Running head: QUALITIES OF INSTRUCTIONAL LEADERS Necessary Qualities of Instructional Leaders Based on the Perceptions of Superintendents, Administrators, and Teachers of High-Performing High Schools in Tennessee Jennifer Sallee, Chris Murray, and Yolanda Porter Lipscomb University Capstone Dissertation September 4, 2015
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Running head: QUALITIES OF INSTRUCTIONAL LEADERS
Necessary Qualities of Instructional Leaders Based on the Perceptions of Superintendents,
Administrators, and Teachers of High-Performing High Schools in Tennessee
Jennifer Sallee, Chris Murray, and Yolanda Porter
Lipscomb University
Capstone Dissertation
September 4, 2015
QUALITIES OF INSTRUCTIONAL LEADERS
ii
Approval Page
This Capstone Project, directed and approved by a Juried Review Committee, has been accepted
by the Doctor of Education Program of Lipscomb University’s College of Education in partial
fulfillment of the requirements for the degree.
Necessary Qualities of Instructional Leaders Based on the Perceptions of Superintendents,
Administrators, and Teachers of High-Performing High Schools in Tennessee
By
Jennifer Sallee
Chris Murray
Yolanda Porter
for the degree of
Doctor of Education (Ed.D.)
QUALITIES OF INSTRUCTIONAL LEADERS
iii
Acknowledgements
First and foremost, we would like to acknowledge our immediate families. Without their
love and support, we never would have made it this far. Their sacrifices have been significant,
and we will never forget what they have done for us. We would also like to thank the incredible
support network of our extended family, friends, and coworkers that cheered for us along the
way.
Next we would like to thank Wayne Miller and Barry Olhausen, the executive director
and assistant executive director for the Tennessee Organization of School Superintendents
(TOSS). These two gentlemen served as our partners through this process, and without their
guidance, flexibility, communication, and support, none of this would have been possible.
We would also like to thank the faculty and staff of Lipscomb University for their
mentorship and coaching. We would like to especially thank Dr. Keith Nikolaus, Dr. Trace
Hebert, and Dr. Roger Wiemers. These three professors instructed us in multiple courses
throughout the program while also serving as our review committee. All three provided
incredible advice and instruction that we will not soon forget.
Finally, we would like to express our gratitude to all the members of Ed.D. Cohort A at
Lipscomb University. Many things have happened over the course of our studies, both in and
out of the curriculum. Your kindness and friendship in times of struggle and in times of joy was
truly a blessing. It is truly an honor to have you all as colleagues, classmates, and friends.
QUALITIES OF INSTRUCTIONAL LEADERS
iv
Abstract
Studies have found that school level leaders have a significant impact on student achievement
through their work as instructional leaders, but defining instructional leadership is often
challenging, especially at the high-school level. The researchers, at the request of the Tennessee
Organization of School Superintendents (TOSS), sought to determine a definition of instructional
leadership and discover the necessary traits and behaviors of successful instructional leaders that
transcend school socioeconomic and geographic contexts. The purpose of this study was to aid
superintendents in identifying administrator candidates who will have a significant positive
impact on student achievement. This study examined the perceptions of teachers, administrators,
and superintendents from high-performing Tennessee high schools as measured by value-added
growth data. Through this study, the researchers determined the following definition of
instructional leadership:
Instructional leadership is focusing on the growth and development of teachers through
non-evaluative coaching and mentoring, while also providing resources; professional
development; financial, personal, and instructional support; and acquiring, analyzing, and
using data for the purposes of improving instruction.
The researchers also ascertained that the traits of effective instructional leaders as perceived by
teachers, administrators, and superintendents all trended into four categories: traits implying
efficiency of execution, traits implying a dedication to ethical and productive behavior, traits
implying a personal level of care and concern for faculty, and traits implying a level of
commitment to the work. For behaviors, the data trended into three categories: intellectual,
material, and emotional, with the intellectual behavior coaching and providing strategies
occurring most frequently.
QUALITIES OF INSTRUCTIONAL LEADERS
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Table of Contents
Abstract .......................................................................................................................................... iv
The researchers allowed the schools participating in the study to self-select their teacher
and administrator interview participants based on teacher effectiveness and administrator
willingness. Table 7 shows the number of interview participants by school context. There was a
disproportionate representation of suburban administrator participants.
QUALITIES OF INSTRUCTIONAL LEADERS 59
Table 7
Number of Interview Participants by School Context
School Context Teachers Administrators
Rural 3 1
Suburban 3 4
Urban 2 1
Data Collection Procedures
The research team began by meeting with the Tennessee Organization of School
Superintendents, or TOSS. TOSS agreed to help aid in the research by providing the researchers
with access to school superintendents in the state of Tennessee and encouraging those
superintendents to participate in the study if their participation was solicited. Before interacting
with participants, the researchers submitted their proposal to both TOSS and to the Lipscomb
University IRB for approval. Once their research proposal was approved, they began collecting
data. The researchers first chose a purposive sample of high-performing high schools in the state
of Tennessee based on a combination of student growth data, geographic location, and
socioeconomic status. For each high school chosen, the researchers first obtained permission to
collect data within the district from the superintendent for each district in which the selected high
schools reside. The researchers then distributed and received informed consent from individual
participants (Appendix A).
Surveys. The researchers surveyed superintendents, principals, assistant principals, and
teachers to elicit responses that would indicate the qualities of the school leaders (Appendices B-
QUALITIES OF INSTRUCTIONAL LEADERS 60
D). TOSS made initial contact with the superintendents on behalf of the researchers in order to
incentivize participation. The researchers then made direct contact with each superintendent to
obtain permission to collect data within the district and to solicit completion of the
superintendent questionnaire. Once permission had been obtained, the researchers contacted the
executive principal of each school to schedule a time to present the purpose of the research and
to encourage participation in the survey. Immediately following this presentation, the executive
principals gave the teachers and administrators time to respond to the questionnaires. When a
face-to-face meeting was not possible, executive principals sent a link to the online survey to
their teachers and administrators through email and encouraged them to participate.
Survey study data were collected and managed using Harris et al.’s (2009) REDCap
electronic data capture tools hosted at Lipscomb University. REDCap (Research Electronic Data
Capture) is a secure, web-based application designed to support data capture for research studies,
providing 1) an intuitive interface for validated data entry; 2) audit trails for tracking data
manipulation and export procedures; 3) automated export procedures for seamless data
downloads to common statistical packages; and 4) procedures for importing data from external
sources.
Interviews. Based on their survey responses, the researchers developed interview
questions to clarify and expand upon the data collected through the surveys. They then
interviewed individual school-level participants to gather more descriptive and specific data
concerning how instructional leaders have affected the school and to determine whether or not
there were measurable results. The researchers conducted interviews of teacher and administrator
participants to ask specific follow-up questions in order to gain a better understanding of
potential intervening elements that may have contributed to the success of individual teachers,
QUALITIES OF INSTRUCTIONAL LEADERS 61
principals, and their schools. The researchers interviewed teachers who were identified by their
administrators as being highly effective. The researchers interviewed administrators based on
their willingness to participate.
One or more of the researchers conducted each interview, and all interviews for each
school were conducted in one visit to that school on one day. At the beginning of each interview,
the researchers obtained signed consent from each participant for both participation in the study
and consent to have the interview recorded in a digital audio file. At the end of the interview,
each participant was given a Starbucks gift card in the amount of 10 dollars to thank them for
taking time out of their days to interview.
The researchers then used the audio recordings to transcribe the interviews for coding.
Once the interviews were transcribed, the researchers deleted the audio files so as to protect the
anonymity of the interview participants.
Instrumentation
The researchers developed their own questionnaires based on their conceptual framework
for measuring participants’ perceptions through surveys. The questionnaires included closed-
ended demographic questions and open-ended questions. The open-ended questions were
designed to elicit qualitative data concerning the ways in which school leaders have been
successful and how they have directly helped teachers to grow personally and professionally.
The research team submitted the instruments to the Juried Review Committee to receive
feedback and suggestions before pilot-testing the instruments.
Pilot Testing
The researchers pilot-tested all three instruments in two different school districts in
schools that were not selected to participate in the study. The researchers pilot-tested the teacher
QUALITIES OF INSTRUCTIONAL LEADERS 62
questionnaire (Appendix D) at a school that met the criteria of being a level 5 school for growth
for both the 2012-2013 and 2013-2014 school years. They pilot-tested the administrator
questionnaire (Appendix C) at this same school. Because this school was in the same district as
schools that would be used later for data collection, the researchers did not pilot-test the
superintendent questionnaire (Appendix B) with the superintendent over that school because the
superintendent would be asked to complete the questionnaire later on in data collection.
Consequently, they pilot-tested the superintendent questionnaire in another district in which no
schools would be included in the study.
The researchers followed their initial methodology, which included requesting permission
from the superintendent through an email sent by the TOSS director. Once permission to conduct
surveys within the district was obtained, they sent an email containing the administrator and
teacher questionnaire online survey links to the executive principal. The executive principal then
sent the links out to the appropriate faculty members. Thirteen teachers and two administrators
completed the questionnaires.
Feedback. Each questionnaire contained one extra open-ended question whereby
participants could provide feedback regarding the effectiveness of the questionnaire. Through
this solicited feedback, the teacher participants expressed that they felt the survey was an
effective survey. Two participants gave suggestions for the teacher survey. As a result of these
suggestions, the researchers added a prompt to question number 3 of the teacher questionnaire
(Appendix D) that afforded teachers the opportunity to clarify or expound on the adjectives they
provided.
Only one administrator participant made a suggestion, and it was to make the survey
anonymous. Although the survey was predicated on the idea that all of the administrators in the
QUALITIES OF INSTRUCTIONAL LEADERS 63
building are effective, the requirement of providing a name made the participant nervous. To
satisfy this concern, the researchers kept the name field but made providing a name optional
instead of required. The researchers did this so that they would still be able to link the responses
of administrators who do feel comfortable providing their names with teachers who had cited the
administrators by name in their own responses. The participants also received feedback from
administrator participants that the length of time needed to take the survey was reasonable, so
they did not remove any questions.
The superintendent participant made several suggestions to improve the effectiveness of
the questionnaire (Appendix B). The participant suggested that the researchers should provide
direction as to the length of the expected responses in order to give cues to the participant about
how detailed the responses should be. The participant also expressed that the length of the survey
and the level of detail requested were too onerous for superintendents. As a result, the
researchers added directions for participants to provide their responses in one to three brief
sentences. Additionally, the researchers eliminated questions based on the appropriateness and
relevance of the responses.
Responses. The researchers analyzed the responses provided by the participants of the
pilot study in order to determine whether or not the questions elicited an adequate range of
responses, that the questions were answered in the way in which the researchers had expected,
and to determine whether or not the researchers were able to interpret the responses within the
context of the question and the desired data that had necessitated the question’s existence. In the
teacher survey, all of the responses provided by participants were contextually appropriate and
unique to each question. No data were repeated in multiple questions within the same context.
QUALITIES OF INSTRUCTIONAL LEADERS 64
In the administrator survey (Appendix C), all of the responses provided by the
participants were contextually appropriate and provided the expected data. However, one
participant referenced a previous question in response to a latter question. When asked the
question what are the most important things you do to improve instruction, the participant noted
that the researchers should refer to how the participant had answered question 7, which was what
opportunities do you have in your current role to participate in instructional leadership
activities. The researchers had intended for the question about the most important things to be a
value question that would prompt the participant to make a value judgment and prioritize the
different tasks he or she considered to be essential to instructional leadership. However, because
it allowed more than one response, the participant did not see it as a different question from the
question about opportunities. As a result, the researchers changed the question to what is the
single most important thing you do to improve instruction so that the participants would know
that they are being asked to make a value judgment of the items provided in their answer to the
earlier question concerning the opportunities they have in their current role.
In the superintendent survey (Appendix B), some of the responses overlapped with
responses to earlier questions. Consequently, the researchers eliminated several redundant
questions.
