Date of Award

Spring 5-9-2026

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Education in School Leadership

Department

Teaching & Educational Leadership

College

College of Education

Committee Chair

Dr. John Freeman

Second Committee Member

Dr. Tennille Lasker-Scott

Third Committee Member

Dr. Sonya Whitfield

Program Director

Dr. John Freeman

Dean of Graduate College

Dr. Michael Bradley

Abstract

This qualitative phenomenological study examined the leadership practices of Arkansas secondary school principals in schools that received an “A” rating outlined by the state’s grading system for schools. Grounded in the instructional and distributed leadership theory, this study sought to explore principals’ lived experiences and the strategies that influenced high levels of student achievement.

Semi-structured interviews were conducted with eight principals that met the criteria to participate in the study. Interviews were held virtually, and the discussions were recorded and transcribed for analysis. This approach allowed the researcher to identify patterns and key themes across participants through thematic coding.

The findings unveiled several commonalities of leadership practices that helped sustain school effectiveness. These included establishing, upholding, and communicating a shared vision for the school, a prioritized focus on instruction leadership, utilizing data to inform decision making through structured systems such as Professional Learning Communities (PLCs), a development of positive school culture based on high expectations, strategic staffing and building capacity of personnel, and grounding everything in student-centered decisions.

This study contributes to existing literature on best practice leadership behaviors are implemented in school settings. These findings have implications for practice not only school leaders and district administrators but should also inform leadership preparation programming focused on boosting the performance of schools and sustaining high levels of success over time.

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