Principals\u27 leadership orientation in relationship to the classification of their schools in New Jersey

The relationship of principals’ leadership orientations to the classification of their schools in New Jersey were examined in this study. While their role has expanded over the years, school principals continue to be essential in school reform and sustainability efforts. However, they are often overshadowed by the role of teachers. This quantitative study focused on the leadership of school principals from New Jersey’s highest and lowest performing schools. It used Bolman and Deal’s Four Leadership Frames as the conceptual framework in determining whether their leadership orientations were related to the classifications of their schools. The result showed principals who have higher Leadership Orientation scores are those whose schools are classified as high performing. The three major findings for this study were as follows: • Finding #1: Reward School principals were found to have significantly higher Leadership Orientation scores on each frame than Priority School principals. • Finding #2: Reward School principals were found to use significantly more Leadership Frames than Priority School principals. • Finding #3: There was no significant difference in the primary Leadership Frame used by Reward School principals and Priority School principals in New Jersey. The implication of this study could allow the New Jersey Department of Education (NJDOE) and New Jersey school districts to enhance leadership support they provide their school principals through the following two recommendations: • Recommendation #1: Develop a Mentoring Program that Engages Both Reward School and Priority School Principals. • Recommendation #2: Improve Professional Development Support using Bolman and Deal’s Four Leadership Frames