Methodology. Because the pilot study did not yield a high participation rate, the
researchers chose to alter their method of conducting the survey study. For the pilot study, the
researchers made contact with all parties through email. There was no face-to-face
communication between the researchers and the superintendents, administrators, or teachers.
With electronic communication, there is a hope that participants are reading all of the
explanatory materials and directions, but there is no guarantee. Consequently, the researchers
QUALITIES OF INSTRUCTIONAL LEADERS 65
modified their data collection procedures to include a face-to-face explanation of the research
during an already existing mandatory meeting held at each individual school, such as an after-
school faculty meeting. The researchers resolved to have TOSS make initial contact with the
superintendent to explain who the researchers were and why they were conducting research and
to let each superintendent know that the researchers would be contacting him or her directly.
Once TOSS had received affirmation from the superintendent, the researchers would then
contact the superintendent directly to schedule data collection with the superintendent and to ask
permission to collect data in the school or schools under the superintendent’s jurisdiction. Once
permission was received, the researchers would contact the executive principal directly and
schedule a time to explain the study to participants and to solicit responses.
Data Analysis
Each member of the research team analyzed each data set independently. Once each
member had completed his or her analysis of a data set, they were shared, compared, combined,
and refined. Once this process had been accomplished for each data set, the final analyses were
compared and contrasted in order to triangulate the conclusions across researchers. In order to
triangulate the findings across data collection methods, the researchers analyzed the data
collected from each individual method separately and then compared and contrasted the data to
combine and refine their results.
Questionnaire analysis. All responses to the questionnaire were auto-populated into a
spreadsheet accessible by each researcher. Responses were coded and categorized to construct
themes. This initial analysis was done three times, once by each researcher, and the results were
shared with the research team. This initial round of coding and categorizing was further
QUALITIES OF INSTRUCTIONAL LEADERS 66
analyzed and discussed by the research team, which led to the first identified set of desirable
qualities.
Interview analysis. All interviews were first transcribed. The researchers for each
interview as well as for the questionnaires followed the same analysis protocol: independent
analysis, group analysis, refinement, and construction of perceptions. In the analysis process, the
interview transcripts were coded and categorized first by interview question and then the codes
and categories of each individual question were grouped together by which research question the
data answer. Once each interview had been through the process they were further analyzed by
comparing the sets of perceptions to each other and a shared set of perceptions was constructed
from the interview data.
Cumulative analysis – school context level. Once thematic saturation was reached with
each data set (survey and interview), the survey data were grouped by the individual school
context being studied. The researchers compared and contrasted the results of the three
corresponding levels of surveys—teacher, administrator, and superintendent—and the results of
any interviews conducted with faculty members of an individual school from that context. The
results were then combined and refined to reveal the qualities that had contributed to or impeded
success within that individual school.
Cumulative analysis – all school contexts. Once triangulation of data had occurred
within each school setting and theoretical saturation was reached, the combined and refined
survey and interview data were compared and contrasted with the combined and refined results
from the other two school contexts to be combined and refined to reveal the necessary qualities
of effective instructional leaders that transcend individual school contexts.
QUALITIES OF INSTRUCTIONAL LEADERS 67
Disposition of the Data
The researchers kept the research results, which were all digital, in password-protected
files where only the researchers and their advisor had access to the records while they worked on
the research. They finished analyzing the data on July 1, 2015. The researchers then destroyed all
original reports and identifying information that could potentially be linked back to participants.
All audio records have been secured under lock by one of the researchers. They will have been
erased or destroyed upon successful completion of this research. The tentative completion date is
December 2015.
QUALITIES OF INSTRUCTIONAL LEADERS 68
Findings
Introduction
Organizational structure of the findings. Several themes emerged throughout the
responses to the questionnaires and during the interviews and, unless specified, the reported
themes were present in the data collected from all three contexts: urban, suburban, and rural.
Because the responses were derived from the perceptions of participants in different roles
(teachers, administrators, and superintendents), the researchers further delineated the responses
by the participant’s role. The themes were organized first by their contextual relevance to the
research questions and then categorized by whether or not they can be considered a trait—both
heritable and developed—or be considered a behavior in which an instructional leader regularly
engages. Within these categories the traits and behaviors were grouped by common themes,
which had emerged through the data analysis process.
Definition of Instructional Leadership (Research Question 1)
In the first research question, the researchers sought to determine a cohesive definition of
instructional leadership as perceived by high-school teachers and administrators and
superintendents in the state of Tennessee. The themes emerged from the participants’ responses
to a direct question asking them how they define instructional leadership (Appendices B, C, &
D). The researchers then narrowed the lists of themes by which of them were present in the
responses of participants from all three school contexts.
How teachers define instructional leadership. When asked to define instructional
leadership, teachers gave a variety of responses. Several respondents gave overarching
definitions, which defined instructional leadership in terms of outcomes such as one respondent
QUALITIES OF INSTRUCTIONAL LEADERS 69
who wrote, “Instructional leadership is a critical aspect of school leadership. The work of
instructional leaders is to ensure that every student receives the highest quality instruction each
day.” While a definition such as this would serve to give clarity of purpose to instructional
leaders, it does not have practical value in identifying what instructional leaders actually do in
order to achieve those outcomes. Fortunately, a majority of teachers supplied responses in terms
of behaviors in which administrators engage that teachers feel demonstrate instructional
leadership. Although teachers supplied many more behaviors, 13 behaviors were present in the
responses of teachers from all three school contexts: coaching, modeling, providing support,
providing resources, analyzing and using data, providing collaboration time, influencing school
culture, maintaining student discipline, setting high expectations, being actively involved,
monitoring student progress, motivating the faculty, and providing professional development
opportunities. Five of those 13 behaviors occurred with high frequency: coaching, modeling,
providing support, providing resources, and analyzing and using data.
Coaching. The teacher respondents expect instructional leaders to coach them in their
teaching. Coaching was present in the responses with the highest frequency either directly using
the term coaching or by citing major components together. The researchers identified three major
components of coaching by recognizing patterns of cited knowledge, skills, and behaviors which
were presented as interdependent: knowledge of strategies and best practices, observation of
teachers teaching, and a provision of feedback following those observations.
Teachers expect instructional leaders to be knowledgeable of teaching and classroom
management strategies that are considered to be best practices and when and how to incorporate
those best practices into the classroom. When asked to define instructional leadership, one
respondent wrote, “Instructional leadership is described as being able to teach teachers how to
QUALITIES OF INSTRUCTIONAL LEADERS 70
improve their craft by giving them a variety of strategies to use in the classroom.” In a similar
response, a respondent stated, “Instructional leadership is a person in charge of developing
teachers and providing them with all the tools necessary to adapt and improve teaching
techniques and strategies.” Another respondent emphasized the need for instructional leaders to
be able to transfer their knowledge of best practices to different classroom circumstances and
student demographics:
I define instructional leadership as assistance dealing with instruction, any aspect therein,
from classroom management to how best practices can be incorporated in the classroom.
Most important would be the ability to know how to take the ‘good ideas’ we find from
most practices and apply them to students we serve where we serve them, as most ‘good
ideas’ are presented in an ideal classroom.
This response acknowledges that knowledge of best practices is only sufficient if that knowledge
is accompanied by the understanding that strategies do not come with a one-size-fits-all
implementation model.
In order for instructional leaders to coach teachers toward perfecting their craft, those
leaders must observe teachers and provide feedback. The following response draws attention to
the skills needed in order to coach teachers through observation and feedback: “Instructional
leadership is the process of observing, analyzing, equipping, and directing teachers to achieve the
highest attainable levels of learning for each student.” One respondent emphasized the
importance of feedback being non-threatening and given with the express purpose of helping the
teacher improve his or her craft: “A principal should offer suggestions without condemning the
teacher. They should help the teacher grow and progress.”
QUALITIES OF INSTRUCTIONAL LEADERS 71
Several responses demonstrate the interdependence of the three behaviors that make up
coaching. In one such response, the teacher said, “To me, instructional leadership means that my
administrators can provide feedback to help improve my teaching practices. They should be able
to watch me teach and give me suggestions to improve.” In essence, teachers feel that
instructional leaders must have the willingness to observe and the knowledge of best practices in
order to provide feedback that will help teachers improve.
Modeling. After coaching, modeling was the second most frequently occurring definition
of instructional leadership. While many respondents gave short, succinct responses indicating the
importance that instructional leaders should “lead by example” or “be a guide and a model for
effective teaching,” others were very specific in exactly the kind of modeling they believe pays
dividends in teacher and student success:
Leadership is modeling. Leaders model the behavior they want. They model the type of
teaching they are looking for in faculty meetings. They model the way they want the
teachers to interact with the students in the way they interact with their teachers. They
treat their teachers like they want their teachers to treat the students-- with respect,
understanding, patience, ebb and flow, constructive criticism, high expectations but room
for error, confidence, and gratefulness. They stay at the school working until the job is
done. Just their presence at the school speaks volumes of the expectations for each
employee.
Included in these responses is the view of modeling as the way of setting high
expectations through demonstration of a willingness on the part of the leader to put in as much or
more work. Another respondent overtly stated exactly that:
QUALITIES OF INSTRUCTIONAL LEADERS 72
I believe that with any leader, they should lead from the front. Effective leaders are
willing to do any task they ask of their staff. They are willing to work long and hard on
new initiatives and commit to being visible after hours when their staff is working. An
effective leader models what they expect and sets a high standard that others want to
emulate.
Essentially, teachers expect that instructional leaders will model principles of good
teaching, appropriate ways of interacting with subordinates, and the level of commitment
necessary to have the greatest positive impact on student growth and achievement.
In addition to modeling expectations, several teachers expressed an interest in seeing
leaders model teaching strategies in the classroom. One teacher said, “They need to be able to
demonstrate what the strategies should look like in the classroom.” Another teacher requested
similar practices with an expression of genuine interest: “Instructional leadership could be
incorporated in modeling effective practices. I would love to have the chance to watch effective
leaders in a classroom.” Teachers feel that a component of instructional leadership is the ability
to model effective teaching practices not only in faculty meetings and other adult learning
situations but also in the actual high school classroom.
Support. Teachers want to feel supported, but they define support differently. Some use
the term support as an all-inclusive term, referring to any kind of support that meets the needs of
the teachers so that the teachers can be their best. One teacher described instructional leadership
as “administrative support in curriculum planning, instruction, and assessment through
professional development and coaching.” Other teachers also cited professional development as a
significant aspect of instructional leadership support. One such teacher said, “Instructional
leadership is defined as positive practices that support a teacher during daily classroom
QUALITIES OF INSTRUCTIONAL LEADERS 73
instruction. This leadership can contain many different facets. One of these is support through
meaningful professional development opportunities.”
Other teachers referred to material support in addition to support for teachers’
professional growth. One teacher defined instructional leadership as a “principal who is
concerned about his/her teachers and provides ways for the teacher to improve in his/her
discipline with support and materials.” Another teacher expressed the importance of material
support very straightforwardly: “Financial support is very important, as well as the support for
scheduling appropriately.”
Another common theme appeared throughout the responses of those teachers who
referenced support when defining instructional leadership; instructional leaders should serve in a
supporting role to teachers, using their knowledge and expertise to help guide teachers when they
need it. One teacher said, “Instructional leadership is when an individual of influence has an
intimate knowledge of what it takes to teach students in an ever changing world and supports the
teachers to meet his or her needs as well as the needs of the students.” Another teacher said,
“Support in every way is the definition of instructional leadership. In order to support there must
also be an understanding of the subject matter being taught.” Teachers want instructional leaders
to be knowledgeable so that when teachers have a problem, they may seek out advice and
guidance from the leaders.
