A study of principal and teacher judgments of principal leadership orientations

The purpose of this study was to investigate the differences in the patterns of principal leadership behaviors as judged by teachers and principals in Comprehensive School Reform Demonstration (CSRD) and non-Comprehensive School Reform Demonstration (non-CSRD) schools in one mid-Atlantic state. Bolman and Deal's conceptual framework of leadership orientations (1984) served as a basis for assessing leadership orientations of principals.; Data collection was conducted in 2001. The Leadership Orientation Survey, developed by Bolman and Deal (1990), was distributed to teachers and principals in 9 CSRD and 10 non-CSRD schools. The survey measures the extent to which leaders use four frames of leadership: structural, human resource, political, and symbolic. Completed surveys were returned by each of the 19 principals (100%) and 313 (71%) of the teachers. Each school's composite index provided a measurement of performance over a three-year period (1997--2000). These data identified the extent to which patterns of frame utilization were associated with student achievement. Finally, demographic data provided by respondents were examined to explain differences in judgments of frame utilization.; Independent t-tests were used to compare principal frame utilization as judged by teachers and principals across all sub-groups (CSRD, non-CSRD, urban, and rural) and the relationship between frame utilization and demographic data. Two-way analysis of variance was used to examine interaction effects between the demographic variables and urbanness or ruralness of CSRD and non-CSRD schools. The structural frame was rated highest of the four frames in both rural and urban schools, followed by human resource, political, and symbolic. Principals consistently rated themselves more highly for all four frames than did their teachers. CSRD urban schools marginally out-performed non-CSRD urban schools. CSRD rural schools marginally out-performed non-CSRD rural schools. All of the CSRD and some non-CSRD rural schools made substantial gains in student improvement over the three-year period; however, urban schools made only minor gains over the same period. No pattern of frame utilization was identified that differentiated more or less effective schools. In 9 of the 12 schools showing improvement, teacher ratings of principal frame utilization identified the structural frame as highest. Differences in frame utilization associated with demographic differences were recorded for gender, years in education, and years in position.