to identify the relationship between the behaviors of the school leader and student achievement. The study determined if teachers and principals perceptions of leadership behaviors contribute to student achievement. More specifically, this investigation was designed to study the behaviors and practices of elementary principals as it relates to student achievement in elementary school students in a large urban school district. Sixty-three elementary teachers and six principals were selected for this study. The six principals were apart of the focus group interview. Data was collected through teacher and principal surveys, audio-taped interviews and transcriptions. SPSS 13.0 was selected as a means to interpret and analyze data. 2 The results of the study support the literature and indicate that principal leadership is critical to student achievement in elementary school students. More specifically, it raised the question about what specific leadership behaviors are used to increase student achievement. This study further clarified that the principal is the primary person for instituting leadership among all within the school which ultimately contribute to student success. The elementary principal has a demanding and challenging job in and of itself, but by recognizing the leadership behaviors, the principal can influence the climate, productivity, effectiveness of their school and ultimately student achievement.


International Handbook of Educational Leadership and Administration

International Handbook of Educational Leadership and Administration

Author: Kenneth A. Leithwood

Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media

Published: 2012-12-06

Total Pages: 1188

ISBN-13: 940091573X

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EDITORS This introduction to the International Handbook of Educational Lead ership and Administration describes some of the motivation for devel oping the book and several assumptions on which is based much of the work represented in its 31 chapters. A synopsis of the contents of those chapters is also provided. SOME KEY ASSUMPTIONS It is sometimes suggested that the search for an adequate understanding of leadership is doomed to fail. After all, there is little evidence of agreement about the concept in spite of prodigious efforts dating back hundreds if not thousands of years. Such a view is captured, for exam ple, in Bennis' observation that: Of all the hazy and confounding areas in social psychology, leadership theory undoubtedly contends for top nomination. Probably more has been written and less is known about lead ership than any other topic in the behavioural sciences. (1959, page 259) We do not find this state of affairs discouraging (nor entirely accurate) and, of course, it did not prevent Bennis from proceeding either. One reason for our desire to continue in the face of such discouraging words is that a great deal of leadership research aspires to develop a general theory, a theory which applies to all or most domains of organized human activity. This aspiration inevitably produces decontextualized and, therefore, abstract categories of practice. Howard Gardner's (1995) depiction of leadership as story telling is a case in point.