The Relationship Between Principal Tenure, Stability, and Experience and Student Achievement in Georgia Elementary Schools
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Authors
Starr, Gene Autry Jr.
Issue Date
2011-07-28
Type
Dissertation
Language
en_US
Keywords
Alternative Title
Abstract
This study sought to determine if the tenure, stability, experience, principal gender, or race or ethnicity of elementary school principals could predict student achievement in Georgia elementary schools. Student achievement was determined by using the percentage of Georgia elementary third and fifth grade students who met or exceeded standards on the Georgia CRCT for the 2008 - 2009 school year in the following subjects: reading,: English/language arts, mathematics, science, social studies, and the Grade 5 Writing Assessment. The study’s primary population consisted of prekindergarten through fifth grade Georgia elementary schools (N = 1,023). An additional analysis was conducted to determine if there was a significant difference in principal tenure, principal stability, and principal experience by school configuration. Descriptive statistics, multiple regression, Pearson’s correlation, one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), and the Mann-Whitney U Test were used to complete the data analysis.
Findings of the study revealed variables related to school principals did not make significant contributions in 12 of the 13 regression models. The model in which an exception was found was in fifth grade mathematics. Variables related to students did make significant contributions to each regression model. The percentage of economically disadvantaged students made a significant contribution to all thirteen models. The percentage of minority students made a significant contribution to twelve of the thirteen regression models with Grade 5 Writing AssesmentAssessment being the only exception. There was no significant difference found between the combined levels of principal experience and levels of principal stability and the 13 student achievement variables. Additionally, this study found statistically significant differences between the combined levels of principal experience and level of principal tenure and various student achievement variables. Mann-Whitney U Test was conducted to determine if there was a significant difference between principal experience, principal stability, and principal tenure by school configuration. The study found no evidence to support that a school configuration made a significant difference in a principal’s experience, stability, or tenure.