The principal's role has evolved over the past two decades with the accountability demands that are forcing changes in school practices. In the age of school reform, the principal of the twenty-first century must provide the structure; resources and support that schools need to succeed. Research indicated that successful school leadership makes important contributions to the improvement of student learning (Leithwood & Riehl, 2003). One common trait identified that principals consistently demonstrate when exercising leadership is highly developed communication skills (Gurr, Drysdale, & Mulford, 2006). Some principals are finding it increasingly difficult to meet the needs of all students, reduce the achievement gap, find viable strategies for reaching adequate yearly progress, and have chosen to address these critical concerns by implementing school reform models. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to examine the characteristics of the principal's communication in the operation of the Comer School Development model. The Comer School Development model's emphasis on certain conditions improved the characteristics of the principal's communication with all stakeholders. This information can be beneficial to principals in any school as well as a Comer School Development model to improve school effectiveness. Data collection included: (a) descriptive data, (b) one principal interview, (c) focus group (n=6) (d) seven observations, (e) and the results discussed in themes. / Ph. D.

Effective school leadership is at the center of educational reform in urban environments. Constituents expect school leaders to transform under-performing schools. However, the educational leadership field relies on traditional ideologies that largely ignore Black principals’ experiences and exclude their voices from politically engaged conversations on leadership. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore four contemporary Black school leaders’ perspectives of their practices in urban environments. Cultural Historical Activity Theory and Distributed Leadership Theory informed the multiple case study. I employed ethnographic data collection methods of prolonged engagement, interviews (formal and informal), shadowing, documents and artifacts, on-line discussions, field and reflexive journals, and memos, which allowed for crystallization of the data. I adopted and adapted grounded theory and analytic induction to interpret and re-present the Black school leaders’ educational philosophical beliefs, perspectives of traditional preparation, and conceptualizations of leadership that influenced their practices. The findings revealed that the four contemporary Black school leaders from middle and high schools held belief systems that challenged traditional structures and differed from White majority leaders’ beliefs, which aligned with white supremacy and deficit ideologies. The participants thought differently about the purpose of education for all students, especially marginalized groups. These thoughts helped shape their conceptualizations of effective school leadership as an alternative to traditional canons. Their leadership ‘model’ afforded them the ethical latitude to challenge the political sociocultural structure of ‘minimum competency’ standards to afford their students ‘high performance’ school communities. The findings also highlighted traditional leadership programs as ineffective and irrelevant for preparing aspirants to affect substantive changes in contextualized school environments, particularly when the classroom discourse obfuscates issues of equity, race, class, and cultural diversity. Furthermore, the findings revealed participants’ practices, undergirded with moral imperative, humanism, and social justice perspectives, were strategically implemented to dismantle unjust structures. In so doing, they were able to provide students equitable school conditions that allowed them to learn to their highest capacities. Indeed there is the urgent need to include race, ethnic, class, and culturally diverse perspectives in program preparations, policies, and theoretical paradigms to help shape how we think and thus practice school leadership.

This study forms part of three broader projects1 where school-based vegetable gardens have been implemented in nine primary schools in resourced-constrained communities in the Nelson Mandela Metropole, South Africa. The purpose of the current study was to explore teacher perceptions of the role of school principals in the success and sustainability of these school-based vegetable gardens. For the purpose of my research, I followed a qualitative methodological approach, and relied on interpretivism as epistemological paradigm. I utilised a multiple case study research design, applying Participatory Reflection and Action (PRA) principles. I purposefully selected 36 teachers from the nine schools involved in the broader project to participate in this study. For data generation and documentation, I relied on a PRA-based workshop, semi-structured individual interviews, observation, field notes, a research journal and audio-visual techniques. I completed inductive thematic analysis. Three main themes and related sub-themes emerged. The first theme highlights the value that teacher participants attach to school principals being informed and involved in vegetable gardens, by sharing the dream and being passionate, being informed of the garden team’s needs and challenges, and being actively involved. The second theme emphasises the importance of a principal providing support by motivating and encouraging teachers and learners to be involved, providing resources and fundraising opportunities, and networking with stakeholders. Finally, the last theme entails factors that may have a negative impact on the success of school-based vegetable gardens in terms of limited interest and involvement by the principal, and not recognising the value of the teachers or the school garden. The findings of the current study indicate that the majority of the teacher participants acknowledged the positive roles that their principals fulfilled, which they then linked to the success and sustainability of their school-based vegetable gardens. Teacher participants indicated that effective leadership can be demonstrated when school principals lead by example, provide the necessary resources, are well informed and knowledgeable about school gardens, and show support to those involved. / Dissertation (MEd)--University of Pretoria, 2019. / Educational Psychology / MEd / Unrestricted