Due to this desire for leaders to be a supplemental, supporting resource, they develop a
hands-off, reactive mentality rather than one where they proactively involve themselves. Some
teachers subtly referred to this backseat role, such as one teacher who defined instructional
leadership as “providing guidance to those who need it and being there for all teachers whether
they are in their first year or 30th year.” Other teachers also referenced this guiding role by
QUALITIES OF INSTRUCTIONAL LEADERS 74
defining instructional leadership as support that includes guidance and encouragement. Those
who expressly stated the need for a backseat, supportive role did so while emphasizing the
expertise of the teacher and need for the teacher’s autonomy as a content-area specialist to be
respected. One such respondent said instructional leadership “protects and supports teaching and
learning in the classroom. It leans on the professionalism of the teacher and embraces her
creativity and growth.” Another teacher emphasized the need for instructional leaders to take a
hands-off approach:
I think the most important thing for the leader is to be there when you need them but not
to be constantly micromanaging everything you do and to understand every teacher has
their own approach to making sure the content is taught, but then when you need them,
they are there and have your back.
Many teachers do not want instructional leaders constantly telling them how to do their job, but
they do want to know that if they have questions and need support those instructional leaders will
be able to help them do what needs to be done.
Resources. Another frequently occurring theme that emerged within the teachers’
definitions of instructional leadership is the need for instructional leaders to be good at procuring
necessary resources. One teacher said that an important component of instructional leadership is
“making sure resources are available to teachers to enhance their teaching potential.” Another
clearly stated that instructional leadership “is putting resources in your hand that will help with
classroom management, instructional strategies, or content.” Teachers want instructional leaders
who will provide them with the resources they need to be successful, regardless of whether those
resources are physical resources or intellectual resources.
QUALITIES OF INSTRUCTIONAL LEADERS 75
Data analysis and use. Teachers want instructional leaders to know how to access,
interpret, and use data to drive student achievement and growth. One respondent said, “An admin
who exhibits instructional leadership is able to use factual data to recognize academic strengths
and needs within a population.” Another respondent emphasized the need for continued data use
to drive instruction: “An instructional leader shares pertinent data to teachers that allows us to
streamline instruction. He/she supports and works right along with us to improve student
learning.” Teachers want instructional leaders to be able to use data in a practical way that will
help support teachers in their efforts to increase student achievement.
How administrators define instructional leadership. Like the teacher respondents,
administrators also provided a variety of responses. Two of those responses transcended school
context to appear in responses from participants from rural, suburban, and urban high schools:
coaching and modeling.
Coaching. Administrators also defined instructional leadership in terms of a leader’s
ability to coach teachers for improved effectiveness. Administrators believe that instructional
leaders must have the ability to know and recognize good instructional strategies and best
practices and be able to help teachers to implement those strategies effectively. One
administrator said:
Instructional leadership is being able to talk a teacher through the planning phase of any
lesson so that all of the facets of the lesson will build together to produce learning from
all students. Being able to give examples of options for areas in which the teacher may be
struggling is imperative.
Another administrator emphasized the importance of both observation and feedback:
“Instructional leaders are those who can observe a classroom setting and provide action steps or
QUALITIES OF INSTRUCTIONAL LEADERS 76
new strategies to coach or motivate the teacher to a higher level of performance or connectivity
to their students.” One administrator demonstrated a need for instructional leaders to provide
targeted feedback by defining instructional leadership as “holding conversations with staff about
instruction and ways to improve it that is very specific in its actions.” Like teachers,
administrators agree that instructional leaders use their expertise to coach teachers through
observation and feedback.
Modeling. Administrators also defined instructional leadership as modeling. Like
teachers, they included “modeling effective instruction in interactions with others,” as well as
“being able to know and demonstrate the most effective strategies of teaching lesson.”
Administrators also noted that this modeling occurs before both faculty and students by defining
instructional leadership as “modeling positive instruction in all we do, whether it be during a
faculty meeting or in a classroom modeling strategies that are effective for learning.”
How superintendents define instructional leadership. All of the superintendents who
were surveyed defined instructional leadership in slightly different terms, but they all
emphasized the importance that the leader’s primary focus is on teaching and learning. One
superintendent described an instructional leader as one who has a “laser-like focus on student
performance” and has “a range of skills and attributes growing students and teachers.” Another
superintendent wholly defined an instructional leader as one whose “primary focus is teaching
and learning.” The third superintendent said that an instructional leader has “to be able to provide
support for every teacher in the building so they can grow and get better.” Although these
definitions do not indicate specific daily behaviors of instructional leaders, they do define an
instructional leader by his or her attitude and values, specifically a desire to improve teacher
instruction throughout the building.
QUALITIES OF INSTRUCTIONAL LEADERS 77
Confluence of definitions of instructional leadership among teachers, principals, and
superintendents. Because there are so many more teachers in a school than there are principals
and superintendents, the number of teacher responses far exceeds the number of responses
generated by principals and superintendents in a case study design. As a result, the teachers
generated more transcendent themes than both the administrators and superintendents, and the
administrators generated more transcendent themes than the superintendents. Figure 1 shows the
incidence of every transcendent theme across all participant roles: teacher, administrator, and
superintendent.
Figure 1
Themes Teachers Administrators Superintendents Coaching � � Modeling � � Providing Support � Providing Resources � Analyzing and Using Data � Providing Collaboration Time � Influencing School Culture � Maintaining Student Discipline � Setting High Expectations � Being Actively Involved � Monitoring Student Progress � Motivating the Faculty � Providing PD � Focusing on Teaching & Learning � Figure 1. Presence of themes within the teacher, administrator, and superintendent participants’ responses to how they define instructional leadership
QUALITIES OF INSTRUCTIONAL LEADERS 78
Traits Exhibited by Effective Instructional Leaders (Research Question 2)
Teachers’ perception of the traits exhibited by their administrators. The six schools
included in the case study produced 200 teacher responses. Those teachers were asked to think of
the administrator in their building who best exemplified their definition of an instructional leader
and provide three adjectives to describe that individual. The respondents generated 70 different
traits across the six schools. Of those 70 traits, 24 were present in data from respondents from all
three school contexts: supportive, dedicated/driven, knowledgeable, caring,
Organized � � Knowledgeable � Good communicator � Figure 2. The confluence of transcendent traits among the responses from teachers, administrators, and superintendents.
QUALITIES OF INSTRUCTIONAL LEADERS 82
Behaviors Exhibited by Effective Instructional Leaders (Research Question 2)
Introduction to teacher perception of administrator behaviors. The researchers
identified which behaviors teachers perceive to be the most effective for instructional leadership
through questions 3 through 6 on the teacher questionnaire (Appendix D). Teachers were asked
to identify the roles of assistant principals and executive principals in instructional leadership,
explain how administrators help them to improve their instruction, and provide a specific
example of a time when an administrator demonstrated instructional leadership that helped them
to improve their instruction. The 200 respondents generated 45 different instructional leadership
behaviors. Of those 45 behaviors, 17 behaviors appeared in the responses of teachers from all
three school contexts.
The researchers then further categorized the behaviors as intellectual, material, or
emotional. Intellectual behaviors are behaviors in which administrators may effectively engage
because they possess task-specific knowledge or intellectual skills and abilities; intellectual
behaviors, therefore, provide teachers with knowledge or help them to acquire skills. Material
behaviors are behaviors that provide teachers with something that is tangible and measurable.
Emotional behaviors are those that affect teacher morale or influence their feeling about the work
that they do or the school in which they do it. The researchers then grouped these behaviors by
whether or not the teachers indicated they were behaviors in which all administrators engaged, in
which assistant principals primarily engaged, or in which executive principals primarily engaged.
Teacher perception of behaviors of all administrators. While all 17 of the behaviors
teachers perceived to be associated with instructional leadership were attributed to
administrators, eight of those behaviors appeared in responses describing the behaviors of both
assistant principals and executive principals with similar frequency or a higher number of
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instances attributed to assistant principals: conduct classroom observations and provide feedback
(coaching), give advice/provide strategies, analyze data, provide material support, provide
emotional support, provide collaboration time, lead professional development or provide access
to it, and provide resources. Four behaviors were attributed to both assistant and executive
principals but were attributed to executive principals with a significantly higher frequency: is
open/available, influences culture, encourages, and sets high expectations. Two behaviors were
only attributed to assistant principals: discipline and possesses knowledge of curriculum and
instruction. Three behaviors were attributed only to executive principals: innovates, listens, and
recognizes.
Intellectual behaviors. The teacher responses yielded three intellectual behaviors in
which all instructional leaders engage, regardless of their specific role: conduct frequent
observations and provide feedback (coaching), give advice/provide strategies, and analyze data.
Conducting observations and providing feedback (coaching). Providing feedback was the
highest occurring response with 181 instances throughout responses to the four questions used to
measure behavior. Twice as many respondents attributed providing feedback to assistant
principals as to executive principals, but it was still the second-highest behavior attributed
specifically to executive principals, second only to setting high expectations. Although most
respondents only provided non-descriptive responses such as “provide me with feedback,”
several respondents went into great detail about the frequency of the feedback and the
circumstances surrounding the observations generating that feedback.
All of the respondents who went into detail concerning those circumstances emphasized
the importance that the feedback be non-threatening. One teacher said:
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I would get daily emails from my AP letting me know what she saw that day in my class
that demonstrated best practice, so when she needed to discuss something I need to
improve upon, I was completely receptive and open-minded and willing to do what it
took to improve.
Two other teacher respondents juxtaposed summative evaluative feedback with the frequent
feedback they have found to be so helpful. One respondent explained the similarities and
differences:
I feel, for the first time, that the evaluation process is used as a tool for self-improvement
instead of a punitive tool. I am being evaluated every day by my AP and I get daily
feedback of what I am doing well and what I can improve upon. The evaluation then is
just the summative evaluation among many throughout the year.
The other respondent differentiated between the informality of the frequent feedback in
comparison to the formal, evaluative nature of the state of Tennessee’s TEAM evaluation
system:
They provide feedback on what is working well and what isn’t working well. They don’t
rely 100% on TEAM evaluations but actually spend additional time in the classroom
giving us feedback we can work with, not just a number score.
These responses indicate that teachers do not only want feedback; they want feedback that is
frequent, timely, and non-evaluative.
In order for instructional leaders to provide feedback, they must observe teachers
teaching. Consequently, teachers also noted the frequency of observations alongside and in
addition to noting the frequency of feedback. Because feedback implies observations occurred,
teachers only expressly mentioned observations a total of 42 times across the responses. In these
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responses, teachers either stressed the frequency of the observations or the value of the resulting
feedback. Some teachers only mentioned the frequency, such as one respondent who simply
stated, “[Assistant principals] are frequently in the classroom.” Others mentioned both the
frequency and the accompanying feedback: “My AP is in my classroom a minimum of once a
week and provides ideas on how to engage students more” and “My immediate AP shows up in
my class at least twice a week. She pays attention to what’s going on and will later make
suggestions on what I could try to make certain aspects of my lesson work better.”
One respondent even gave details concerning the intentionality behind the frequent
observations and accompanying feedback:
The administrators started a coaching initiative where they visit the classrooms at least
once a week. They observe teaching and then give us feedback. They never come in the
same class period, so they can see how we’re doing. Each week, I get an email saying
what she observed as a reminder. But normally, we talk about it before she sends the
reminder email. The coaching has been super helpful to me!”
Teachers appreciate administrators who are willing to coach them through frequent observations
and specific feedback.
Give advice/provide strategies. Giving advice/providing strategies was mentioned 162
times by the teacher respondents on the questionnaire. It was the second most frequently
occurring instructional leadership behavior, and it too was attributed more to assistant principals
than to the executive principal. Of those 162 instances, providing strategies was mentioned 32
times in response to the question of how administrators help teachers improve their instruction
and was mentioned 70 times when teachers were asked to cite a specific example of a time when
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an administrator helped them to improve their instruction, which was the most frequently
occurring response to that particular question.
Teachers mentioned advice and strategies in several different ways. Some teachers
expressed appreciation for how administrators will provide general strategies to whole faculty:
“The leaders provide new strategies in writing, during workshops and monthly meetings, where I
have the opportunity to pick and choose what I would like to implement and try during lessons.”
