TRANSFORMATIONAL URBAN PRINCIPAL LEADERSHIP

RESEARCH ON FOURTH-GRADE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL STUDENTS' READING ACHIEVEMENT SCORES

De: James Jones

Narrado por: Virtual Voice

Principal leadership studies have indicated that leadership can play an essential role in augmenting students' achievement scores. One significant influence that can affect achievement scores is the leadership style of the principal. This study focuses on fourth grade achievement scores within urban elementary schools and explores the relationship between the principals' leadership styles and fourth-grade achievement scores. This study also examines the relationship between teachers' and principals' perceptions of leadership and school climate in order to determine whether significant differences exist between the self-reported perceptions of principals' leadership styles and school climate factors in selected schools. Quantitative information was gathered from 120 elementary teachers and eight principals in eight urban elementary schools. Teachers' and principals' perceptions of principal leadership style were measured using the Leader Behavior Description Questionnaire (LBDQ). Their perceptions of school climate were measured using the Organizational Climate Description Questionnaire-Revised Elementary (OCDQ-RE). Correlation analyses failed to show any statistically significant relationships between perceptions of principals' leadership styles (as measured by the 12 subscales of the LBDQ) and fourth-grade reading achievement scores. Correlation analyses for RQ2 showed statistically significant relationships between teachers' perceptions of two school climate factors (principal directive behavior and intimate teacher behavior) and students' fourth-grade reading achievement scores. These results suggest that (a) principals with an exceedingly accomplished and driven team of educators might be better off holding high expectations and (b) intimate teacher behavior results in a resilient and interconnected network of communal associations among faculty members that are associated with improved reading scores.