The effects of instructional leadership on high school students' writing achievement on the Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program
Abstract
The purpose of this mixed-method study was to analyze the effects of instructional leadership on students' written achievement at a "fresh-start" high school in the Metropolitan Nashville Public School System. Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program (TCAP) Writing Assessment scores of eleventh grade students and teacher interview responses were analyzed to examine which level of instructional leadership provided the greatest increase in student written achievement. The levels of leadership, as operationally defined for study, were: Level I (2006-2007) - Limited instructional leadership was provided to teachers from school leaders; Level II (2007-2008) - Academic coach provided instructional leadership to language arts teachers; Level III (2008-2009) - Assistant principal and academic coach provided instructional leadership to language arts teachers; Level IV (2009-2010) - Assistant principal and academic coach helped teachers to emerge as leaders in a professional learning community (PLC). The research design of the study is mixed method. The quantitative statistical analysis of this study was performed using ANCOVA and ANOVA to compare the sample means of TCAP Writing Assessment scores for four years at the participating school when there were different levels of instructional leadership for (Level I, Level II, Level III, or Level IV). Additionally, a qualitative constant comparative analysis of teacher interview responses and other school artifacts were used to gauge teacher perceptions concerning instructional leadership and to support research findings of the study. The findings indicated that there was a statistically significant (p<.05) difference in TCAP Writing Assessment scores during the fourth year, Level IV. During Level IV, teachers received increased levels of instructional leadership; the mentor coach and assistant principal, as instructional leaders, trained teachers to be teacher-leaders in a professional learning community (PLC). During Level IV, students' mean scores increased from 3.68 (baseline year) to 4.15 (fourth year). The cumulative effects of each year of the study helped school leaders and teachers to work collaboratively to improve student written achievement. With high-stakes testing as a measurement for school success, school leaders must become instructional leaders who can work with teachers to improve student achievement and leaders who are not just managers of the school building.
Subject Area
Educational leadership|Secondary education
Recommended Citation
DeAundra G Jenkins-Holder,
"The effects of instructional leadership on high school students' writing achievement on the Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program"
(2012).
ETD Collection for Tennessee State University.
Paper AAI3552911.
https://digitalscholarship.tnstate.edu/dissertations/AAI3552911