Others attributed their improvement in instruction to specific strategies given to them in response
to observations and feedback: “After an observation, I was given examples of how to hold
students individually responsible while doing a group project.” Still others expressed an
appreciation for the willingness to take time to give specific, targeted advice and strategies:
I have one block of students that have a very hard time following directions and being
respectful. My other classes do not have these issues. I had each of the principals come in
on different days with different activities planned to sit back and watch my classroom.
They then offered suggestions to help me. I have implemented many of them to success,
and others to trial and error. But their willingness to use their time to just sit and take
notes to help me was very amazing.
Teachers appreciate it when instructional leaders provide them with strategies in both the general
setting and as solutions to individual needs.
Analyze data. Respondents indicated that providing them with data and/or helping them
to analyze and use data is a role that both assistant principals and executive principals play in
instructional leadership. Data was mentioned 27 times in response to the questions concerning
administrative roles in instructional leadership. Most respondents responded with only one- or
two-word responses such as providing only the word data or a phrase such as data analysis.
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However, one teacher detailed how an administrator’s understanding of and willingness to
explain data impacted that teacher in the classroom: “The assistant principal helped me to use
testing data to discover my students’ strengths and weaknesses. They also helped me to better
understand how to do ongoing assessment for a performance-based class.”
Another teacher brought up how administrators used data with the students and helped
them to improve: “We did data talks where they would take the students with their Algebra
scores and the English scores and talk to them. Those talks helped a lot of kids.”
When interviewed, teacher participants from one school in particular explained how their
administrators use data to determine whether or not their students are making sustained growth.
Students who are not making sustained growth are then provided after-school tutoring and extra
help to get them back on track.
Although data were used differently among different schools included in the study, it was
a common theme among responses from schools in all three school contexts.
Material behaviors. The responses yielded four material behaviors in which all
administrators engaged, regardless of their particular role as either an assistant principal or an
executive principal: provide collaboration time, lead or provide access to professional
development, provide resources, and provide support.
Provide collaboration time. Teachers find great benefit in collaborating with other
teachers and appreciate it when administrators designate time for this collaboration to occur.
Collaboration was mentioned 31 times, and in these responses the teacher respondents mentioned
several different methods of collaboration as being personally helpful to them in their teaching.
Some teachers mentioned that their administrators had provided them with time during the
school day to collaborate with other teachers in the building: “The administrators have scheduled
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in collaboration time during the school day two times each month. This has allowed me to plan
with and gather ideas from my colleagues, which has enhanced my instruction greatly.” Another
teacher explained that an administrator gave him or her “time off to observe other teachers to
learn from their teaching strategies, best practices, and classroom instruction methods.”
Responses from other teachers showed that some administrators have used collaboration
time to help provide teachers with content-area support. One respondent shared, “He has assisted
me with giving teachers a time to collaborate within their own curriculum areas.” Teachers also
appreciated assistance with collaboration even when the content-area support was not necessarily
built into the school day: “The principals have purposely put me in contact with other teachers in
my subject area (via collaborative planning, classroom placement, etc.) to provide support.”
Teachers also indicated that their administrators have extended collaboration beyond the
walls of the school building. One teacher explained such an initiative:
Most recently they have provided opportunities for us to expand our knowledge by
visiting other classrooms within our school and throughout the district. This collaboration
has been so important to me and has guided me to make a few changes to improve my
teaching and classroom management.
Some administrators have extended collaboration even beyond the boundaries of the district: “He
is flexible to allow teachers to spend time away from their building-level duties to collaborate
with other teachers in other districts.” From observing other teachers to common planning,
teachers feel that collaboration has a positive impact on their teaching, and they want
administrators to provide them with time and access to such collaboration.
Lead or provide access to professional development. Professional development was
mentioned 42 times in reference to ways in which administrators help teachers improve their
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instruction. Teachers who cited professional development did so in two contexts: administrators
leading professional development and administrators providing access to professional
development. In one such example of administrators leading professional development, a teacher
respondent said administrators serve as instructional leaders by “leading professional
development and as a one-on-one mentor when needed.” Another teacher said:
One of the assistant principals made a presentation on questioning during a faculty
meeting. After the meeting, she emailed multiple resources that further explained her
presentation and provided multiple examples of good questioning. It was helpful to see so
many different types of good questioning.
In addition to leading professional development, or PD, they also seek out and send
teachers to professional development sessions, demonstrated by one teacher who, in response to
an interview question asking how the administrators have contributed her success, explained that
the principal “looks for opportunities for us to go to professional development,” then she added,
“I think they always want us to be prepared, and they keep an eye out for up and coming, and
they send us emails letting us know about it that say ‘here’s a session if you’re interested.’”
Teachers feel that it benefits them when administrators take the time to make themselves aware
of professional development opportunities, make the teachers aware of those opportunities, and
provide teachers with the time and classroom coverage needed for them to be able to attend.
Provide resources. Teachers feel that a significant component to instructional leadership
involves procuring resources. With 69 appearances, the provision of resources was the third most
frequently occurring response to questions 3-6 on the questionnaire (Appendix D). Teachers
appreciate it when administrators will do everything in their power to find resources or the
money to purchase resources the teachers feel they need. One teacher said of the administrators
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at his school, “They’re very good resourcers; if you need a resource, or if you feel you need
resources, they’re very good about it, and if it’s possible, they’ll help you get that resource.”
Another teacher expressed a similar sentiment: “No one has ever told me no if I needed
something, so if I say, ‘I need some books,’ they just say, ‘OK, let’s see what we can do to make
it happen.’” One teacher responded that his or her executive principal “has made sure that
teachers are provided with the necessary resources in the classroom.”
Some respondents indicated that those necessary resources are not always materials;
sometimes they are human resources for when the content knowledge of the administrators falls
short: “If I do have something that I need help with that they don’t know, they will find
somebody who does and get them here.” Regardless of what the resource is, teachers want help
getting it and recognize it when their administrators put forth effort to provide such material
support: “Anything that I need, they go out of their way to help get it for me.”
Provide material support. Although the most cited type of support was emotional, some
respondents did mention material support in the form of making sure classes are covered for
teachers or helping them find relief from taking on too many responsibilities. In one such
example, a teacher stated, “I have had administrators that knew I was completely overwhelmed
come in and insist they take something off my plate.” Other teachers mentioned that their
administrators coordinate the coverage of their classes when they need to be gone for just one
class period to attend a meeting or a doctor’s appointment, which saves them from having to
miss the whole school day or even half of the school day. This teacher coverage decreases the
amount of time students are being taught by a substitute teacher rather than a regular certified
teacher.
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Emotional behaviors. One emotional behavior, providing emotional support, was
attributed to both assistant principals and executive principals. Support was mentioned 25 times
in reference to assistant principals, 16 times in reference to executive principals, and 17 times in
general. It is not possible for all of those references to be assumed to be emotional support
because many respondents did not elaborate, but a majority of the responses that gave details of
the support were emotional in nature, being related to teacher morale, affecting teacher
commitment levels, or motivating and inspiring teachers.
Provide emotional support. Teachers feel that it is very important that their
administrators provide them with emotional support. They want to know that administrators will
lift them up rather than tear them down, especially when they are trying to innovate and improve
their craft. One teacher explained, “The best help I get from administrators is support and not
judging or criticizing when I do something that doesn’t work.” Teachers need this kind of
emotional support to be receptive to suggestions and feedback from observations and be inspired
to keep persevering:
I see my AP in my class every day and there is no apprehension on my part because I
know she is there to support and encourage me. She has built a positive relationship with
me, so I am willing to go above and beyond in order to make [our school] the best it can
be.
Teachers want to know that their administrators are invested in their personal success and care
about each individual teacher. One respondent said, “It’s really about support, just to know that
someone’s there, and cares, and wants you to do well.”
Teachers also shared that it helps them to be successful in the classroom when their
administrators provide emotional support for teachers in their personal lives as well. One teacher
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pointed out about his or her administrators, “They check in on us for more than just academics,”
and another respondent said, “They take time to get to know what’s going on in your life.”
Teachers appreciate it when administrators provide them with emotional support for their
endeavors both inside and outside of the classroom.
Teacher perception of behaviors specific to assistant principals. Two behaviors were
mentioned in all three school contexts only in reference to the instructional leadership roles of
assistant principals and not that of executive principals: student discipline and knowledge of
curriculum and instruction.
Student discipline. Student discipline is a material behavior that affects teachers’
instructional time through controlling the frequency of disruptions teachers experience. In
response to the questionnaire question of what role assistant principals have in instructional
leadership, a teacher responded that “they assist teachers with discipline issues to help teachers
have more time to focus on instruction.” Another teacher added that they are “supporting
classroom discipline by speaking with disruptive students.” According to another respondent,
“They help discipline students that need it and also help all aspects of the school run smoothly.”
The teachers indicated this role is reserved for assistant principals in particular. In response to an
interview question about how the roles of assistant principals and the executive principal differ,
one teacher provided the following response:
Most of our APs are more for if we have trouble in the classroom on discipline areas and
things like that, more than what the head principal is. If I have a student that is causing a
disruption where the other students are not able to learn, they handle those problems for
me.
QUALITIES OF INSTRUCTIONAL LEADERS 93
Essentially, assistant principals are in charge of student discipline and helping teachers to
maintain order in the classroom.
Knowledge of curriculum and instruction. Knowledge of curriculum and instruction is
an intellectual behavior by which administrators are sharing their content-area knowledge,
classroom management knowledge, or knowledge of general teaching strategies and best
practices. Teachers find it helpful when assistant principals can serve as content-area experts.
One teacher explained in detail how this played out in his or her school:
For the past few years, each principal has represented each of the core disciplines taught
at [our school]. When we convene for our monthly meetings, there is a principal present
who has taught in that particular area. It helps to know that your principal understands
some of the classroom struggles and is willing to support you in decisions.”
Another teacher pointed out a similar, though less formal, system by which assistant principals
serve in an instructional leadership role by “facilitating different areas of content by taking
charge of those areas, creating and implementing plans to see those areas thrive, and then
working cohesively with the faculty in implementation.”
Assistant principals are expected to be experts in classroom strategies as well. As was
previously evidenced by teacher reliance on the ability of administrators to give them helpful
feedback and supply them with strategies, teachers expect them to know strategies and know best
practices, as one respondent succinctly stated, “They are our school experts on certain
instruction.” Another teacher said, “They give great guidance with ideas and practices that have
worked for them.” One teacher cited a specific assistant principal in the building and her role as
an expert: “[She] has guided the faculty and staff in such a way as to maximize the quality of
QUALITIES OF INSTRUCTIONAL LEADERS 94
education we provide for our students. She leads by example and is a vast array of knowledge in
many areas.” Teachers excel when their administrators are able to serve as intellectual resources.
Teacher perception of behaviors specific to the executive principal. Four behaviors
were attributed to both assistant principals and executive principals but were attributed to
executive principals more than twice as frequently as they were attributed to assistant principals
by participants representing all three school contexts. They are encourages, sets high
expectations, is open and available, and influences school culture. Three behaviors were
attributed only to executive principals by participants representing all three school contexts, and
all of them occurred with lower frequency that the other behaviors transcending school context.
They are innovates, listens, and recognizes.
Intellectual behaviors. One of the behaviors attributed solely to executive principals is an
intellectual behavior that helps provide teachers with additional knowledge or skills: innovates.
Innovates. Several teachers representing all three school contexts attributed the role of
innovator to their executive principal. In one response, a teacher said his or her principal
“constantly seeks different or innovative ways to approach instruction,” while another teacher
tied the executive principal’s innovation to strategic planning: “He is always a step ahead of
what is coming and is great at always having a plan in place to accomplish what the school needs
to accomplish.”
Emotional behaviors. Six behaviors that were attributed either primarily or solely to
executive principals were listens, recognizes, encourages, sets high expectations, is open and
available, and influences school culture.
