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An examination of the leadership practices of Catholic elementary school principals

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An examination of the leadership practices of Catholic elementary school principals

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Content Running head: PRACTICES OF CATHOLIC SCHOOL PRINCIPALS 1

An Examination of the Leadership Practices of Catholic Elementary School Principals

by

Lisa Zamora

A Dissertation Presented to the
FACULTY OF THE USC ROSSIER SCHOOL OF EDUCATION
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
In Partial Fulfillment of the
Requirements for the Degree
DOCTOR OF EDUCATION

May 2013

Copyright 2013 Lisa Zamora

PRACTICES OF CATHOLIC SCHOOL PRINCIPALS 2

Abstract
The purpose of this study was to investigate the leadership practices of Catholic elementary
school principals. This study sought out to determine: 1) the most prevalent leadership style
among Catholic elementary school principals, 2) the relationship between the mission and vision
of the school principal, 3) how principals create, maintain, and further the school’s Catholic
identity, and 4) how principals create a culture of academic success at their school site. A
mixed-methods approach was implemented utilizing a total of 35 Catholic elementary school
principals within the Archdiocese of Los Angeles (2012) who completed a survey composed of
closed and open-ended questions. Of the 35 principals who completed the survey, 5 were
selected and interviewed to gain further insight on addressing the research questions. The
study’s findings indicate that Catholic elementary school principals are primarily servant leaders
and a principal’s vision incorporates the mission and values that Catholic schools were created
upon. In addition, principals create, maintain, and further the Catholic identity of their schools
through various activities and the curriculum as well as incorporate buy-in, the use of data,
collaboration, and knowledge of the community in order to create a culture of academic success
at their schools. Overall, this study provides pastors, the superintendent, and the Department of
Catholic Schools with valuable information on what is occurring and what needs to be improved
upon within the Archdiocese of Los Angeles Catholic Schools.
PRACTICES OF CATHOLIC SCHOOL PRINCIPALS 3

Dedication
This dissertation is dedicated to my mother, Martha Zamora (1945-2003). I have been
truly blessed to have such an amazing, loving, and caring mother. May you continue to shine
down on me from heaven.
This is also dedicated to my dad, Henry Zamora, who has always been a supporter of my
educational endeavors.
Without either of them, I would not be the person I am today and so completing this
dissertation is my gift to them for everything they have given me. This would not have been
possible without either of them. Thank you for believing in me and inspiring me to reach for my
dreams.
PRACTICES OF CATHOLIC SCHOOL PRINCIPALS 4

Acknowledgments
I would like to thank my dissertation committee: Dr. Rudy Castruita (dissertation chair),
Dr. Pedro Garcia, and Dr. Julie Marsh. Thank you for all the support, patience, and guidance
during the dissertation process as well as throughout the entire program.
Thank you to all my friends, especially Rasien, Angelica, and Joan for understanding
why I have been busy and often unavailable the past three years. I am truly grateful for the times
we did hang out together that allowed me to relax and temporarily forget about everything that
needed to be done.
To the friends I have made throughout this program, thank you for challenging me to
learn about other aspects of education. Lushandra and Shanda, I sincerely appreciate all your
help and support throughout all the classes we have taken and the dissertation process. Without
either of you, this program would not have been as interesting and exciting.
Thank you to Michael for keeping me motivated and pushing me to finish my
dissertation. Your support and encouragement has been instrumental over the past few months.
Lastly, I would like to thank my brother and sisters for their constant support throughout
my entire educational career. Thank you for listening to my constant complaining and especially
for understanding when I did not have time. Your love and endless words of encouragement
gave me confidence that I would reach the finish line and graduate.

