Instructional Leadership and Its Relationship to Academic Press and Student Achievement

• In Event: Tinkering Toward What Works: District Reform in a New Era

Abstract

This study examined the relationships between instructional leadership, academic press, and student achievement. Data were collected from 35 elementary schools in one large urban district. One thousand two hundred and ninety two teachers responded to an instructional leadership and academic press survey. Nine hundred and eighty parents and 4,782 students responded to an academic press survey. Individual scores were aggregated to the school level. Bivariate correlation and multiple regression analysis revealed while instructional leadership was not directly related to achievement it was significantly related to academic press. Together instructional leadership and academic press explained approximately 18% of the variance in student achievement over and above effects of SES, with teacher and parent perceptions of academic press being the largest contributors.

Authors

• Roxanne M. Mitchell, The University of Alabama

• Lisa A.W. Kensler, Auburn University

• Megan Tschannen-Moran, College of William and Mary