The purpose of this descriptive study was to determine if business leadership practices by Texas public school principals have an impact on principals' campus student achievement in mathematics and reading, as measured by TAKS scores. The survey instrument was the Leadership Assessment Instrument (LAI), developed by Warren Bennis in 1989. The survey instrument was electronically distributed to a sample of 300 public school principals in Texas. Of the 300, 140 principals completed and returned the survey, for a response rate of 47%. The Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS), version 16.0, was used for the analysis of data, which included descriptive statistics, analysis of variance, and regression. In addition, reliability for the LAI was also calculated. The LAI consists of the following five categories of effective business practices: focused drive, emotional intelligence, building trust, conceptual thinking, and systems thinking. No significant relationships were found between principals' use of LAI elements and student achievement in mathematics and reading. However, the lack of significant relationships between the business model as used in public schools and student achievement reveals that current models of principal preparation programs do not result in school leaders who are adequately prepared to increase student achievement. Further research is recommended as public school leaders continue to seek alternative strategies and innovative practices to improve student achievement.

Thesis advisor: Raquel Muñiz / Due to opportunity and achievement gaps in schools, leaders face the challenge of monitoring student expectations related to academic rigor and emotional health. As a result, social and emotional learning (SEL) has gained traction for students in the field of education. However, SEL competencies are rarely developed with the adults who work with these students. In this dissertation in practice, interviews, observations and questionnaires were used to collect data about the practices of school-based leaders in a qualitative case study at the elementary and middle school levels. Research revealed what leadership practices modeled SEL competencies, practices such as those involving time and resources, relationship building and sharing of expertise; and how they shaped the ways in which adults collaborate, including honest and authentic dialogue, adult learning, and the improvement of practices. This is important due to the many leadership practices employed in schools that influence adult behaviors. The findings suggest that socially and emotionally competent leadership considers both an awareness of self and other, as it cultivates individual capabilities, collaborative relationships, and a greater capacity in the schools in which it exists. / Thesis (EdD) — Boston College, 2020. / Submitted to: Boston College. Lynch School of Education. / Discipline: Educational Leadership and Higher Education.

The purpose of this study was to determine if the teachers in Sullivan County perceive that principals used the same leadership practices as the principals reported they use. The researcher used the survey method of data collection in which 897 teachers were given the opportunity to participate and 576 teachers returned completed surveys (63.2%). In addition, 29 out of 29 principals participated in the research (100%). The Leadership Practices Inventory (LPI) (Kouzes & Posner, 2003a) was used to gather information regarding the principals' leadership practices. Principals self-reported their perception of their leadership practices, whereas teachers reported their perceptions of their principals' leadership practices. Two major findings of this study were that principals reported significantly higher levels of each leadership practice than both the Kouzes-Posner norms and their teachers' perceptions of their principals' leadership practices. In addition, there was no difference between male and female teachers' perceptions of their male principals' leadership practices. However, there were significant differences between male and female teachers' perceptions of their female principals' leadership practices for all five behaviors. In each case, male teachers evaluated their female principals' leadership practices higher than did female teachers.

The purpose of this study was to compare the perceptions of self-reported leadership practices using the Kouzes and Posner Leadership Practices Inventory between high school principals in North Carolina who were coaches with those principals who were not coaches. This quantitative study was conducted using a survey-design method in which all 368 public high school principals in North Carolina were given the opportunity to participate. A Principal Demographic sheet along with the 2003 edition of Kouzes and Posner's Leadership Practices Inventory (LPI) Self- Form was used to gather information regarding the principals' perceptions of their leadership practices. The response rate was 64.9%. This study determined that for the research question: Do the Kouzes and Posner mean scores (for the five dimensions) differ between principals who have been coaches and those who have not, no significant difference, as measured by η2 (< .01) was reported in any of the five dimensions. This study established that North Carolina high school principals reported significantly higher levels on each of the 5 leadership practices than did those individuals in the Kouzes and Posner study. In addition, a positive relationship was found between the number of previous years of coaching experience and 3 of the 5 leadership practices. The study determined that there was little difference in the mean scores between male and female North Carolina principals.

