Effective leadership practices of catholic high school principals that support academic success

2013-04-09The purpose of this study was to determine what effective leadership practices are employed by Catholic high school principals to cultivate a culture of academic success and foster Catholic identity. This study addressed and identified the following: 1) the effective leadership skills Catholic high school principals need to embody to be successful leaders, 2) the most prevalent leadership style among Catholic high school principals, 3) how a Catholic high school principal creates a culture of academic success, and 4) how a Catholic high school principal creates and maintains the school’s Catholic identity. A mixed methods approach was utilized in this study. A survey instrument which included both quantitative and qualitative questions was sent to 50 Catholic high school principals. 35 principals responded to the survey and of those 35, 4 were selected to be interviewed. Each interview was one hour in length. This research study resulted in several findings. First, servant leadership was the most prevalent leadership style among Catholic high school principals. Second, principals create a culture of academic success by celebrating students’ achievements as well as by challenging students to engage in rigorous college preparatory curriculum. Third, the best way to maintain and cultivate the Catholic identity of the school is to model the way. This study provides Catholic high school principals with an idea of how they too can cultivate and foster cultures of academic excellence and Catholic identity