Principal transformational leadership and student academic outcomes

The purpose of this study was to precisely analyze the relationship between principal leadership and student achievement. Specifically, this study investigated whether or not different leadership styles led to different student academic outcomes. This study employed quantitative analysis to analyze the relationship between transformational leadership and student academic performance in reading and math state assessments in a large metropolitan area of South Texas. Furthermore, the researcher compared leadership styles with regard to the school size and grade levels that the principals serve. This researcher used quantitative methods design to collect quantitative survey data from teachers and principals to measure perceived leadership style. The study employed a comparison group analysis used to compare the leadership styles groups as a function of academically high-performing and low-performing schools. In the first phase of the study, the MLQ 5X survey data were collected from teachers and principals in two school districts located in the Rio Grande Valley region of Texas. All schools within the two districts were selected to participate if the school had the same principal for the last three school years. Hence, the study determined if the practices of transformational, transactional, or passive leadership were a corollary of student achievement on the 2022 accountability report. Data used to make these determinations were publicly available through the Texas Education Agency website through the school report card link. Findings showed that the transformational leadership of a leader, as measured from the perspective of teachers to be positively correlated and statistically significant to student reading outcomes on state exams. With this understanding, the research showed that all four pillars of transformational leadership positively correlated to student reading outcomes. Only idealized influence was considered statistically significant to student academic outcomes in reading. Findings also indicated that teachers perceived transformational leadership style was not influenced by the school grade level that a principal served. However, high school principals in this study were perceived to be the most transformational in all four pillars of transformational leadership. Contrasting with transformational leadership was the passive-avoidant leadership style perceived by teachers. The data showed that participants perceived elementary principals as the most passive-avoidant leaders. Findings indicated that as teacher-rated passive-avoidant leadership declines, a statistically significant increase in student academic outcomes for mathematics and reading occurs. Finally, implications for principal preparation programs, practicing principals, principal professional development, and principal supervisors are offered and research suggestions to expound on this study and transformational leadership theory appear in Chapter 5.