Assessment of Leadership Practices of Principals of Turnaround Elementary Schools in Minnesota

Abstract The quantitative study examined the perception of principals in Minnesota elementary Reward Schools (also known as turnaround schools) regarding their leadership practices with reference to transformational leadership. Data for the study were collected from principals’ responses to the Leadership Practice Inventory (LPI-Self) developed by Kouzes and Posner. The study acknowledged that transformational leadership has great potential to effect meaningful change in turning around schools; the principals in the study reported the highest frequency of engagement in the leadership practices of Enable others to Act, Encourage the Heart, Model the Way, and Challenge the Process. The fifth and last practice, inspire a Shared Vision, was not selected as a practice in which principals’ frequently engaged. In addition, the study’s research found that principals ranked maintain focus on student learning and related goals; developing a feeling of mutual accountability among staff, and providing clear expectations as the top three essential leadership skills among eight developed by Herman et.al (2008) to use to further student achievement. The study provided insight into the types of leadership practices and skills that could positively impact student achievement in low performing elementary schools in Minnesota