PRACTICES OF CATHOLIC SCHOOL PRINCIPALS 5

Table of Contents
Abstract ......................................................................................................................................2
Dedication ..................................................................................................................................3
Acknowledgments ......................................................................................................................4
List of Tables .............................................................................................................................9
List of Figures ..........................................................................................................................10

Chapter 1: Background ...................................................................................................11
Historical Background .................................................................................................12
Structure of Catholic Schools ......................................................................................14
Statement of the Problem .............................................................................................15
Purpose of the Study ....................................................................................................15
Research Questions ......................................................................................................16
Significance of the Study .............................................................................................16
Assumptions .................................................................................................................17
Limitations of the Study...............................................................................................17
Delimitations of the Study ...........................................................................................17
Definitions of Terms ....................................................................................................18
Overview of the Study .................................................................................................19

Chapter 2: Literature Review ..........................................................................................20
Introduction to the Topic .............................................................................................20
Leadership ....................................................................................................................20
Leadership versus Management ...................................................................................21
PRACTICES OF CATHOLIC SCHOOL PRINCIPALS 6

Principals ......................................................................................................................23
Culture ..........................................................................................................................27
Catholic Schools ..........................................................................................................28
Catholic School Principals ...........................................................................................31
Faith Leadership ...........................................................................................................33
Catholic Identity ...........................................................................................................34
Types of Leadership .....................................................................................................36
Transformational Leadership ...........................................................................36
Servant Leadership ...........................................................................................38
Authentic Leadership .......................................................................................40
Instructional Leadership ...................................................................................41
Conclusion ...................................................................................................................42

Chapter 3: Methodology .................................................................................................44
Introduction ..................................................................................................................44
Purpose of the Study ....................................................................................................44
Design of Study ...........................................................................................................45
Participants ...................................................................................................................46
Instrumentation ............................................................................................................47
Data Collection and Analysis .......................................................................................49
Validity ........................................................................................................................50
Limitations ...................................................................................................................50
Ethical Considerations .................................................................................................51
Summary ......................................................................................................................51
PRACTICES OF CATHOLIC SCHOOL PRINCIPALS 7

Chapter 4: The Findings .................................................................................................52
Introduction ..................................................................................................................52
Quantitative Demographic Data ......................................................................53
Qualitative Demographic Data ........................................................................56
Findings to Question 1 .................................................................................................57
Findings to Question 2 .................................................................................................66
Vision ...............................................................................................................67
Mission .............................................................................................................68
Findings to Question 3 .................................................................................................67
Meaning of Catholic Identity ...........................................................................70
Cultivating Catholic Identity ............................................................................70
Findings to Question 4 .................................................................................................72
Buy-In ..............................................................................................................72
Use of Data ......................................................................................................73
Collaboration ....................................................................................................74
The Community ...............................................................................................74
Summary ......................................................................................................................75

Chapter 5: Summary and Recommendations .................................................................77
Introduction ..................................................................................................................77
Statement of the Problem .............................................................................................77
Purpose of the Study ....................................................................................................78
Research Questions ......................................................................................................78
PRACTICES OF CATHOLIC SCHOOL PRINCIPALS 8

Methodology ................................................................................................................78
Findings .......................................................................................................................79
Limitations ...................................................................................................................82
Implications for Practice .............................................................................................82
Recommendations for Future Research .......................................................................83
Conclusion ...................................................................................................................84

References ................................................................................................................................85
Appendices
Appendix A: Principal Leadership Survey ..................................................................90
Appendix B: Letter to Superintendent Requesting Permission ...................................93
Appendix C: Principal Recruitment Letter ..................................................................94

PRACTICES OF CATHOLIC SCHOOL PRINCIPALS 9

List of Tables
Table 1 Leadership Theory and Practice .............................................................................22

Table 2 The 21 Responsibilities and Their Correlations (r) with
Student Academic Achievement ............................................................................24
Table 3 Demographics of Interview Participants ................................................................57

Table 4 Correlation Coefficients for Future Vision ............................................................68

Table 5 Correlation Coefficients for Embody Mission .......................................................69

PRACTICES OF CATHOLIC SCHOOL PRINCIPALS 10

List of Figures
Figure 1 Age of Principals Surveyed ...................................................................................53

Figure 2 Ethnic Breakdown of Principals Surveyed ............................................................54

Figure 3 School Size .............................................................................................................51

Figure 4 Survey Response to Servant Leadership Questions ...............................................59

Figure 5 Responses to Transformational Leadership Questions ..........................................61

Figure 6 Survey Response to Authentic Leadership Questions ...........................................62

Figure 7 Survey Response to Instructional Leadership Questions .......................................64

