An analysis of administrative leadership needs reported in Indiana school improvement plans for performance-based accreditation
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to determine the influence of school administrative leadership needs, as reported by 965 Indiana school improvement committees during the Performance Based Accreditation process, upon school level achievement in language arts and mathematics. Using multivariate statistical analysis, this influence was analyzed within the following context: leadership needs, socioeconomic status and school type as single factors, then the effect of the interaction of leadership needs with socioeconomic status and/or school type. The second phase of the study was the analysis of these same variables after accounting for the effects of school level socioeconomic status/cognitive ability (SES/CA). The dependent variable in both phases of the study was first, language arts achievement, then mathematics achievement. This study determined that school administrative leadership needs do not directly influence student achievement in either language arts nor mathematics to any great extent. Those factors which did appear significant were influenced by contextual variables such as socioeconomic status and school type. The variable with the strongest influence upon both mathematics and language arts achievement was the socioeconomic status of the school. No other variable in this study had such a profound effect. After accounting for SES/CA, leadership needs did appear to be more prominent, but not as influential as the socioeconomic status of the school. The major conclusion of this study was school leadership is not a singular factor which strongly influences school level achievement, but must be considered within the context of the school environment.
Degree
Ph.D.
Advisors
Kline, Purdue University.
Subject Area
School administration
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