Leadership Practices of Principals and Their Affect on Students

OBJECTIVE
The purpose of this study was to assess how the leadership behaviors of principals might impact students’ outcomes in the areas of attendance and graduation rates.

METHODOLOGY
Principals of Arkansas high schools (N = 91) comprised the population for this study, of which 28 completed the Leadership Practices Inventory (23% response rate). Students’ graduate and attendance rates were measured by the School Performance Data report found on the National Office for Research, Measurement and Evaluation System website (2004).

KEY FINDINGS
The highest score on the five leadership practices was selected as the principal’s leadership preference and these were in turn compared to the graduation and attendance rates of students at their high schools. No statistically significant results were found.