Listens. Teachers want to know that they can go to the executive principal to talk and ask
for advice and he or she will be there and be willing to listen. Teachers like to be heard,
QUALITIES OF INSTRUCTIONAL LEADERS 95
especially when they have concerns. One respondent said of his or her executive principal, “He
is always willing to listen and offer suggestions.” Several teachers mentioned the executive
principal having an open-door policy: “We’ve always had an open-door policy; if we’ve got any
concerns or any questions, you know we were welcomed to go to her office at any time.”
Another teacher expressed appreciation for such a policy and said, “The principal is very easy to
talk to and his open-door policy is refreshing.”
Recognizes. Teachers want administrators to recognize and celebrate the
accomplishments of students, teachers, and the school as a whole. One respondent stated, “Our
principal is very involved with our teachers, popping into classrooms, offering support, giving
kudos for successes, thanking us for our hard work and dedication in good times and bad.”
Another said, “[The principal] sends out little notes saying ‘great job today,’ you know, when we
have crazy days; that lets you know he appreciates what we do.”
Some teachers noted that they have received personal recognition for their success in the
classroom, which in turn made them even more successful. The following example comes from
one such teacher:
My principal began inviting admin/teachers from other schools to observe my classroom.
Until then, I really didn’t realize that I was (apparently) an exceptional teacher. I knew
my kids did well compared to other schools, but didn’t see myself as anything special.
When he began to do this, my confidence soared and I believe I improved exponentially
as a result of this confidence.
Still others emphasized how the principal made sure to recognize the students for their
accomplishments:
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He motivates the student body to take ownership of their achievements as a whole.
Academic achievements are celebrated as are athletic achievements. The opening-day
assembly of each school year is used to recognize the previous year’s achievements and
the results are compared with those of other area high schools. Students have become
active stakeholders in achievement measures.
Encourages. Providing encouragement was mentioned 34 times: eight times with
assistant principals, 17 times with executive principals, and nine times in general. In several
responses, teachers simply offered statements such as, “He encourages and offers support to
teachers,” or “He constantly encourages us to improve and he supports the teachers no matter
what,” while others pointed out the encouragement as well as the effects of that encouragement:
“He is everywhere; he makes every stakeholder at the school feel important and encourages each
of us to give our best because he does.” Teachers believe that one of the roles of the executive
principal is to be a cheerleader, encouraging them and motivating them toward success.
Sets expectations. Setting expectations was mentioned 30 times throughout the responses
to questions 3-6 on the teacher questionnaire (Appendix D), and 20 of those times were directly
attributed to the executive principal. Teachers noted that the executive principal was responsible
for communicating expectations to administrators, teachers, and students and following up those
expectations to make sure they are being met. While some teachers just said, “sets expectations”
as a role in which the executive principal serves, others mentioned specifically that the executive
principal sets high expectations. One teacher said of his or her executive principal, “He always
expects the best from his teachers and the students at the school. He believes that our school can
be the best in our district and state,” while another simply said, “Holds teachers to high
standards,” and “has high expectations.” Others pointed out the need for clarity in those
QUALITIES OF INSTRUCTIONAL LEADERS 97
expectations, such as one respondent who said the executive principal “makes expectations clear
from the beginning.” Teachers feel that setting high expectations is a significant role in
instructional leadership and tend to attribute that role to the executive principal.
Is open and available. Teachers like to know that they can find their executive principal
when they need to, and they appreciate it when that principal is visible and involved. One teacher
said, “Our principal has played a significant role in instructional leadership. Although he’s
dealing with a huge school, he definitely makes himself available to teachers and students alike,”
and another said, “Our head principal is involved. He is not the mystery man in the office that no
one sees. He is up and down the halls and in and out of classrooms.”
Influences school culture. Teachers see executive principals as the main influence in
school culture. Culture was mentioned 14 times, and 10 of those instances were attributed
directly to the executive principal. While some of those instances were succinct, such as with one
respondent who said the executive principal, “sets the tone and culture,” or another who said the
principal “works to make sure our school culture is accommodating to every student,” others
were very detailed in describing exactly what school culture really is and what the executive
principal’s influence does for the school:
He has demonstrated tremendous leadership and balance in truly trying (and succeeding)
to create an environment that is competitive in every area of content and extra-curricular.
He has great vision for what needs to happen and is extremely adept at creating the
atmosphere where, as employees, we want to succeed in making that vision a reality.
Teachers perceive that a part of instructional leadership is creating a school culture of success,
and they primarily attribute that role to the executive principal.
QUALITIES OF INSTRUCTIONAL LEADERS 98
Administrators’ perception of their own behaviors. Seventeen administrators from six
schools participated in the instructional leadership questionnaire, and six administrators from
three schools participated in interviews. The researchers used questions 7, 9 and 10 of the
administrator questionnaire (Appendix C) and interview questions 1-4 (Appendix E) to uncover
the behaviors that administrators in effective Tennessee high schools perceive to be significant
components of instructional leadership. Four administrator behaviors appeared in the responses
from administrators in all three school contexts: coaching, providing strategies, collaboration,
and professional development.
Intellectual behaviors. Two of the four administrator behaviors are intellectual
behaviors, which provide teachers with knowledge or help them to acquire skills, often requiring
administrators to possess specialized knowledge or skills in order to carry them out: coaching
and providing strategies.
Coaching. As was presented earlier, coaching includes three components: knowledge of
curriculum and instruction, participation in classroom observation, and provision of feedback.
Coaching was the most frequently occurring response, showing up 23 times in the responses to
three questions. Several administrators gave short responses such as “provide feedback”,
“walkthroughs with follow-up coaching for teachers,” “walkthrough mentoring,” “day in and day
out mentoring of teachers,” or “daily walkthroughs and continued feedback for my teachers.”
Although these are brief responses, they imply that the feedback is given in an informal, non-
evaluative and non-threatening manner and with more frequency than observations occurring for
the purpose of summative evaluation.
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Other administrators described their coaching behaviors in more detail. In response to an
inquiry of what is the single most important thing administrators do to improve instruction, one
administrator gave the following response:
Coaching! The executive principal has the admin team coaching teachers. Assistant
principals have 13 teachers we are coaching. We observe teachers weekly and have
feedback conversations with them within that same week. In the feedback conversation,
the ‘coaches’ give action steps to teachers. This is done weekly.
Administrators perceive that coaching is an important component of instructional leadership, and
the observations that go along with coaching must be frequent and accompanied by feedback.
Providing strategies. Administrators mentioned providing ideas and strategies 10 times
throughout their responses to questions 7, 9, and 10 on the administrator questionnaire
(Appendix C). Several respondents included the phrases “provide ideas” or “improve teachers’
knowledge of effective instruction,” but others mentioned providing strategies when they were
asked in question 10 (Appendix C) to give specific examples of how they have helped teachers
improve their instruction. One administrator explained how he or she helps teachers school-wide:
“About every month I present a learning strategy or teaching tool from the AVID library.”
Another administrator explained how he or she helped an individual teacher by providing her
with strategies and ideas:
Recently a teacher was struggling to keep students engaged due to misbehavior in the
classroom. I offered some strategies/ideas on how to address the behavior and also how
to involve parents effectively. She reported that it made a big difference in classroom
instruction.
QUALITIES OF INSTRUCTIONAL LEADERS 100
Material behaviors. Administrator respondents mentioned two material behaviors:
providing collaboration time and providing professional development opportunities.
Collaboration. Collaboration was mentioned six times either in the form of the word
“collaboration” or mention of “PLCs,” which stands for professional learning communities. Only
one respondent mentioned collaboration with slightly more detail: “Our Biology scores increased
dramatically last year because of a focused effort on collaboration with all subject-area teachers.”
Because this response is vague, it is not entirely clear whether administrators were indicating that
they organized collaboration, participated in the actual collaboration, or provided teachers with
the time to collaborate, however, the teachers indicated in their responses that their
administrators had done all three.
Professional development. Professional development, or PD, was mentioned eight times
within the responses to questions 7, 9 and 10 (Appendix C). Most administrator respondents only
mentioned “PD” or “professional development” as part of a serial list of their roles, but two
respondents gave slightly more detailed responses, which expounded on the roles. One
administrator indicated that he or she helps teachers by encouraging them to attend available PD
sessions, which implies that the administrator is also keeping aware of such opportunities.
Specifically, the administrator said he or she improves teacher instruction by “encouraging them
to take advantage of professional development.” Another administrator’s response implies the
administrator takes a more active role by actually providing professional development to
teachers: “Most of my job entails working with teachers through evaluations and professional
development.” Whether it is conducting professional development sessions or locating them,
administrators perceive that professional development is a component of their role as an
instructional leader.
QUALITIES OF INSTRUCTIONAL LEADERS 101
Superintendents’ perception of the ideal administrative behaviors. Three
superintendents representing two school contexts completed the superintendent questionnaire.
When asked to give the behaviors of an effective administrator, all three superintendents gave
different responses. The only theme present in all three responses, though stated in different
ways, was that administrators should have the drive to keep improving, which can be interpreted
as setting high expectations—an emotional behavior. One superintendent wrote the following
response:
Strong communicator, clear articulation of mission and vision, high expectations for
students and staff, works with stakeholders, monitors and assesses on a consistent basis,
encourages staff input, gives credit to others, is student focused, and is never satisfied.
Another superintendent said that effective administrators listen, persevere, and show flexibility.
The other superintendent provided the following behaviors: (1) is dedicated, (2) is hard-working,
(3) is able to juggle many different jobs at the same time while staying organized, (4) is loyal to
the school, district, and students, and (5) cares about students and wants what is best for them.
Confluence of perceptions of teachers, administrators, and superintendents
regarding behaviors exhibited by effective instructional leaders. Once again, the
disproportionate number of responses among the three roles represented by the participants
generated a disproportionate number of transcendent traits. Figure 3 shows the confluence of the
transcendent behaviors generated by participants in all three roles: teachers, administrators, and
superintendents. The data show that teachers value intellectual, material, and emotional
behaviors while administrators only cite intellectual and material behaviors as being associated
with instructional leadership.
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Figure 3
Behaviors Teachers Administrators Superintendents Intellectual behaviors Coaching (observations & feedback) � � Give advice & provide strategies � � Analyze data � Knowledge of curriculum &instruction � Innovate
�
Material behaviors Provide collaboration time � � Provide professional development � � Provide resources � Provide material support � Student discipline
�
Emotional behaviors Provide emotional support � Listen � Provide recognition � Encourage � Set high expectations � � Be open & available � Influence school culture � Figure 3. The confluence of perceptions of teachers, administrators, and superintendents regarding the behaviors in which effective instructional leaders engage.
Other Findings
Behaviors teachers wish administrators engaged in more. Teacher participants were
asked on the questionnaire (Appendix D) what specific steps a principal or assistant principal
could take, that are not already being taken, to help improve their classroom instruction.
Although a majority of the 200 respondents said that there was nothing more their administrators
could be doing because they are already doing a fantastic job, seven behaviors were mentioned in
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the responses from participants from all three school contexts: provide collaboration time,
support discipline, hold students accountable, model teaching strategies, offer more professional
development opportunities, provide more technology resources, and provide more frequent non-
evaluative feedback.
Support discipline. With 16 instances, discipline was the most frequent response when
teachers were asked what administrators could do to help teachers improve their instruction.
Teachers expressed that having to deal with discipline in the classroom takes away from their
instruction time. One teacher simply said that administrators could help “by dealing with the
discipline in the building so that teachers can teach.” Another explained the issue in more detail:
The best thing that could be done at this moment that would help my classroom
instruction and environment is helping more with discipline issues of our students in the
school. Less and less is being done and more pushed onto individual teachers to address.
Others echoed the sentiment that consequences are not severe enough. One teacher called for
“more discipline school-wide!!! One period of [in-school suspension] doesn’t work!”
Several teachers have concerns that discipline policies are not being properly enforced.
Teachers requested for administrators to “enforce discipline procedures [and] give real
consequences for offending students,” and “enforce disciplinary measures.” Others asked for
there to be more consistent enforcement of discipline. One teacher asked for “consistency and
follow-through with discipline,” and another such teacher said, “Be more consistent when
handling behavior issues of the students. Take a teacher’s concern more seriously.” In essence,
teachers feel that they are not receiving enough support with school discipline.
