How Leadership Influences Student Learning

This landmark 2004 literature review helped establish the importance of principals. It found that school leadership was second only to classroom instruction in school-related impacts on student learning. 

A research synthesis published in 2021—How Principals Affect Students and Schools—updated this 2004 review.

Another key finding in the report is that schools in the most difficult circumstances benefit the most from strong school leaders. In fact, there are virtually no documented instances of troubled schools being turned around without intervention by a powerful leader. 

The report also found:

• Practices common to school leaders who raise student achievement
• Areas where principals should focus their attention to make the biggest impact on student learning
• Much vague or misleading research on “leadership styles.”

Effective school leaders engage in three “basic” sets of practices: 

1. Setting directions by helping one’s colleagues develop a shared understanding of school strategies and goals. Practices in this category include creating and monitoring performance expectations. Evidence suggests that the ability to set directions accounts for the largest portion of a leader’s impact. 
2. Developing people by providing teachers and staff with training and support needed to succeed.
3. Redesigning the organization to ensure that conditions support rather than inhibit teaching and learning. 

Successful school leaders also go beyond “the basics” and tailor practices to circumstances. “Impressive evidence” shows that good leaders behave differently depending on many factors. These include the size of the school, grade levels served, student demographics, the community context, and state and local policies and resources. That suggests there is no single best model for leadership. The report recommends that principal development programs help school leaders learn a wide repertoire of practices and the ability to use them as needed. 

The report describes areas where research shows leaders should focus their attention to have the greatest influence on student achievement. School and district leaders affect student achievement indirectly by influencing people or conditions within their organizations. These include building teachers’ knowledge about how to teach specific content, aligning professional development to school and district goals, and supporting teacher participation in decision making. 

The report also describes 12 areas that the literature finds school districts focusing on to improve student learning. Yet the authors find only “correlational” evidence of student achievement rising following district initiatives. Evidence of district initiatives influencing classroom practice is weak. 

Discussion of “leadership styles” is often misleading. The report critiques literature supporting particular leadership styles such as “instructional,” “participative,” “democratic,” “transformational,” “moral,” or “strategic.” Often these adjectives mask the similar basic practices effective leaders employ.