Instructional Leadership and School Achievement:Validation of a Causal Model

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to test a theoretical causal model concerning how elementary and secondary school principals can influence school student achievement through the frequency of implementation of certain instructional leadership behaviors. After controlling for contextual variables, we hypothesized that three latent variables related to principal instructional leadership (school governance, instructional organization, school climate) affected student achievement. A total of 332 teachers and 56 school principals participated in the study. We conducted separate analyses of the proposed model at the individual and school level. The results confirm that the proposed model fit the data. We discuss the theoretical and practical implications of the results.