Pamela R. Hallam

Comparing the Effects of Instructional and Transformational Leadership on Student Achievement: Implications for Practice.

The purpose of this study was to compare transformational and instructional leadership theories, examine the unique impact that school leaders have on student achievement, and determine which specific leadership practices are associated with increased student achievement. The sample for this study consisted of 590 teachers in 37 elementary schools in the Intermountain West of the United States. Teachers rated their principals’ leadership style according to the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire (Transformational Leadership) and the Principal Instructional Management Rating Scale (Instructional leadership). Student achievement was measured by a criterion referenced test. Hypotheses were tested using regression analysis. Results indicated that instructional leadership explained more of the variance in student achievement than did transformational leadership. Principals’ leadership style tended to have a meaningful impact on student achievement beyond the impact of school context and principal demographics. Specific leadership functions associated with student achievement were also identified and reported. Conclusion, implications and limitations are also discussed.

Two Contrasting Models for Mentoring as They Affect Retention of Beginning Teachers

Research indicates that mentoring programs help increase the retention of beginning teachers. School administrators may be presented with competing mentoring models, with various sources and types of support, aimed at improving beginning teacher retention. This study collected both qualitative and quantitative data under the rubric of a comparative case study method to investigate mentoring models in the Asher and Dane School Districts (pseudonyms). Using this approach, the authors explored the two distinct models related to beginning teacher retention. Although both districts used collaborative teams, in-school mentors, and principals within the context of professional learning communities to participate in the mentoring of beginning teachers, only the Dane School District employed district “coaches.” Findings from this research suggest that these “coaches” were not as effective as in-school mentors or collaborative teams in increasing retention, possibly because of lack of proximity and personal relationship. Additional findings describe and explain mentoring characteristics and different sources of support that benefited the mentoring experience and subsequent retention of beginning teachers.

Trust and Collaboration in PLC Teams: Teacher Relationships, Principal Support, and Collaborative Benefits.

Professional learning communities (PLCs) are being recognized as effective in improving teacher collaboration and student achievement. Trust is critical in effectively implementing the PLC model, and the school principal is best positioned to influence school trust levels. Using five facets of trust, this research sought to clarify the impact of trust among PLC teachers on their team’s collaborative practices. Findings suggested ways that members of successful PLCs built trust. Findings also suggested ways that principals influenced team members’ trust. Successful and unsuccessful PLCs emphasized different facets in describing development of trust, the principal’s role in building trust, and the role of trust in collaboration.

Formative Assessment of Collaborative Teams (FACT) Development of a Grade-Level Instructional Team Checklist

Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) have become increasingly popular in schools. PLCs are groups of teachers, administrators, parents, and students who collaborate to improve their practices and focus on results (DuFour, 2004). Grade-level and department teachers participate in regularly scheduled collaborative team meetings; however, many school leaders lack suitable tools to evaluate fidelity to the PLC model. To address this deficit, we developed a tutorial checklist called the Formative Assessment of Collaborative Teams (FACT) through an action research approach. This article discusses the context of grade-level and department collaborative teams where much of the work of implementing the PLC model takes place. Working alongside practitioners in this context, we developed, implemented, and validated the FACT tool. This article discusses practitioners’ reactions to the tool during these processes, including observations conducted using FACT at several schools. The results of this process suggest that FACT is consistent with the elements of effective PLCs, confirming that it discriminates among collaborative teams within and across schools.

Latino Educators of Tomorrow Culture-Specific Mentoring for the College Transition

This qualitative study examines the perspectives of high school– and college-age students who participated in an educational program designed to increase the number of Latino students entering teaching as a profession: Latino Educators of Tomorrow. Using open-ended surveys and semistructured interviews, this study identified themes regarding the program and its instructors, including their influence on the participants’ plans to continue in higher education toward education-related careers. Findings point to the importance of the mentoring framework of Crisp and Cruz as well as cultural responsiveness in mentoring relationships for Latino students in the transition from high school to college.

