Exploring the impact of school leadership on pupil outcomes

Abstract

Purpose-This study aims to explore the impact of school leadership, particularly that of the principal (head teacher), on school improvement in England. Design/methodology/approach-The study adopts a mixed-methods (MM), longitudinal design to investigate the leadership of a sample of academically effective and improving schools identified from analyses of national assessment and examination data sets. In addition, questionnaire surveys of principals and key staff and 20 qualitative school case studies were conducted. The paper reports results from the questionnaire analyses and changes in measures of school performance over three school years using data from 378 primary and 362 secondary schools. Confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation models (SEM) test direct and indirect effects of school leadership and school and classroom processes in predicting changes in schools' academic results. Findings-The analyses identified robust underlying dimensions of leadership and school and classroom processes and highlighted strategies and actions that school principals and staff had adopted to raise pupil attainment. The SEM models reveal both direct and indirect effects of leadership on a range of school and classroom processes that in turn predicted changes (improvements) in schools' academic performance. Originality/value-This original empirical study presents new results on the leadership of a large sample of effective and improving primary and secondary schools in England. A dynamic model is presented predicting changes in schools' academic performance over three years and identifying direct effects of leadership on school and classroom processes and indirect effects on improvements in schools' academic results.

The role of relational resilience in teachers’ career-long commitment and effectiveness

“…The positive impact of strong leadership on student learning through building supportive school culture and creating favourable working conditions for teachers is well documented in the teacher development, school improvement and school effectiveness literature (Hallinger, 2005;Johnson, 2004;Leithwood et al, 2004 andGu et al, 2008;Day et al, 2011;Sammons et al, 2011). There is also evidence which points to strong and positive associations between school leaders' administrative support and low teacher retention rates (Ladd, 2009;Boyd et al, 2011).…”

“…There is also abundant evidence that trusting relationships between the head and their staff are a key feature of successful schools (e.g. Bryk et al, 2010;Day et al, 2011). In their work on successful urban schools, Bryk and Schneider (2002) found that 'teachers who perceive benevolent intentions on the part of their principal are more likely to feel efficacious in their jobs ' (2002, p. 29).…”

“…Huberman, 1993;Webb et al, 2004;Brunetti, 2006;Leithwood et al, 2006;Day et al, 2007;Castro et al, 2010;Meister and Ahrens, 2011). Empirical evidence on how successful principals mediate the negative influences of macro-level policy contexts and meso-level external school intake contexts and through this, create a positive school culture which nurtures teachers' capacity for learning and development is also strong and evident (Leithwood et al, 2006;Day and Leithwood, 2007;Gu et al, 2008;Robinson et al, 2009;Leithwood et al, 2010;Sammons et al, 2011;Gu and Johansson, 2013).…”

“…There is also evidence which points to strong and positive associations between school leaders' administrative support and low teacher retention rates (Ladd, 2009;Boyd et al, 2011). In addition, a strong sense of staff collegiality has been found to be crucial in building intellectual, emotional and social capital in schools so that teachers, and especially those working in schools serving socioeconomically deprived communities, are able to maintain their integrity and commitment in times of change Allensworth et al, 2009;Day et al, 2011;Holme and Rangel, 2012). More importantly, we know from research that pupils of highly committed teachers are more likely to perform better academically .…”

Do Qualification, Experience and Age Matter for Principals Leadership Styles?

“…Reconstruction of organization, setting, directions for subordinates, and motivating and developing people are the common practices of successful principals (Jacobson, 2011). Therefore, school leaders directly or indirectly affect the various aspects of school and classroom process along with academic performance (Sammons, Gu, Day and Ko, 2011). Each of the style (autocratic, democratic, and free-rein) may have benefits as well limitations.…”