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Instructional Leadership In High Schools: The Effects of Principals, Assistant Principals, and Department Heads on Student Achievement

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Date Issued:
2006
Summary:
The purpose of the study was to examine the influence of instructional leadership on student achievement through the instructional leadership of principals, assistant principals and math department heads at the high school level. The Principal Instructional Management Rating Scale was used to quantify instructional leadership in ten different job functions. The research questions were as follows: 1. Can the instructional leadership of principals, assistant principals, and math department heads be described at the high school level? 2. Whose instructional leadership has the greatest relationship to student achievement, principals, assistant principals, or math department heads? 3. Does team alignment in instructional leadership matter to student achievement? 4. Does socioeconomic status moderate the relationship between the job function and student achievement? Instructional leadership questionnaires were distributed to the principal, the assistant principal in charge of curriculum, and the math department head in all public high schools in five of the seven largest counties in Florida. The unit of study was the instructional leadership role linkage between the principal, the assistant principal, and the department head as it related to student achievement. The study found that (a) principals exhibit instructional leadership behaviors at a higher frequency than assistant principals and math department heads, (b) instructional leadership team alignment does not correlate to math achievement, and (c) principals' and assistant principals' behaviors correlate to math achievement, but math department heads do not. The study also found that student achievement is moderated by socioeconomic status. These findings suggest that the administrative setup in schools should be examined. The alignment of instructional leadership behaviors did not significantly correlate with student achievement; however, the correlation was positive in eight of the ten job functions. Differentiation of roles may be the key to understanding why alignment and achievement are positively correlated. Mixed method studies may also need to be used in future research, as this study contradicted other studies in the area of the department head's influence. Finally, the role of the department head should be studied in depth. This role may be the critical, yet indirect link to student achievement.
Title: Instructional Leadership In High Schools: The Effects of Principals, Assistant Principals, and Department Heads on Student Achievement.
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Name(s): Todd, Tara Lynn, author
Bogotch, Ira, Thesis advisor
Florida Atlantic University, Degree grantor
Type of Resource: text
Genre: Electronic Thesis Or Dissertation
Date Created: 2006
Date Issued: 2006
Publisher: Florida Atlantic University
Place of Publication: Boca Raton, Fla.
Physical Form: application/pdf
Extent: 147 p.
Language(s): English
Summary: The purpose of the study was to examine the influence of instructional leadership on student achievement through the instructional leadership of principals, assistant principals and math department heads at the high school level. The Principal Instructional Management Rating Scale was used to quantify instructional leadership in ten different job functions. The research questions were as follows: 1. Can the instructional leadership of principals, assistant principals, and math department heads be described at the high school level? 2. Whose instructional leadership has the greatest relationship to student achievement, principals, assistant principals, or math department heads? 3. Does team alignment in instructional leadership matter to student achievement? 4. Does socioeconomic status moderate the relationship between the job function and student achievement? Instructional leadership questionnaires were distributed to the principal, the assistant principal in charge of curriculum, and the math department head in all public high schools in five of the seven largest counties in Florida. The unit of study was the instructional leadership role linkage between the principal, the assistant principal, and the department head as it related to student achievement. The study found that (a) principals exhibit instructional leadership behaviors at a higher frequency than assistant principals and math department heads, (b) instructional leadership team alignment does not correlate to math achievement, and (c) principals' and assistant principals' behaviors correlate to math achievement, but math department heads do not. The study also found that student achievement is moderated by socioeconomic status. These findings suggest that the administrative setup in schools should be examined. The alignment of instructional leadership behaviors did not significantly correlate with student achievement; however, the correlation was positive in eight of the ten job functions. Differentiation of roles may be the key to understanding why alignment and achievement are positively correlated. Mixed method studies may also need to be used in future research, as this study contradicted other studies in the area of the department head's influence. Finally, the role of the department head should be studied in depth. This role may be the critical, yet indirect link to student achievement.
Identifier: FA00000715 (IID)
Note(s): Dissertation (Ph.D.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2006.
Subject(s): Motivation in education
Educational leadership
High school department heads--United States
School principals--United States
Held by: Florida Atlantic University Libraries
Sublocation: Digital Library
Persistent Link to This Record: http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00000715
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Restrictions on Access: Copyright © is held by the author with permission granted to Florida Atlantic University to digitize, archive and distribute this item for non-profit research and educational purposes. Any reuse of this item in excess of fair use or other copyright exemptions requires permission of the copyright holder.
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Host Institution: FAU
Is Part of Series: Florida Atlantic University Digital Library Collections.