Blazing New Trails - Connexions

136 CRITICAL ISSUES IN PROMOTING ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT
LITERATURE REVIEW
Based on the extant scholarship, we found a variety of leadership behaviors affect and
impact school performance in high-achieving schools (Halawah, 2005; Horng & Loeb, 2010;
Vecchio, Justin, & Pearce, 2008). From the literature, there emerged three themes that also
provide the conceptual framework for this discussion: (a) behaviors of effective school
principals, (b) principals as instructional leaders, and (c) behaviors and beliefs of effective
principals in low SES inner-city urban schools.
Effective Principal Leadership Behaviors
School performance is associated with school leadership, and principals directly
influence learning and academic achievement by engaging in certain instructionally focused
behaviors; their role in school effectiveness is important, and the effect and impact of their
leadership is significant (Egley & Jones, 2005; Gentilucci & Muto, 2007; Hallinger, Bickman,
& Davis, 1996; Lindahl, 2009; McGuigan & Hoy, 2006; Pounder, Ogawa, & Adams, 1995).
A principal’s actions, for example, the way a principal organizes and runs a school, can make
a difference in teachers’ confidence in the possibility of students’ academic success
(McGuigan & Hoy, 2006).
In effective schools literature, principals are central figures whose behaviors are
collaborative and respectful of each individual’s contributions (Egley & Jones), who provide
strong leadership (Gaziel, 1995; Leithwood, Jantzi, Silins, & Dart, 1992; Southworth, 1990),
and whose communication behaviors are an integral part of effective principal leadership
behavior (Egley & Jones; Gardiner & Enomoto, 2006; Heck, 1992; Mangin, 2007).
Leadership behavior is displayed in the principals’ interactions with both teachers and
students (Eglely & Jones, 2005; Mangin, 2007; Gentilucci, & Muto, 2007; Towns, Cole-
Henderson, & Serpell, 2001). Effective principals are great communicators within the school
(Mangin, 2007). They gain an understanding of their community and outside agencies as they
use their skills of communication to dialogue clearly and eloquently about their schools’
visions and plans with all stakeholders in a manner that will influence and mobilize them to
take action and make commitments (Gardiner & Enomoto, 2006; Heck. 1992).
Principals who show energy and stamina in their jobs provide teachers with the
example to model the same (Towns et al., 2001). Effective principals “communicate
expectations for high academic performance from students” (Egley & Jones, 2005, p. 18),
spend a significant amount of time in classrooms where they provide feedback to teachers
(Heck, 1992; Mangin, 2007), and interact with students on matters related to what they are
learning during classroom visits (Gentilucci & Muto, 2007).
Principal as an Instructional Leader
The role of the principal as instructional leader is a dominant and key theme in the
effective schools literature (Gardiner & Enomoto, 2006; Hallinger, Bickman, & Davis, 1996;
Heck, 1992; Marks & Printy, 2003). While strong leadership is needed to mobilize teachers to
work together to produce high-quality teaching and learning that result in strong school
performance (Marks & Printy. 2003), principals who exhibited both teacher and administrator
behaviors, compared with principals who only exhibited administrator behaviors, are
perceived to be more effective instructional leaders.