Provide collaboration time. Although respondents from every school included in the
study mentioned that their administration already supports collaboration, teachers feel they still
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need more. Several teachers asked for more collaboration time during the school day. One said,
“Provide additional time within the regular school day to collaborate with other teachers who are
in the same subject areas.” Another requested that administrators “set aside more time for high
school teachers to collaborate with other teachers.” Others mentioned building in common
planning time, such as one teacher who asked that administrators “provide more time during the
school [day] to collaborate with fellow teachers, planning periods at the same time.” Teachers
want administrators to set aside more time for them to collaborate with other teachers.
Hold students accountable. Teachers feel that administrators should hold students more
accountable for their own success rather than placing too much of the responsibility on the
teachers. One such teacher said, “The principals need to more strongly voice and take an overall
stand on student accountability. Too much is being laid at the feet of the teachers and staff to
assure that students pass, more so than the students.” Another teacher offered a suggestion for
how administrators could help increase student accountability: “They could do random
walkthroughs to make sure students are on task.” Teachers want administrators to do more to
hold students responsible for their own success.
Model teaching strategies. Teachers want to see administrators doing what those
administrators are asking teachers to do by modeling implementation of teaching strategies and
best practices. Several respondents asked that administrators be willing to teach a model lesson.
Respondents said, “Be willing to teach a lesson and model what you expect,” “Model activities
in my classroom. Teach a class period and let me observe,” and “Instead of telling you about a
technique, show us how it works in a real life situation. It only has to be a few minutes.” These
teachers want administrators to do more than tell them about strategies; they want administrators
to show them.
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Provide professional development opportunities. Although providing professional
development was mentioned as a behavior in which administrators are already engaging, 11
respondents asked for more professional development opportunities but specified the need for
those to provide content area support. In one response, a teacher said, “They could provide more
specific workshops for my particular subject,” and another teacher asked for “more instructional
training in subject area and how to make [the] subject area more relevant to students’ learning.”
Provide resources and technology. Nine respondents asked for administrators to provide
more resources, and a majority of those resources were specifically cited as technology
resources. One teacher said, “Get us more money for computers and other technology. They
already do this, but we can’t have too much money.” Another teacher indicated a need for
updated technology infrastructure: “Technology!!! We need new systems that work. I spend a lot
of time running around to find a computer that works. We need updated servers that can keep up
with the classroom.”
Frequent, non-evaluative feedback. Teachers want administrators to provide them with
frequent, non-evaluative feedback. Some teachers only implied that the feedback be non-
evaluative by requesting a higher frequency, such as teachers who said, “Give more critical
feedback more frequently,” or “They could observe my work more and take time to talk over the
activities they observed.” Others specifically asked for both frequency and that the observations
and feedback not be tied to evaluations. One such teacher said, “They could do more informal
evaluating,” and another said that they could “give feedback that isn’t tied to an evaluation but
rather practical teaching insights.” Another respondent said that “more informal observations
(without evaluation) would be helpful.” One teacher both requested informal observations and
gave an opinion as to the benefit: “Having administrators observe not only for evaluations helps
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to start a dialogue and get suggestions without feeling nervous/pressure.” Finally, one respondent
asked for informal observations and made a suggestion as to what the corresponding feedback
might look like: “More walkthrough times with non-evaluative feedback in the forms of ‘I likes’
and ‘I wonder if.’”
Administrators’ suggestions for how they could be more effective. In order to be able
to offer suggestions for improving instructional leadership in high schools, the researchers asked
administrator interview participants both what gets in the way of their ability to serve in an
instructional leadership role and what responsibility they would take off their plate if they could
(Appendix E). The administrators indicated that they feel they have too many responsibilities
competing for their time, and they would like assistance with menial tasks.
Fewer responsibilities. Administrators feel that they have too many responsibilities
competing with their responsibility to be instructional leaders. As one administrator said, “We
wear so many different hats it’s hard to make instruction the main focus.” The majority of the
other respondents who mentioned having too many responsibilities specifically mentioned
managing school discipline as a burden they wish they could have removed. One administrator
said, “Time is the obstacle, especially when you are dealing with discipline.” When asked what
aspect of the administrator role the participant would like to see removed, another respondent
said, “Discipline. I have no interest in it. Discipline is not why I went into administration. I am
all about curriculum.” On the flip side, an administrator from a school that had removed
discipline from the list of administrator responsibilities by hiring deans was incapable of
identifying any aspect of the job because discipline had already been removed: “I really can’t
stress enough that taking out the discipline really makes a difference, I think, because we can
really be what we’re meant to be.” Therefore, administrators wish that they did not have so many
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responsibilities, and, for most of them, discipline is at the top of the list for what they would like
to see removed from their list of responsibilities.
Assistance. For administrators, especially assistant principals, who do not have
secretaries, the need for assistance with administrative tasks is at the top of their list of what
would help them to better serve as instructional leaders. When asked what aspect of the role of
administrator they would like to see removed, one respondent said, “Some of the paperwork.”
Another respondent mentioned paperwork and then some: “I’m making copies at 7 A.M. If
somebody could just do this for me. It’s the volume. If I could reduce the volume or get some
help [with] paperwork and phone calls and counting tests.” Administrators want assistance with
the tasks that do not have to be completed by them because they are menial, administrative tasks
that do not require any highly specialized knowledge or skillsets.
Administrator preparation. The researchers asked administrators to respond to several
questions regarding administrator preparation. In question 6 on the administrator questionnaire
(Appendix C), the researchers asked participants what aspect of all of their prior experiences in
education best prepared them to be an instructional leader. The only response that was consistent
across participants from all three school contexts was that administrators were best prepared to
be instructional leaders through their own classroom experience. In order to look for possible
steps to be taken to improve administrator preparation, the researchers asked administrator
interview participants what they would add as a requirement to becoming an administrator.
While there was no one response that appeared in all three school contexts, the top two responses
appeared with equal frequency in two out of the three school contexts: (1) job
shadowing/mentoring and (2) being specifically trained on job-specific and location-specific
system-based tasks.
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Classroom experience. Administrators believe that the greatest contributing factor to
their being able to be a successful instructional leader is classroom experience: “The actual work
in the classroom is what gave me the confidence to lead teachers in successfully building their
craft.” Several respondents also mentioned the specific importance of not only being a classroom
teacher but being a classroom teacher who is focused on self-improvement, personal growth, and
being successful in the classroom. One administrator said, “Growing in my own teaching was
helpful,” while another administrator responded in detail:
Being a classroom teacher is key to being a successful instructional leader. When you’ve
been on the front lines, you know what classroom teachers need, and if you are open to
parent and student feedback as a classroom teacher, you can fine-tune methods and
improve student learning.
Still another administrator specifically mentioned success with diverse students as measured by
student growth data when he or she said that the greatest component in instructional leadership
preparation was “success in the classroom (TVAAS data) teaching various levels of math with a
variety of students.”
Job shadowing/internship. When administrators were asked what they would want to see
be a requirement for all prospective administrators, tied as the top response was for
administrators to be able to shadow an administrator in the building in the style of an internship.
One administrator said, “I wish I could have been more prepared. If I could have done an
internship with [the executive principal], that would have been great,” and another corroborated
that interest: “If you could do some kind of internship, even if it was just for a week, to get to
experience what it’s actually like, it might make that transition easier.” One respondent added,
“Some basic logistics, like a job shadow, where you see the functions of the job would be
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beneficial,” which provides an idea of the motive behind the desire and corresponds with the
other top response: job-specific and location-specific training.
Job-specific and location-specific training. Several respondents expressed an interest in
having job-specific and location-specific training to help them complete job-related tasks more
efficiently. One administrator respondent emphasized the benefit of such training and
information toward clarification of responsibilities: “I would love to have a packet to tell me
exactly what my duties are and who my go-to people are to get it.” Others specifically mentioned
training in how to use the location-specific or district-specific computer systems. One such
respondent said the following:
I would have liked to have step-by-step instructions on how to use our software on how
to report student discipline and attendance, and you just have to get in there and figure it
out, or somebody has to take the time to train you. I would have liked to have a packet
and some training before I ever step foot into that office.
Although familiar with the district from a previous role as a teacher, the following respondent
also noted the need for administrators who are new to the role to be able to learn how to use the
systems. The respondent said, “I was familiar with our attendance system, but I didn’t know how
to enter discipline. They don’t have a training for new administrators in [our district]. They just
say ‘go.’ How do I make this go into the computer?” Still others pointed out that such a training
would be helpful even if one is not new to the role but is new to the district:
It’s little things like paperwork or just policies, especially if you’re new to the district,
that are just helpful if you have somebody to ask or somebody to guide you and sit with
you and walk through things so you’re just not going it alone and failing and having to
redo things.
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Administrators who are new to the role or new to the district want to be trained in job-
specific and location-specific tasks and policies so that they do not waste valuable time and
resources either having to figure the systems out on their own or having to complete tasks
multiple times due to errors.
Administrator recruitment and selection. The researchers asked superintendents to
explain how they know administrative candidates are qualified and ready to move into
administration. In question 4 of the superintendent questionnaire (Appendix B), superintendents
were asked to identify what they look for in executive principals and assistant principals in
question 5. Additionally, superintendents were also asked to explain how they determine the
readiness of transitions from both classroom teacher to assistant principal (question 6) and
assistant principal to executive principal (question 7). From these superintendent responses, the
researchers discovered that successful classroom experience, communication skills, intrinsic
motivation, success in leadership positions, interpersonal skills, demonstrated ability to handle
challenging responsibilities, initiative, and a drive toward improvement are all factors for which
superintendents search for evidence in order to hire administrators who will improve student
achievement.
Hiring assistant principals. In hiring assistant principals, superintendents look for
demonstrated success in the classroom, initiative that accompanies a strong work ethic, and a
desire toward improvement, ideally one that is motivated by a goal toward eventual advancement
into an executive principal role. When superintendents look for teachers who meet these
characteristics, they look for teachers who are intrinsically motivated toward continuous
improvement, “are taking on leadership roles in the building already,” are willing “to step out of
their comfort zone,” and “are successful in the classroom.” One superintendent said, “I want to
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see they were an effective teacher first of all, then I look at what they have done as a leader.” In
an administrator interview, an executive principal also emphasized the importance of hiring
principals who have demonstrated success in the classroom, referencing evaluation scores as a
means of measurement: “I hire [level] 5 teachers to be principals. If they’re not a 5, I don’t want
them as an assistant principal.”
Hiring executive principals. As with assistant principals, superintendents want to see
successful classroom experience in the backgrounds of their executive principal candidates. They
want to know that the executive principal will have a capacity for leading instruction: “First and
foremost they must be an instructional leader.” In addition to their classroom experience,
however, superintendents want to see their leadership track record, and in that track record they
want to see that they have “handled adversity” with “confidence and competence.” In addition to
echoing the indicators mentioned for potential assistant principal candidates, the superintendents
emphasized two qualities: visionary and communicator. The superintendents stressed the
importance that prospective executive principals be visionaries and have the communication
skills to articulate that vision to stakeholders and gain their support.
Challenges to hiring effective administrators. When asked about situations in which
superintendents have hired administrators who turned out to be ineffective, one superintendent
shared that an administrative candidate was a great interviewer and had great recommendations
but that “it was all a façade.” One superintendent expressed that he or she lacked sufficient
evidence of examples of the candidate’s building-level leadership from a previous position. The
third superintendent expressed that he or she was not sure what would have helped him or her to
avoid hiring the ineffective administrator and shared the risk involved in any hire, “I read one
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time that selecting principals is like selecting stocks—you really don’t know how well they will
do until years down the road.”
