Effective Principal Leadership Behaviors and AYP Attainment: An Examination of Distinguished and Needs Improvement Middle Schools in Georgia

The purpose of this study was to examine effective principal leadership behaviors in relation to the AYP attainment of middle schools in Georgia. The relationship was examined through analyses of teachers' ratings of principals' leadership behaviors via an e-mailed instrument. The instrument contained 32 specific leadership behaviors linked to the 11 Marzano et al.'s leadership responsibilities with the highest correlation to student achievement. Three major research questions guided the inquiry of the study. First, the study investigated the presence of the leadership behaviors in distinguished and needs improvement middle schools in Georgia. Secondly, the study investigated whether there were differences between principal leadership behaviors in distinguished and needs improvement middle schools in Georgia. Lastly, the study investigated whether the 11 leadership behaviors were related to and predictive of AYP status in Georgia middle schools. Descriptive statistics indicated that the mean ratings of teachers in distinguished middle schools were higher than the mean ratings of teachers in needs improvement schools for 10 of the 11 leadership responsibilities. Results of t-Test analyses indicated that teachers in distinguished middle schools had statistically higher ratings than teachers in needs improvement middle for the leadership responsibilities: order, resources, input, and change agent. Multiple Regression analyses were employed and revealed that the leadership responsibility, order, was positively related to and predictive of AYP status. The leadership responsibilities, flexibility and culture, as well the school variables, the size of the school, percentage of students in the school with disabilities, and percentage of students in the school receiving free and reduced lunch were all negatively related to and predictive of AYP status.

Name thesis:degree_name

Doctor of Education in Education Administration (Ed.D.)

Level thesis:degree_level

Dissertation (open access)

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Department of Leadership, Technology, and Human Development

Year dc:date.available

2009

Author dc:creator

• Matthews, Christopher M.

Contributors dc:contributor

• Bryan Griffin
• Linda Arthur
• Greg Barfield

• ETD
• Principal leadership
• AYP
• Annual yearly progress
• Leadership behaviors
• Middle schools
• Georgia
• Middle school principals
• School management and organization
• Educational leadership
• Education
• Aims and objectives
• Academic achievement

Repository record dc:identifier

https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/etd/354

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu:etd-1354