Principal’s leadership, school management, and student learning outcomes: a study of New York City public schools

Recent decades have witnessed administrative reforms and policy initiatives that attempt to improve the performance of organizations. The underlying assumption is that changes in management system as well as focus on results would contribute to better organizational outcomes. This philosophy is also deeply embedded in the reforms of public school systems. This study draws upon existing public management literature to propose two research questions: to what extent and how do leadership and management influence the performance level of public organizations. I propose that principal’s leadership influences student’s performance in standardized exams through mediating effects of teacher’s collaborative culture, performance management, school safety, and parent engagement. The methodological approach for this research was twofold. First, Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) was used to test study models using data collected in the school year 2007-2008. The sample was comprised of all New York City (NYC) public schools. Secondary data – collected by the New York City Department of Education (DoE) – from different sources were used. These data came from survey questionnaires, on site investigation, and traditional statistics on test scores. Second, a content analysis of key documents was conducted. Documents relevant to the sweeping change in NYC public school system during Mayor Bloomberg’s administration were reviewed and coded. Through content analysis, policy evidence was uncovered to further reinforce the models identified in the first phase. Moreover, the interpretation of the texts also provides rich details about the philosophy and principles of this reform, thus presents a complete picture of the intricate process that takes place when principal’s leadership and school management work together in the way that fosters high productivity. This research makes two primary contributions: 1) it enhances our understanding of how better performance can be achieved in public schools and this has relevance for all public organizations; 2) by using data from multiple sources and different modes of analysis, the study design offers methodological advantages over prior research making it possible to draw more robust inferences.Ph. D.Includes bibliographical referencesIncludes vitaby Rusi Su