| In a K-12 school setting, effective principal-teacher relationships are vital. In conjunction with a principal who leads democratically, this relationship has a powerful effect on producing successful students, maintaining structured school climates, and positively affecting the satisfaction of teachers. As a school's instructional leader, the principal has an integral role to develop, lead, coach, and mentor the teachers under her/his administrative charge. Although the relationship between principals, teachers, and students is fundamental to the overall success of the school, the principal---teacher relationship is crucial to the professional development of the teacher and contributes to the job satisfaction of teachers. Although these relationships are not a panacea for teacher job satisfaction, the relationship between a principal and a teacher is necessary and symbiotic. Using a case study design of one urban public charter elementary school, this research study explored principal-teacher relationships, with a particular focus on the democratic leadership style of one urban elementary school principal. This study detailed the effects that a principal-teacher relationship has on the job satisfaction of teachers who teach with a principal that employs a democratic leadership style. |
