With much emphasis on school accountability ratings and student achievement, it is imperative that building level leaders are equipped with leadership practices that will enhance academic progress. In essence, principals must implement leadership practices that will turn around low-performing schools. The purpose of this study was to investigate principals’ practices and ways to modify their existing leadership strategies to adapt to school improvement needs in low-performing schools in Mississippi. This study focused on 4 areas of principal practices in improving low-performing schools: (1) communication with staff, (2) instructional leadership, (3) professional development and growth opportunities, and (4) connection with key stakeholders as they relate to student achievement. A quantitative cross-sectional, non-experimental questionnaire design was utilized to examine leadership practices and principals’ preconceptions of communication, collaboration, and professional development used to promote student achievement. A self-reflective questionnaire was distributed via email to 898 Mississippi principals of which 152 responded. Generally speaking, for all schools, this study revealed there was a significant relationship between overall scale scores and math growth scores. However, there were no significant relationships between leadership practices and the other sub-scales of this study and student growth and proficiency for all participants. Further, when analyzing the results of individual leadership practices of principals of low-performing schools, findings indicated principals modeling instructional strategies displayed a significant relationship with English Language Arts growth. Findings also revealed a significant relationship between math growth and “using department chairs to collect data about staff concerns”. Further, findings revealed a significant relationship between math growth and “tracking and discussing professional growth with staff”. Additionally, when analyzing the results of individual leadership practices from all schools, communicating often and clearly to staff that change is not optional displayed a significant relationship to math growth. Also, principals utilizing shared leadership practices displayed a significant relationship with ELA proficiency. Recommendations for further research include conducting studies on the following: (a) high- performing Mississippi schools and leadership practices, (b) leadership practices utilized by principals in high-performing states, and (c) teachers’ perspectives of leadership practices and student achievement.

There are local and national cries for high school reform, especially in our at-risk high schools; however, close examination of our at-risk high schools shows some are succeeding despite the odds against them. This is a case study of such a successful, at-risk high school. The National Association of Secondary Schools defines an at-risk school as one having a student population of at least 50% minority students, 50 % free and reduced lunch students, and 90 % or better graduating and being accepted into college. Bright Star High School was chosen because it fits these criteria and it was recognized by school officials inside and outside of the school district for its high student performance on a variety of other student achievement indicators. The collection of data took place over a twelve month period between June 2006 and June 2007. This case study answers two questions: (1) What makes Bright Star High School so successful? (2) How did it become this way? In response to the first question, the findings show that there is not one factor that makes the difference but multiple factors that interact with each other. These factors include: (1) common vision and mission; (2) a safe and secure, small, personalized environment; (3) strong, instructional leadership; (4) a faculty that functions as a learning community; (5) rigorous academic programs and intervention and support strategies (6) parent involvement. The factors identified in this case study are similar to those identified in other successful, at-risk schools and to those reported in related literature and research studies. In response to the second question, the findings show: (1) the Bright Star faculty nurtured a culture that supports and encourages the establishment and maintenance of a collaborative learning community; (2) changes at the district, state, and national levels in graduation requirements, accreditation requirements, and the No Child Left Behind Act had a powerful impact; (3) real change takes time, persistence, patience and an understanding that it is messy and not easy. / Ph. D.

A review of the available research indicates that relatively little is known about how districts employ Academic Achievement Teams or similar mechanisms to reduce declines in student achievement and sustain increased student achievement at the elementary school level (Kutash, Nico, Gorin, Rahmatullah, & Tallant, 2010).   Turning around chronically low-performing schools is challenging work requiring a systemic rather than school-by-school approach (Robinson & Buntrock, 2011). The most successful turnaround efforts have both high-impact leaders and the district capacity to initiate, support, and enhance transformational change through the use of data. Educational leaders on all levels are realizing meaningful information can only be acquired through a proper analysis of data and good decisions are based on this thoughtful process of inquiry and analysis (Creighton, 2007).  The intent of this study was to identify practices of Academic Achievement Teams that facilitated student achievement.  Interviews were conducted with principals, directors of elementary education, a teacher, and district liaison representing the Virginia Department of Education\'s Office of School Improvement to gain insight into the operational and organizational structures of the Academic Achievement Teams. A qualitative design was selected to conduct this descriptive cross case study. In addition to the one-on-one interviews, observations of the Academic Achievement Team meetings and review of documents from each of the two study schools were examined to gain additional perspective regarding how the Academic Achievement Team operated to increase student achievement.  The interviews, observations, and document reviews were analyzed using the Constant Comparative Method to understand the specific practices employed by Academic Achievement Teams that increased student achievement at two elementary schools (Maykut & Morehouse, 1994). / Ed. D.