Date of Award
6-2026
Degree Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Education
Department
Human Services
First Advisor
Dr. Ali Hachem
Second Advisor
Dr. Kevin Jones
Third Advisor
Dr. Nandhu Radhakrishnan
Fourth Advisor
Dr. Brian Uriegas
Abstract
This quantitative study examined the relationships between principal leadership styles and educational outcomes within Texas’s high-stakes accountability system. Federal reforms such as the No Child Left Behind Act and the Every Student Succeeds Act increased accountability and pressure on public schools, making principals the primary agents of student performance and school effectiveness. In Texas, these ideals were reinforced by standardized assessments, accountability ratings, and teacher and leader evaluation systems, underscoring the need to understand how leadership styles affected this environment. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationships between instructional, directive, and participative leadership styles and the factors of mission and vision, teaching and learning, culture and climate, management, and school improvement. Data were collected through teacher questionnaires that measured their perceptions about leadership styles and educational outcomes. The questionnaire was distributed to 435 eligible participants, and 136 participants completed the survey. This led to a response rate of 31%. Since all variables violated assumptions of normality, a Spearman’s correlation was used to analyze the data. The findings indicated that all three leadership styles were significantly and positively correlated with all five educational outcomes at p < .001. Instructional leadership demonstrated the strongest and most consistent relationship across all educational outcomes, particularly with teaching and learning and school improvement. Directive and participative leadership also demonstrated significant moderate positive relationships with the educational outcomes, but their relationships were weaker than those of instructional leadership. The findings also indicated positive relationships among the educational outcomes, which suggested that school systems and leadership practices were interconnected. The results supported the importance of instructional leadership practices in promoting effective schools within accountability-driven environments. Implications for practice demonstrated the necessity for principals to balance instructional focus, structures, and collaboration to support sustained school improvement.
Repository Citation
Bolton, Djenane, "Educational Leadership Styles and School Outcomes: Correlational Evidence From Texas" (2026). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 687.
https://scholarworks.sfasu.edu/etds/687
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.