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Discussions and Conclusions
Summary
The researchers conducted this study at the request of the Tennessee Organization of
School Superintendents (TOSS) in order to clearly define effective instructional leadership as
perceived by Tennessee school superintendents, school leaders and teachers. The research also
aimed to identify the school-level leadership qualities that are perceived to have the greatest
impact on student achievement and growth while also transcending all contexts: suburban, urban,
and rural. According to its website, TOSS is the leading advocacy group in the state of
Tennessee for public education. The organization has a primary focus not only concerning the
interests of Tennessee superintendents, but also maintains a considerable interest in advocacy for
public education as a whole. Based on personal communication with Wayne Miller, the
executive director of TOSS, qualified principal applicants are scarce, and even fewer principal
applicants exist who have the skills to be an instructional leader. Based on these two instances of
scarcity, TOSS requested that our research team investigate the necessary qualities of an
instructional leader so as to help Tennessee superintendents make informed hiring decisions. As
a means of accomplishing this stated purpose, the researchers proposed the following research
questions:
1. How do superintendents, administrators, and teachers define instructional
leadership?
2. What are the qualities that effective instructional leaders possess?
Once equipped with these two questions, the researchers designed questionnaires for
teachers, administrators, and superintendents to assist in accomplishing our stated purpose. After
pilot testing the questionnaire, Tennessee schools were selected based on their growth scores as
QUALITIES OF INSTRUCTIONAL LEADERS 114
well as their contextual location. In order to find an answer to these questions that transcends
context, the researchers selected schools in each of the three contexts: rural, urban, and suburban.
The pool of schools was filtered based on growth scores while also taking into consideration the
socioeconomic makeup of the school. The researchers wanted to target successful schools, but
they did not want schools that were successful due to reasons that may not be attributed to school
level leadership, such as a high socioeconomic status, which often account for increased
financial and human resources. Once the researchers targeted the schools, they then sought
permission to conduct their research at the district level followed by the school level. Once
permission was granted, the researchers solicited the participation of the schools’ teachers and
principals as well as the superintendent of the school district.
Once the responses to the questionnaires were collected, the researchers then developed
interview questions (Appendices E and F) to assist in the triangulation of data while also giving
the researchers the ability to fill in any gaps or questions that appeared in the questionnaire
responses.
At this point, the researchers coded all the data with the hope that trends would develop.
In order to develop these trends, the researchers focused on finding similarities in the responses
that existed in each of the three contexts (suburban, rural, and urban). In subsequent sections of
this chapter, the findings are discussed, conclusions are drawn, and the implications of the
findings are discussed.
Interpretations of the Findings
Research question 1. Instructional leadership is a term that does not have one clear
definition. Thus, before we can seek to determine the qualities of an instructional leader, we must
define the term. Even with the literature review, outlined in Chapter 2, there was a lack of
QUALITIES OF INSTRUCTIONAL LEADERS 115
continuity between the researchers’ instructional leadership definitions. In the questionnaire, the
researchers asked each participant to define instructional leadership in his or her own terms, and
no parameters were given to guide them in a certain direction. The purpose of including this
question in each of the questionnaires was to answer research question number 1: How do
superintendents, administrators, and teachers define instructional leadership? From the data, the
researchers developed the following definition for instructional leadership:
Instructional leadership includes more than the traditional roles of school leadership such
as teacher evaluation, budget management, facility management, student discipline, and
scheduling. Instructional leadership is focusing on the growth and development of teachers
through non-evaluative coaching and mentoring, while also providing resources; professional
development; financial, personal, and instructional support; and the acquisition, analysis, and use
of data for the purposes of improving instruction.
Essentially, instructional leadership shifts the primary focus of school leadership to
improving teachers’ capacity to teach, thereby increasing students’ capacity to learn.
In the following sections, the researchers will discuss and explain how they arrived at this
definition from the responses of the teachers, administrators, and superintendents that
participated.
How teachers define instructional leadership. The teacher perspective on this topic is
highly valuable. Teachers are the ones who are directly impacted by administrators’ leadership,
so their perspective has high relevancy. In this study, 200 teachers participated by answering
several open-ended questions. Several teachers offered an overarching definition of instructional
leadership, but most teachers outlined behaviors that effective principals engage in that they feel
demonstrate instructional leadership. The behaviors mentioned that existed in all three contexts
QUALITIES OF INSTRUCTIONAL LEADERS 116
were coaching, modeling, providing support, providing resources, analyzing and using data,
providing collaboration time, influencing school culture, maintaining student discipline, setting
high expectations, being actively involved, monitoring student progress, motivating the faculty,
and providing professional development. Of these 12 common behaviors, coaching, modeling,
support, providing resources, and analyzing and using data occurred with the most frequency.
Based on these behaviors, teachers seem to view an instructional leader as a guide and
facilitator for their own professional growth. Almost all of the behaviors mentioned by the
teachers would contribute to guide or facilitate a teacher’s professional growth. Principals do not
always have the ability to hire and fire the best talent, so it is in the principal’s best interest to
develop the talent they have. Coaching appeared with the most frequency as a behavior
associated with instructional leadership.
In the interviews and in the questionnaires, a definite separation between coaching and
evaluative feedback developed. Coaching encompasses the knowledge of strategies and best
practices, the observation of a teacher in action, and timely feedback concerning those
observations. In the current state of education, observations are frequently only done for
evaluative purposes, which contributes to a culture of fear. This perception does not lead to the
positive development of quality teachers. Non-evaluative coaching appears to contribute to a
certain level of relational trust that allows for teachers to take risks and pursue continuous
learning opportunities. If the observations are seen as evaluative, teachers often do not see them
as opportunities for growth but rather as attacks on their teaching. Also, with evaluative
observations, feedback is not given for growth, but it is given to grade the teachers. In order to
build a culture that promotes growth, principals should establish coaching protocols that are
nonjudgmental.
QUALITIES OF INSTRUCTIONAL LEADERS 117
Modeling was the behavior that appeared with the next highest frequency. By modeling,
teachers sometimes meant different things. Sometimes teachers expressed a desire to have
principals model effective teaching practices by teaching a demonstration unit, while others
focused simply on the idea that principals should set an example for the behaviors that they want
exhibited by their staff. Essentially, principals should lead by example. If a principal expects a
certain behavior from the staff, then the principal should exemplify that behavior. This is a key
to classroom teaching, and teachers think it should apply to administration as well. Modeling is
about setting clear goals and expectations for the staff, while also making sure that those goals
and expectations are reasonable and actionable by everyone including the administration. This
would contribute to teacher buy-in and contribute to improved culture. Modeling also provides
professional growth of teachers. It physically shows teachers what behaviors are expected and
demonstrates teaching strategies so that teachers can improve their current practices.
Support was the third most frequent behavior represented in the teacher responses.
Teachers referred to the desire for support in a multitude of different areas. They referred to
financial support, professional support, and instructional support. Teachers believe that
principals are there to help them become more effective teachers. There also seems to be an
undertone of a dislike for micromanaging behaviors that administrators sometimes engage in.
Teachers desire a certain level of autonomy within their classroom, but they also desire
administrative support for when they have questions or need help.
Going along with this idea of support, the next most frequent behavior that appeared in
the responses was the attainment of resources. Once again this behavior contributes to the
guidance and facilitation of professional growth. One teacher clearly stated that an important
role of an instructional leader was “making sure resources are available to teachers to enhance
QUALITIES OF INSTRUCTIONAL LEADERS 118
their teaching potential.” In order for teachers to be the best they can be, they are going to need
resources. Teachers believe that it is the role of an instructional leader to supply those resources
so that teachers can fulfill their potential.
The final behavior that appeared with high frequency was data analysis and use.
Currently, education is very much data driven. Teachers, principals, districts, and states are
highly focused on achievement data. This data is a metric for teacher evaluation, school
evaluation, and district evaluation. This is a high stakes environment, and teachers expect
instructional leaders to be proficient in regard to accessing, interpreting, and using data to help
teachers determine their weaknesses so that they can improve. Teachers want administrators to
help them use data so that they may increase student achievement and growth. Once again the
role of the administrator would be as a guide and facilitator.
How administrators define instructional leadership. Administrators were asked to
define their own beliefs concerning the definition of instructional leadership. Once again, most
of the responses used behaviors to define instructional leadership. Sixteen administrators
participated in the research. Because of the case study design, far more teachers participated
than administrators, so the researchers were not presented with as many responses from the
administrator perspective. Despite this, two behaviors did transcend all three contexts, and those
were coaching and modeling.
From a coaching standpoint, the administrators who participated focused largely on the
ability of instructional leaders to observe a classroom and then provide actionable feedback to
the teachers with the goal of improving instruction. This would imply that the observing
administrator would have a considerable knowledge and understanding of teaching strategies and
best practices. If they did not have this knowledge base then their feedback would not be
QUALITIES OF INSTRUCTIONAL LEADERS 119
substantive. Modeling from an administrative perspective is “modeling positive instruction in all
we do, whether it be during a faculty meeting or in a classroom modeling strategies that are
effective for learning.” This quote sums up the ideas of being able to model effective instruction
through a demonstration lesson as well as modeling the expected behaviors desired from the
faculty.
How superintendents define instructional leadership. Similarly to the participation of
administrators, superintendent participation was minimal. Two hundred teachers participated,
while only 16 administrators and three superintendents completed the survey. Also
superintendent participation occurred in only two of the three contexts: rural and suburban. This
did not supply a large sample size, and thus it was impossible to triangulate the data across all
contexts. Despite this, in the three superintendent responses, there was an expressed belief that
instructional leaders should focus on teaching and learning in their building while also providing
an atmosphere for teacher growth. The superintendent approach to defining instructional
leadership seemed to be couched in much more general terms than with the administrators and
teachers. This most likely has to do with the broad oversight that superintendents have over
schools and administrators.
Summary of research question 1. Superintendents, principals, and teachers all agree on
one item – instructional leaders should be focused on the growth of teachers in their building.
The principal data triangulation showed coaching and modeling as the desired behaviors of
instructional leaders, while teachers expanded that to include 11 other behaviors: providing
support, providing resources, analyzing and using data, providing collaboration time, influencing
school culture, maintaining student discipline, setting high expectations, being actively involved,
monitoring student progress, motivating the faculty, and providing professional development.
QUALITIES OF INSTRUCTIONAL LEADERS 120
The agreement between teachers and administrators suggests the necessity of coaching and
modeling when defining instructional leadership. Superintendents took a much broader approach
but definitely suggested that instructional leaders should grow the talent of the teachers in their
school, which coaching and modeling would provide.
Research question 2. The second research question, “what are the qualities that effective
instructional leaders possess?” became a two-fold question. The researchers posed questions in
both the questionnaire and in the interviews that elicited responses concerning the traits and
behaviors of effective instructional leaders. Additionally, in the findings, the data used to answer
the second research question were also split into those two subsets: traits and behaviors.
Therefore, the researchers chose to do the same for the discussion and conclusions of those
findings.
Traits exhibited by effective instructional leaders (research question 2). The first subset
addressed described traits of effective instructional leaders from the perspective of teachers,
administrators, and superintendents across all three contexts. The researchers concluded that the
data concerning the traits of effective instructional leaders as perceived by teachers,
administrators, and superintendents all trend into four categories: traits implying efficiency of
execution, traits implying a dedication to ethical and productive behavior, traits implying a
personal level of care and concern for faculty, and traits implying a level of commitment to the
work. Although not every trait mentioned by teachers was also mentioned by administrators,
these four categories were represented in the data from both teachers and administrators. From
the teacher data, the traits that fall under the category of implying a personal level of care and
concern constituted the highest percentage of responses. This would strongly suggest that
teachers desire a leader that cares more about what they do at work, but also cares about them as
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a person. Frequently, leaders seem to be so caught up in their work that they do not make time to
show how much they care. The following sections detail how the researchers arrived at this
conclusion.
Teachers’ perception of the traits exhibited by their administrators. Teachers were asked
to list three traits of an effective instructional leader in their building. In the responses, 24 traits
transcended all three contexts. Those 24 traits were supportive, dedicated/driven,
Wiseman, L., & McKeown, G. (2010). Multipliers: How the best leaders make everyone smarter.
