Content area
Abstract
Set within the context of the uncertain societal, educational, and organizational contexts facing today's schools, this study examined the relationships among principal transformational leadership, school leadership team transformational leadership, and school culture. Twelve middle schools participating in a statewide systemic school improvement project that emphasized the development of collaborative administrator-teacher leadership provided the data for the study. 475 teachers completed surveys, and 47 school leadership team members participated in interviews that yielded both quantitative and qualitative data. A model of the relationships between principal and leadership team transformational and school culture was developed from the study's quantitative data, and qualitative data was used to enrich the model. The study found that principals and school leadership teams appear to have somewhat distinct roles in exercising transformational leadership behavior in the shaping of positive school culture. Principals seem to be most important in identifying and articulating vision and providing an appropriate model; leadership teams seems to be most important in providing intellectual stimulation and holding high expectations; and principals and leadership teams seem to share influence in fostering commitment to group goals and providing individualized support. Implications for research, practice, and the preparation of educational leaders are discussed.
