Definitions and Perceptions of the Effectiveness of School Leadership Teams in Underperforming High Schools

• In Event: Who Done It? Interrogating Effective Leadership, Structures, and Systems

Abstract

One approach to sharing leadership and management responsibilities sees principals create a school leadership team (SLT). Despite the popularity of SLTs, few studies have investigated them. Using interviews and survey data, this sequential mixed-methods study examined how staff members in 17 U.S. underperforming high schools defined and evaluated the effectiveness of SLTs. Results demonstrated divergent definitions within and among schools and, on the whole, overly positive evaluations of SLTs, raising questions about SLTs’ actual influence on improving school performance. This study informs the field’s understanding of how staff members in challenging school contexts define and assess their performance.

Author

• Bryan A. VanGronigen, University of Delaware