The research shows that school leadership influences school management resultsin general, and it particularly impacts student learning. This article presentsand analyzes the VAL-ED (Vanderbilt Assessment of Leadership in Education)as a school leadership assessment tool that is based on the research on learningcentered leadership. / La investigación indica que el liderazgo educativo afecta los resultados de la gestiónde los centros educativos en general, y en particular, incide en los aprendizajes delalumnado. Este artículo presenta y analiza el VAL-ED (Vanderbilt Assessment ofLeadership in Education) como un instrumento de evaluación de la gestión, apartir de la investigación sobre liderazgo centrado en los aprendizajes. / A pesquisa indica que a liderança educacional afeta os resultados da gestão dasescolas em geral, e em particular afeta a aprendizagem do aluno. Este artigoapresenta e analisa o VAL-ED (Avaliação Vanderbilt de Liderança em Educação)como uma ferramenta de avaliação da gestão, a partir de pesquisas sobre liderançacentrada na aprendizagem.

This case study examined the leadership practices of one middle school principal in a low-performing rural school in Virginia. The experienced principal participant was in his first year of leadership at the school; he had led other low-performing schools to improved achievement that resulted in earning state accreditation as well as meeting federal Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) student proficiency targets. The focus school had failed to meet AYP for five consecutive years. The qualitative research design for this study included in-depth, semi-structured interviews with teachers, the principal, the assistant principal, and the principal’s supervisor; a total of 18 interviews were conducted. Throughout the course of the interviews, the principal’s leadership was conceptualized using the framework of the six core components and six key process that form the basis for the Vanderbilt Assessment of Leadership in Education ((VAL-ED) Murphy et al., 2007). The findings that emerged concerning rural school challenges and organizational change affirmed well-supported assertions in the literature. Participants provided a well-conceptualized and expansively defined profile of the principal’s strengths and areas for growth through the lens of the Murphy et al. (2007) framework for learning-centered leadership.

School leadership is a complex and challenging endeavor, especially in an era when school principals are held accountable for student achievement outcomes. Research on school leadership has shown that a principal’s influence on student achievement is indirect and significant. Over the past three decades, research on school leadership has developed conceptually and now offers more concrete descriptions of the actions and behaviors leaders can utilize for learning-centered leadership. The developers of the Vanderbilt Assessment of Leadership in Education (VAL-ED) evaluation framework sought to create a school leader assessment tool that measures learning-centered behaviors, instead of measures that focus on the knowledge, dispositions, or personal characteristics of school leaders. In 2014 the VAL-ED, principals within a large school district in the Rocky Mountain region of the Western United States participated in the VAL-ED school leader assessment. For this study, a sample of 16 of the principals who earned the highest ratings on the VAL-ED survey responded to open-ended questions during an in-person interview, in which they described their actions and/or behaviors related to learning-centered leadership. Responses were coded utilizing attributive and axial coding methods. Principals in this study identified specific actions of school leadership related to the VAL-ED defined key processes of learning-centered principals and core components of learning-centered schools. A comparative analysis was conducted to discover if a difference existed between elementary and secondary references to the VAL-ED key processes. No notable difference between elementary and secondary was found, however, principals identified 4 themes of learning-centered leadership not directly associated with the VAL-ED processes or components. A comparative analysis of the new themes revealed differences in elementary and secondary references within two of the new themes. The findings revealed that distinguished learning-centered principals purposely exert their influence to improve student learning by being informed of the needs of their students and teachers and by understanding the school culture. They adapt to the needs of their schools and actively take measures to support and motivate teachers. Learning-centered principals understand that the way in which they can most directly influence student learning is to support and engage with their teachers because teachers have the most direct influence on students.