Secondary Educational Leadership: A Study of Three High Schools

OBJECTIVE
To discover how secondary school principals exert leadership in their particular school settings.

METHODOLOGY
The sample populations came from three midwestern (Nebraska), suburban, large, comprehensive, public high schools. The principals (one male and two females) completed the LPI-Self and 25 percent of their teaching staff were randomly selected to complete the LPI-Observer (N=52). Each principal was interviewed, as were 25 percent of those teachers who completed the LPI-Observer (N=15).

KEY FINDINGS
There were significant differences between the teachers' perceptions of the leadership practices of their principals across the three schools (substantiated by interviewing teachers within each school). The author concludes:

1. "Five leadership practices identified in the Leadership Practices Inventory were found to be significant in the establishment and maintenance of a successful relationship between the principal and the faculty.
2. The more frequently principals were perceived to do the practices identified in the Leadership Practices Inventory, the more likely they were perceived to be an effective leader.
3. The higher a principal's scores on the Leadership Practices Inventory, the higher the degree of professional credibility the principal had among the staff.
4. The higher a principal's scores on the Leadership Practices Inventory, the greater the degree of commitment was among the faculty. Staff members were generally more satisfied with the strategies employed by the principal" (iv).