[Kindle Version]. Retrieved from http://www.amazon.com
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Appendices
Appendix A
Necessary Qualities of Effective Instructional Leaders Based on the Perceptions of Superintendents, Principals, and Teachers.
INFORMATION AND CONSENT FORMS
Informed Consent Letter for Survey Participants
Introduction:
You are invited to participate in a research study investigating instructional leadership. This study is being conducted by Chris Murray, Yolanda Porter, and Jennifer Sallee, doctoral students in the College of Education at Lipscomb University under the supervision of Dr. Keith Nikolaus, a faculty member in the Department of Graduate Education. You were selected as a possible participant in this research because you meet the criteria of being a superintendent, principal, assistant principal, or teacher. Participants must also be currently employed in a high-performing Tennessee high school as measured by growth scores for the 2012-2013 and 2013-2014 school years. Please read this form before you agree to be in the study.
Background Information:
The purpose of this study is to determine a definition for an effective instructional leader as perceived by Tennessee stakeholders. Another reason for this study is to develop a framework for identifying the qualities found in effective instructional leaders. Approximately 500 people are expected to participate in this research. Procedures:
If you decide to participate, you will be asked to complete this questionnaire. The purpose is to collect data from the perspective participants regarding the necessary qualities for an instructional leader to be effective in their respective schools. The questionnaire should take approximately 15-25 minutes to complete.
Risks and Benefits of being in the study:
The study has minimal risks. The benefits to participation are that the data collected will aid in identifying qualities of effective instructional leaders. Effective instructional leaders may increase the effectiveness of those they lead. Knowing these qualities would also benefit current or prospective instructional leaders by serving as a roadmap to school success, thus improving the quality of job performance.
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Confidentiality:
Any information obtained in connection with this research study that can identify you will be disclosed only with your permission; your results will be kept confidential. In any written reports or publications, no participant will be identified or identifiable and only group data will be presented in the completed project. The analyzed group data collected from this research will be shared with the Tennessee Organization of School Superintendents (TOSS), but no one besides the researchers will have access to the results of any individual participant’s responses.
We will keep any printed research results in a locked file cabinet in Tennessee where only the researchers named on this form and our advisor will have access to the records while we work on this project. We will finish analyzing the data by July 31, 2015. We will then destroy all original reports and identifying information that can be linked back to you. The tentative completion date for this research is December 2015.
Voluntary nature of the study:
Participation in this research study is completely voluntary. Your decision whether or not to participate will not affect your future relations with your current school district or Lipscomb University in any way. If you decide to participate, you are free to stop at any time without affecting these relationships.
Contacts and questions:
If you have other questions or concerns regarding the study and would like to talk to someone other than the researchers, you may also contact Dr. Roger Wiemers, Chair of the Lipscomb University Institutional Review Board, at [email protected].
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Informed Consent Letter for Interviewees Introduction:
You are invited to participate in a research study investigating instructional leadership. This study is being conducted by Chris Murray, Yolanda Porter, and Jennifer Sallee, doctoral students in the College of Education at Lipscomb University under the supervision of Dr. Keith Nikolaus, a faculty member in the Department of Graduate Education. You were selected as a possible participant in this research because you meet the criteria of being a superintendent, principal, assistant principal, or teacher. Participants must also be currently employed in a high-performing Tennessee high school as measured by growth scores for the 2012-2013 and 2013-2014 school years. Please read this form before you agree to be in the study.
Background Information:
The purpose of this study is to determine a definition for an effective instructional leader as perceived by Tennessee stakeholders. Another reason for this study is to develop a framework for identifying the qualities found in effective instructional leaders. Approximately 300 people are expected to participate in this research.
Procedures:
If you decide to participate, you be interviewed about your perceptions of what qualities are necessary for administrators to be effective instructional leaders. The purpose is to collect data from the perspective of participants regarding the necessary qualities for an instructional leader to be effective in their respective schools. The interview should take approximately 30 minutes to complete.
Risks and Benefits of being in the study:
The study has minimal risks. The benefits to participation are that the data collected will aid in identifying qualities of effective instructional leaders. Effective instructional leaders may increase the effectiveness of those they lead. Knowing these qualities would also benefit current or prospective instructional leaders by serving as a roadmap to school success, thus improving the quality of job performance.
Confidentiality:
Any information obtained in connection with this research study that can identify you will be disclosed only with your permission; your results will be kept confidential. In any written reports or publications, no participant will be identified or identifiable and only group data will be presented in the completed project. The analyzed group data collected from this research will be shared with the Tennessee Organization of School Superintendents (TOSS), but no one besides the researchers will have access to the results of any individual participant’s responses.
We will keep any hard copy of the research results in a locked file cabinet in Nashville, Tennessee where only the researchers named on this form and our advisor will have access to the
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records while we work on this project. All digital records of data will be password-protected, accessible only by the researchers and their faculty advisor. We will finish analyzing the data by July 31, 2015. We will then destroy all original reports and identifying information that can be linked back to you. The tentative completion date for this research is December 2015.
Voluntary nature of the study:
Participation in this research study is completely voluntary. Your decision whether or not to participate will not affect your future relations with your current school district or Lipscomb University in any way. If you decide to participate, you are free to stop at any time without affecting these relationships. A Starbucks gift card in the amount of ten dollars will be provided to you in order to show appreciation for your time.
Contacts and questions:
If you have other questions or concerns regarding the study and would like to talk to someone other than the researchers, you may also contact Dr. Roger Wiemers, Chair of the Lipscomb University Institutional Review Board, at [email protected].
Statement of Consent:
You are making a decision whether or not to participate. Your signature indicates that you have read this information and your questions have been answered. Even after signing this form, please know that you may withdraw from the study at any time.
Questionnaire for Superintendents Demographic Questions Name: Gender: Age: Highest degree attained: How long have you served in your current role as superintendent? How many years of school-level administration experience do you have? How many years of teaching experience do you have? Survey Questions In one to three sentences, briefly respond to the following questions. 1. Define what it means for an administrator to be an instructional leader. 2. What role does an administrative candidate’s educational background play in
consideration for an administrative position? 3. What role does an administrative candidate’s career background play in consideration for
an administrative position? 4. What do you look for when you hire a principal? 5. What do you look for when you hire an assistant principal? 6. What are the indicators that a certified employee is ready to move into administration? 7. What are the indicators that an assistant principal is ready to move into an executive
principal role? 8. What are the behaviors of an effective administrator? 9. What traits does an ideal administrative candidate possess? 10. What evidence do you look for to show that an administrative candidate will be an
effective instructional leader? 11. Have you ever hired an administrator who turned out to be very ineffective? If so, what
information did you lack that might have indicated to you that he or she would not be an effective school leader?
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Appendix C Questionnaire for Principals
Demographic Questions Name: Gender: Age: Highest degree attained: School: What is your current role in this school? How long have you served in your current role? Have you ever served in any other role at your current school? How many years of school-level administration experience do you have total? How many of those years were as an assistant principal? How many years of teaching experience do you have? What subject and grade level(s) have you taught? Survey Questions 1. What would be three adjectives that you would use to describe yourself in your role as an
administrator? Feel free to clarify the meaning of those adjectives if you feel they may be ambiguous.
2. Which character traits do you possess that you feel are essential to your work as an administrator?
3. As an administrator, how do you define instructional leadership? 4. How effective do you perceive yourself as an instructional leader? Why? 5. How did you develop your instructional leadership skills? 6. What aspect of all of your prior experiences in education best prepared you to be an
instructional leader? Why? 7. What opportunities do you have in your current role to participate in instructional
leadership activities? 8. Do you feel there is anything limiting your opportunities to practice instructional
leadership? If yes, please explain. 9. What is the single most important thing you do to improve instruction? 10. Provide a specific example of how you have helped a teacher to improve his or her
instruction. 11. What is your greatest strength in regard to instructional leadership? 12. What is your greatest weakness in regard to instructional leadership?
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Appendix D Questionnaire for Teachers
Demographic Questions Name: Gender: Age: Highest degree attained: School: Subject and Grade level(s) you serve: What is your current role in this school? How long have you served in your current role at this school? Have you ever served in any other role at your current school? How many years of teaching experience do you have total? Survey Questions 1. As a teacher, how do you define instructional leadership? 2. Think of an administrator in your school who most clearly demonstrates your
definition of instructional leadership. What three adjectives would you use to describe this administrator?
3. What role has/have the assistant principal(s) at your school played in instructional leadership?
4. What role has the executive principal played in instructional leadership? 5. How do administrators help you improve instruction in your classroom? 6. Provide a specific example of some action or behavior of a principal or assistant
principal that has helped you improve your classroom instruction. 7. What specific steps could a principal or assistant principal take, that aren’t currently
being taken, to help you improve your classroom instruction?
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Appendix E Interview Questions for Principals
1. How do you show care and concern for your teachers? 2. How do you affect teacher morale? 3. How do you model effective instruction? 4. How do you feel about your ability to impact teacher instruction in different content
areas? Why? 5. How do you use your strengths to lead instruction? 6. What methods, if any, do you use to improve your effectiveness as an instructional
leader? 7. What prevents a principal from conducting ample observations and teacher meetings? 8. If you could eliminate one aspect of your job, what would it be and why? 9. If you could create a requirement for all prospective administrators, what would it be and
why?
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Appendix F Interview Questions for Teachers
1. How do administrators show care and concern for the faculty? 2. To what extent do you feel the administrators have contributed to your success personally
and to the success of the school as a whole? 3. How do you feel you are supported in your content area? Would you change anything
regarding the way in which you receive content-area support and guidance? 4. From a building leadership perspective, how would you define instructional leadership? 5. What is the single most important thing your assistant/executive principal does to help
improve instruction in your classroom? 6. How could an instructional leader help to improve student test scores in your classroom? 7. How does the role of the assistant principal differ from the executive principal in regard
to instructional leadership? 8. What do you feel are some of the least effective practices of administrators?
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Appendix G
Memorandum of Understanding
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Appendix H
National Institute of Health “Protecting Human Research Participants” Certificate of
Completion
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Appendix I
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Appendix J
Author Biographies Jennifer Sallee graduated in 2007 with a bachelor’s degree in English from Lipscomb University. While teaching high school English in the Metropolitan Nashville Public School system, she pursued a M.Ed. in Administration and Supervision, which she attained in 2009, and a M.Ed. in Instructional Technology, which she attained in 2011. As a high school teacher, she also served as a Freshman Academy team lead, English department head, and Forensics coach. Seeking experience teaching in middle school, she left MNPS in the fall of 2012 to teach at Brentwood Middle School in the Williamson County Schools system. She currently serves as the English Learner Specialist and Gifted Specialist for Athens Intermediate School in the Athens City School system in Athens, Alabama. She has a passion for data analysis and instructional technology and uses her skills in those areas to help at-risk and underserved students. Chris Murray has taught social studies for Metro Nashville Public Schools since he began his teaching career in 2010, and is currently teaching at Hillsboro High School. He graduated from Wake Forest University (’08) with a B.A. in history and from Middle Tennessee State University (’10) with a M.Ed. in Curriculum and Instruction. Chris also teaches World History AP and serves as the head wrestling coach at Hillsboro High School. Chris is dedicated to the mission of public education, and looks forward to helping lead schools, teachers, and students to greater success.
Yolanda Porter is the Dean of Students at Bailey STEM Middle Prep. She recently completed twelve years of professional experience working with youth that have emotional, behavioral, and cognitive disabilities. Ten of those twelve years were as an exceptional education teacher in various grade levels and settings in Metro Nashville Public Schools. Her educational background that prepared her for this journey in education began at Tennessee State University where she obtained a Bachelor’s degree in Speech Language Pathology & Audiology, a Master’s degree in Special Education, and an Education Specialist degree in Administration & Supervision.
Yolanda Porter currently serves the community by volunteering at a homeless shelter for women and children and teaches a leadership class at her church. She is the proud mother of two very supportive sons and one grandson. It is because of her purpose in life and her sons that she is very passionate and committed to empowering youth and young adults to be the best they can be personally, spiritually, and professionally.