This is an explanatory research investigation on the role of principals as instructional leaders which has been highlighted over the past two to three decades. The emergence of this concept in the leadership field and the rigorous research attention that it has received is a result of mounting pressure faced by principals as a result of the year-on-year poor performance of learners in the matriculation examinations. Parents, politicians and other organs of civil society expect principals to be accountable for what happens in the classroom (teaching and learning), including the performance of learners. The poor performance of learners in the matriculation examinations is the central focus of this study, growing out of the discussions and arguments which have dominated the media, social and political groupings, government, as well as the business sector. All these groupings and institutions are perturbed about the decline of learner performance in the matriculation examinations and seek possible solutions to this problem. I was therefore intrigued by the above concerns, which motivated me to engage in this study. This study set out to investigate the variables related to instructional leadership and the contribution of these variables to learner performance. The study was guided by the following research question: What are the variables related to instructional leadership practices of secondary school principals and what is their effect on the pass rate in the matriculation examinations? In order to respond to the above question, the following subsidiary questions were examined: a. How can instructional leadership possibly contribute to the improvement of learner performance? b. How do heads of department (HODs) and deputy principals perceive the role of their principals regarding instructional leadership? c. How are principals prepared with regard to their role as instructional leaders? This study followed an explanatory, mixed method research approach, utilising two sets of questionnaires (one for principals and another for HODs and deputy principals), semi-structured interviews, and focus group interviews. Seventy eight principals completed questionnaires regarding the performance of their learners. One hundred and thirty-seven deputy principals and HODs completed questionnaires regarding their principals‟ roles in instructional leadership and contribution to learner performance. The interviewing process took place in two stages / phases. During the first phase, a group of sixty principals was exposed to the four variables which underpin this study, namely: a. The principals’ role in promoting frequent and appropriate school-wide teacher development activities; b. Defining and communicating shared vision and goals; c. Monitoring and providing feedback on the teaching and learning process; and d. Managing the curriculum and instruction. In fifteen groups of four, the respondents brainstormed the strength of each variable and prioritised or arranged them in order of their importance and contribution to learner achievement. The outcome of this first phase of the interview process and the findings from the analysis of the questionnaires informed the formulation of questions for the face-to-face interviews with five principals who were randomly selected from the seventy eight principals who participated in the completion of the questionnaires for the quantitative part of this study. The key insights and contributions drawn from this study make it unique in the sense that it: <ul><li> has an impact on the preparation of principals for their role as instructional leaders; </li><li> informs the support that principals need with regard to their practice as instructional leaders; </li><li> assists principals to identify appropriate variables to help align their own visions for their schools with the national, provincial and regional visions for the improvement of learner achievement; </li><li> adds value to the existing body of knowledge on instructional leadership and the central role that it plays in improving the achievement levels of learners in the National Senior Certificate; and </li><li> clarifies the fact that "leadership" is not a semantic substitute for "management and administration", but rather an independent construct which is capable of interacting with the latter in the practice of education. </li></ul> / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2011. / Education Management and Policy Studies / unrestricted