<p> The current educational workforce is made up of baby boomers, Generation Xers, millennials, and Generation Zers. Research on generational theory reflects variations in characteristics, work preferences and values among generations, yet there is little known whether teachers from these various generations need differing leadership practices to perform their best. This quantitative study utilized a cross sectional survey design collecting data from 502 Indiana teachers to identify the need teachers place on principals’ leadership behaviors and determine if any significant differences exist based on their generation, gender, the type of community they grew up in or the type of community where they currently teach.  Utilizing Kouzes and Posner’s (1985) Leadership Practices Inventory, participants rated their need for 30 leadership behaviors on a 10-point Likert scale. Overall, teachers from all groups rated they needed principals to exhibit leadership practice enabling others to act the highest with an overall mean score of 8.75 (SD=1.20) followed by modeling the way (M=8.40, SD=1.29), encouraging others (M=8.28, 1.46), challenging the process (M=7.63, SD=1.46), and lastly inspiring a shared vision (M=7.50, SD=1.57). Conducting an independent t-test to compare the means of gender groups and a one-way ANOVA to compare generations, community types and building types resulted in no significant differences in teachers’ need for leadership practices. The results of this study reinforce Kouzes and Posner’s five practices of exemplary leaders as relevant across generations yet leaves open questions for future study on how principals can capitalize on the strengths various generations bring to the school family. </p>

In the past three years, educational leaders in the United States were called to fight for equity and dismantle the oppressive systemic racism that afflict our schools. Yet, as so many of our school leaders and educators are White, they feel unprepared to confront the historic and evolving problem of racial inequality that has frequently been viewed as a “Black problem” (Singleton, 2015, p. 37). With a renewed commitment to educational equity, school leaders are seeking ways to build less divisive and more inclusive schools. This qualitative study describes the role of trust and collaboration in developing culturally responsive school leadership through the perceptions, beliefs, dispositions, and strategies of five school leaders. This study is a narrative inquiry into the experiences of five current school leaders in Massachusetts collected from interviews from June -October 2022. Their staff were also surveyed electronically. Participants were selected based on the following criteria: (a) Experienced (>5 years) principals and assistant principals (b) Current employment in public schools in Massachusetts (c) Leaders with diverse backgrounds and racial identities, including people who identify as Black, Indigenous, or People of Color (BIPOC) including both male and female leaders and (d) Graduate coursework in culturally responsive school leadership. Their narratives are analyzed through the frameworks of both critical theory and critical race theory. The analysis is organized around four components of equity leadership described by the school leaders: core values, leadership roles, barriers to trust, and influence and identity. The study recommends practices for equity-focused school leadership and suggests ways districts can support, identify, and recruit culturally responsive school leaders. This dissertation aims to deepen our current understanding of the relationship between staff trust and culturally responsive school leadership while also describing an emerging leadership identity that is shaping current educational practices.

English learners (ELs) are the fastest growing student group in U.S. public schools. The purpose of this mixed method study was to gain an understanding of the relationship between principal actions and the academic achievement of ELs to determine which practices had the greatest impact on student achievement using archival achievement data. A mixed methods research study was conducted in an urban school district in North Texas to explore differences between principals of schools with high and non-high performance of ELs as it related to the implementation of leadership practices and social justice principles. The principals in the PK-5 grade level band who participated in an online survey, reported statistically significant differences regarding the implementation of leadership practices in the areas of leading student culture and data-driven instruction. Statistically significant differences were also found in the competency of driving for results within the social justice principles. Further data analysis of interview findings revealed the distinction between the high-performing and non-high-performing group to be centered on principal actions as inputs for effective teaching as it related to the implementation of schoolwide systems and processes. Further research is recommended to continue the identification of best practices that support the academic success of ELs in a public-school setting.

This research explored the relationship between sustainability leadership practices and employeesatisfaction in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Germany and Swede. The objective was toinvestigate how sustainability leadership practices influenced employee satisfaction within the context ofSMEs. Ten interviews were conducted with employees and managers in first-line and middle managementpositions from diverse industries across Sweden and Germany. The study aimed to gather employees'perceptions of leadership and management behaviors, practices, and outcomes within their organizationsand determine the impact of these practices on employee satisfaction. The findings of this studydemonstrated a positive relationship between the adoption of sustainability leadership practices andemployee satisfaction. Nevertheless, out of the six interviewees who expressed some level ofdissatisfaction, five acknowledged the presence of leadership practices that were consistent with thetheoretical framework of sustainability leadership. These findings enhanced our understanding of therelationship between sustainability leadership and employee satisfaction and offered insights to improveleadership practices and employee satisfaction. The research provided valuable insights for SMEmanagers, employees, and practitioners, highlighting the significance of sustainable leadership practices inenhancing organizational performance and contributing to sustainable development.

