PRINCIPALS’ PERSPECTIVES ON HOW TRANSFORMATIONAL, INSTRUCTIONAL, AND MANAGERIAL LEADERSHIP PRACTICES INFLUENCE TEACHER EFFECTIVENESS AND STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT

In the context of a global school reform movement, defining the extent of a principal’s influence on teacher effectiveness and student achievement is essential. A principal must be more than a manager, but also a transformational and an instructional leader. This concurrent mix methods study incorporated guided interviews and an online survey related to campus leadership priorities. An analysis of the data from both sources searched for common themes. The interviews and surveys allowed principals to reflect on the practices and cultural changes in leadership practice. This study found discrepancies in the responses of the principals when compared to current research within the concepts of cultivating leadership and managing people and resources. The principals’ responses reflected the high stakes challenges they meet every day with limited time and funding. This discrepancy brings into question whether the current functions demanded of principals in conjunction with the education reform movement is feasible.