The development and role of trust in educational leadership: A comparative study of U.S. and Ugandan school administrators

The development and role of trust in school performance has been built primarily on educational research in the United States. The problem is that the resulting theory of trust may not accurately reflect the development and role of trust in schools in other global contexts. Researchers broadly agree that the implications of trust dynamics filter into every segment of the schools organization. However, trust is often either oversimplified or made to seem overly complex, whereas reality is likely somewhere in the middle and depends largely on specific national and regional circumstances. The resulting problem for school administrators globally is a lack of role clarity regarding their leadership responsibilities related to trust and school performance.

Trust at Ground Zero: Trust and Collaboration Within the Professional Learning Community

Schools are embracing professional learning communities (PLC) as a way to enhance student learning. Trust is a critical element in fostering the type of school culture necessary for effective teacher collaboration in PLCs. This qualitative research examined how trust developed and its role in facilitating collaboration within one school’s learning community—operating under challenging conditions—as they began the implementation of PLCs. The study gathered data from focus groups with the school’s teacher teams over two years. Using constant-comparative analyses, findings grounded in the data indicated that trust played a critical role in the development of collaborative teaming within this challenging school context. Teachers developed high relational and competency trust within their teams, although not across teams or with administration, creating the cohesion necessary to support sharing instructional practices and informal collaboration. However, given the lack of professional development for PLCs, teachers were not engaged in the formal practices of PLCs. Fiedler’s (1965) Contingency Model of Leadership Effectiveness provided a lens from which to examine how leadership affected trust development within the school’s learning community. Findings support Fiedler’s (1965) model that in challenging contexts, a leader with a relationship-motivated orientation is less effective than a leader with a task-motivated orientation.

Gender Equity and Women Empowerment in Africa: The Education and Economic Globalization Nexus

The Millennium Declaration resolves to promote gender equality and the empowerment of women as a basic human right. The Declaration also maintains that giving women their fair share is the only way to effectively combat poverty, hunger, and disease and to simulate development that is truly sustainable. Progress towards this goal is assessed by measuring gender equality in three areas: education, employment and political decision-making. (United Nations, 2005, UNDP, 2004, UNESCO, 2006)

Principal and Teachers Relations: Trust at the Core of School Improvement

Educational leaders and teachers face constant internal and external pressure to reform their practice to ensure that every student meets high standards. In many countries, including the United States, the last two decades have been characterized by large-scale reforms of public education systems (Fullan, 2001; Seashore-Louis, Toole, & Hargreaves, 1999; Young & Levin, 1999). According to Cranston (2007), “these reforms are due to powerful political, social, and economic shifts in the environment in which schools are nested; advances in our understanding of learning, organization and management of schools; and shifts in the expected relations between schools and clients” (p. 1). Consequently, new conceptualizations for the profession of educational leaders and teachers need to be developed (Murphy, 2002). In light of such fundamental shifts in the landscape of schooling, many researchers contend that the relationships between stakeholders are pivotal to the success or failure of school reform (Bryk & Schneider, 2002). Clearly, in this era of accountability and the pressures that accompany it, there is a premium placed on the interpersonal skills of school leaders. This chapter focuses on one key element that is central to productive relationships between principals and teachers. Specifically, this chapter explores how trust can facilitate school leaders, working in tandem with teachers, to use the current accountability mandates to focus their efforts in professional learning communities to improve organizational practices and student outcomes.

Headteacher Visibility and Perceptions of Head-Teacher Trustworthiness: Perspectives of Ugandan Secondary Teachers

This chapter focused primarily on how Ugandan headteachers (school-level leaders in Uganda) build cultures of trust with teachers at their schools. In particular, the authors examined how different types of Ugandan headteacher visibility influenced teachers’ perceptions of their interpersonal trustworthiness. The authors hoped that the understanding gleaned from this study will not only help Ugandan headteachers in their trust-building efforts, but also assist school leaders in other geographical contexts.