The purpose of this study was to identify leadership characteristics of highperforming
Texas high school principals that positively affect student performance. A
secondary purpose of the study was to determine the degree of agreement between
conceptualizations of leadership presented in existing research and those of successful
practitioners. A Delphi panel of sixteen high school principals participated in the study.
Over the course of three rounds, the members of the expert panel provided
feedback to both the researcher and other members of the panel as to which leadership
characteristics they felt were of critical importance to student success. The
characteristics presented in the questionnaire were based upon a sound theoretical
framework resulting from a thorough review of existing research. At the completion of
Round Three, it was decided that consensus had been reached among the members of the
panel and the data collection period was ended. Each of the questionnaires used in the
study, as well as the relevant statistical analysis and frequency distributions, can be
found in the appendices of this document. The major findings of the study affirm the importance of leadership and its
positive impact on student achievement. First, there seems to be agreement between the
body of research on leadership and the viewpoint of successful practitioners as to which
leadership characteristics are essential for student success. Second, vision for goal
achievement, response to diversity, and ethical practice head the list of critical leadership
attributes for high school principals. Third, leadership characteristics presented in the
literature base are, at least in the opinion of the high-performing high school principals
involved in this study, comprehensive and are not missing any major components for
student success.
The conclusions and recommendations of this study could affect the performance
of high school principalsâ leadership in school improvement. Its major significance can
be found in its potential effect on the daily practice of individuals currently serving as
school leaders, the professional growth plans of practicing administrators, and the
components and focus of principal preparation programs.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:tamu.edu/oai:repository.tamu.edu:1969.1/5752 |
| Date | 17 September 2007 |
| Creators | Young, David Earle |
| Contributors | Hoyle, John |
| Publisher | Texas A&M University |
| Source Sets | Texas A and M University |
| Language | en_US |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Book, Thesis, Electronic Dissertation, text |
| Format | 742126 bytes, electronic, application/pdf, born digital |
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