School Culture and Instructional Leadership: A Comparison between High-Performing and Low-Performing Urban Secondary Schools

Abstract

In the school setting, instructional leadership has been asserted as the most crucial type of leadership that is closely linked to professional culture in schools. The main reason is that instructional leadership pertains to the core functions of education, instruction, and learning in classrooms, which also directly constitute as the main components of school culture. The purpose of the study presented in this paper was to examine and analyze the patterns of differences and relationships between instructional leadership and school culture of some high-and low-performing secondary schools. This study found that the school culture and instructional leadership of high-performing schools were markedly different from that of the low-performing schools. In high-performing schools, the school heads maintained positive attitudes toward students, staff, and parents; created a school culture and climate conductive to learning; and predominantly emphasized teachers’ professional values and collegiality. The findings imply that a school head should establish clear school vision and mission, set professional goals for staff, and build a two-way communication channel with teachers. School heads also should set high expectations on teachers and students, and create a positive school culture and climate of learning.