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between Tennessee wardens’ leadership practices and correctional officer job satisfaction. Utilizing the Leadership Practices Inventory (LPI), the relationship between correctional officers’ perception of the warden’s leadership practices and the LPI norms were examined. Additionally, utilizing the LPI, the relationship between self-ratings of the warden’s leadership practices and the observer rating of the LPI were assessed. Lastly, utilizing the Job Satisfaction Survey (JSS) and observer LPI, correlations were examined between the correctional officers’ job satisfaction and their perception of the warden’s leadership practices. Findings of this study showed lower correctional officers ratings of the wardens on the five LPI subscales than the inventory’s norms. In a comparison of the LPI wardens’ self-perception and the correctional officers’ observer perception, correctional officers rated the wardens lower than the wardens rated themselves. The overall ratings of the correctional officer Job Satisfaction Survey (JSS)were neutral. However, of the nine JSS subscales, the results identified the nature of their work and supervision as the most positive. Pay, contingent reward, and promotional opportunities were rated as the primary reasons for job dissatisfaction. Additional findings indicated a positive relationship between job satisfaction and each of the five subscales of the LPI. / Doctor of Philosophy in Leadership

In recent years the important of leadership in the organization has become an area of interest. Leadership has been noted to impact corporate culture, employee commitment and response and the overall performance of the organization. Given the fact that leadership is such an important part of organizational development and discourse, effective methods for developing effective leadership in the organization are needed. Without definitive methods for leadership development, organizations will not be able to optimize the outcomes of leadership in the organization. Thus, there is a clear impetus to delineate what works best in the context of leadership development. This study used concurrent qualitative and quantitative research to understand better the effect of cross-cultural influences on the leadership development programmes and leadership practices development in a study population consisting of managers and supervisors in the Kuwaiti banking industry. Although Kuwaiti organisations employ many international employees and operate foreign subsidiaries, they have not created leadership development programmes to improve cross-cultural leadership skills for managers. As a result, Kuwaiti managers often rely on traditional transactional methods and an authoritarian style of leadership that may be less effective with employees from different nations and cultural backgrounds. The qualitative phase of the research collected data from Kuwaiti bank managers through interviews while the quantitative phase of the research collected data with survey instrument. The quantitative phase of the study also tested the validity of a conceptual model and hypotheses using structural equation modelling and regression analysis. The research was guided by distributed leadership theory, which considers leadership as a series of interactions between leader and follower with the follower sometimes adopting an informal role as temporary leader. The theory also considers the context in which the leader operates as a critical factor for motivating leadership practise. The testing and validation of the theoretical model in the study led to the acceptance of a new 'Effective Cross Cultural Leadership' (ECL) model. This model describes the relationship between the exogenous or independent variables of cultural differences, training and development in traditional Kuwaiti leadership, cross cultural leadership development programmes and international leadership practises with the endogenous or dependent variables of leadership development programmes and leadership practises development. The testing of the hypotheses of the study showed a statistically significant relationship between the four independent variables and the two dependent variables with exception of the relationship between the independent variable of international leadership practises and the dependant variable of leadership programmes development. The quantitative findings also indicated that demographic variables do not have a moderating effect on the model. The qualitative findings of the study determined that cultural differences between employees and managers influence the managers' leadership behaviours and their understanding of the type of leadership development programmes to improve their cross-cultural leadership skills. Managers with greater experience or knowledge of foreign cultures adopt more flexible leadership practises when leading international teams. The qualitative findings also determined that front office managers are more willing to use participative leadership styles in leadership practises, while back office managers rely on authoritarian leadership styles focusing on tasks in their leadership practises, indicating that the context influences leadership styles and practise. The findings of the study including the development and validation of the Effective Cross-Cultural Leadership (ECL) model contribute to the theoretical and practical knowledge of cross-cultural leadership in Kuwait that can be extended to other Middle Eastern nations. In addition, the study finding extends cross-cultural theory by indicating that international influences both internal and external to the organisation affect leadership styles despite national norms and preferences. These findings implied that Kuwaiti organisations experience significant pressure to adopt some international leadership practises and styles to accommodate the expectations and needs of the many international workers employed in Kuwait. The practical implication of these findings showed that Kuwaiti managers would benefit from leadership training emphasising that no standard or correct approach to leadership exists and that it can be acceptable for leaders to use participative styles when warranted by the situation.