Public school teachers' perceptions of effective principal leadership practices during transformation of the school culture

This dissertation examined the perceptions of public school teachers concerning desired leadership practices as the school organization goes through transformation of the school culture to become a more effective school. The study was completed using a survey instrument designed by the researcher to be used with certified teachers employed in one large Alabama county school district that had gone through training with a facilitator from the National Effective Schools Organization for more than 2 years. 9 schools ranging from high school to elementary were identified as having successfully gone through the training process and could provide hard data to support progress toward effectiveness.

Since the change model offered by Effective Schools provides definitive steps for organizational improvement, stakeholders clearly understand the demanding steps of the change process, while other models may not be as defined. The end goal of any effective school improvement process should be to increase student achievement as it is with the Effective Schools Model.

To answer the research questions posed by this project about desired leadership practices during transformation of the school culture, teachers in identified schools were asked to respond to a survey instrument to define those perceptions. The survey instrument was developed into 3 sections that aligned to answer each of the 3 research questions.

Once the survey results were received, the data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. The mean, standard deviation, confidence intervals, and frequency distributions were calculated. Tables were provided when needed.

The results of this study will provide a list of recommendations for universities to use as a foundation for training future transformational leaders, for structuring appropriate staff development for practicing public school administrators, and for people considering a career in administration.