Secondary Education Principals/Superintendents
OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to examine the leadership of Texas elementary school principals in five schools which showed improvement on the 1998 Texas Education Assessment of Minimum Skills (TEAMS).
METHODOLOGY The study consisted of five ethnographic studies describing the leadership characteristics of Texas elementary school principals. The schools had received recognition as exemplary bases upon the 1998 Texas Education Assessment of Minimum Skills. Visits were made to each school with both the principal and teachers. Both the Leadership Practices Inventory Self and Observer forms were completed, as well as an open ended school observation questionnaire
KEY FINDINGS The data suggest that leadership practices emphasized effective school environment, school-community partnerships for instructional purposes, and extensive involvement with the instructional process. There was an indication that the objectives of the TEAMS test became the basis of the curriculum and principals responded by developing programs which emphasized these objectives and rewarded students who were successful on the TEAMS test.
There was statistical support for the correlation of leadership activities measured by the LPI with increased student achievement.