PRACTICES OF CATHOLIC SCHOOL PRINCIPALS 11

Chapter 1
Background
Catholic schools and public schools share the same goals to educate the children that
attend its schools, but Catholic schools believe that parents are the primary educators and schools
are a partner in the process of educating their children. The purpose of Catholic schools is to
educate the whole child, which includes spiritual and religious development. Spiritual and
religious development occurs through sacrament preparation, learning prayers, Mass, and
celebrations of holy days to name a few; all of which cannot be addressed with public school
attendance. This spiritual and religious development, along with nurturing and advancing the
school’s Catholic identity and mission is one of many responsibilities entrusted to the school
principal (Hunt, Joseph, & Nuzzi, 2004).
Catholic school principals are different from public school principals in that they must
provide not only educational leadership, but are also “working collaboratively with a variety of
parish and diocesan groups, promoting a Christian community among teachers, and providing
effective leadership that reflects the unique Catholic character of the school” (Hunt et al., 2004,
p. 483). Because a Catholic school principal is not just an educational leader, but a faith leader,
these principals are distinct from public school principals. Being a faith leader is an important
and vital necessity of a Catholic school principal because of the lack of religious members still in
Catholic schools. There are only about 3.7% religious or clergy members that are either teachers
or principals in Catholic schools while the remainder is composed of laypeople (McDonald &
Schultz, 2011). With the decline in clergy, the principal is required to make sure that the school
maintains enough of a religious aspect. Since Catholic school principals are unique from public
school principals, it is necessary to examine their leadership practices.
PRACTICES OF CATHOLIC SCHOOL PRINCIPALS 12

Historical Background
The history of Catholic schools paints a picture of where Catholic schools have been and
challenges they have encountered since their inception. Catholic schools originated back in the
17th century in Florida and Louisiana as a method to safeguard the Catholic faith of immigrant
families and their children (Hunt, 2005). Throughout the early infancy of Catholic schools, there
was a great urgency to create more schools because of Protestant influence on Catholic
immigrants (Hunt et al., 2004). In 1884, the Third Plenary Council of Baltimore called for all
Catholic parishes to create a school and for all Catholic parents to enroll their children in those
schools unless given permission from the bishop to do otherwise (Hunt, 2005). This was not
accomplished, but enrollment in Catholic schools did increase by 400% from 1880 to 1920,
partly due to the large increase in immigration to the United States. The Compulsory Education
Act of 1922 attempted to abolish Catholic schools in the state of Oregon by requiring children to
attend public schools, but a United States Supreme Court decision in Pierce v. Society of Sisters
declared the law unconstitutional (Hunt et al., 2004). This decision was a milestone in education
because it gave more rights for religious schools and anyone who wanted to operate a school.
In the 1920s and 1930s, Catholic schools saw a need to create Catholic high schools
despite the economic hardships encountered by the Great Depression. After World War II,
Catholic school enrollment increased even further leading to overcrowding in the schools. In
1962, Pope John XXIII assembled the Second Vatican Council (Vatican II) that eventually
changed Catholic schools from that point on. During this assembly of bishops, many documents
were created including the Declaration on Christian Education which called for the development
of more educational goals as well as the modification of those already in place (Hunt et al.,
2004). It emphasized that the Church has a role in education because of the strong presence of
PRACTICES OF CATHOLIC SCHOOL PRINCIPALS 13

Catholic schools. The document also emphasized the value of Catholic schools and the
significance of incorporating religious education. Most importantly, Vatican II stressed the
importance and involvement of laypeople in the Church and its schools.
The years following Vatican II led to the highest student enrollment from K-12 in
Catholic schools, but enrollment began to decline due to high costs and doubts about the mission
of Catholic schools and Catholic identity (Hunt et al., 2004). The decline in enrollment led to
school closures that ultimately began to raise questions about whether or not the Catholic Church
was beginning to abandon the poor despite its longtime commitment to the poor. The 1970s
continued to see enrollment problems, as well as the decrease in the number of vowed religious
teachers present in Catholic schools. This decline of vowed religious teachers and principals
allowed a growing number of lay teachers to enter the profession in Catholic schools. In effect,
this was the beginning of financial problems for Catholic schools because lay teachers and
principals required a higher salary than priests, brothers, nuns, or sisters needed (Hunt, 2005). It
also brought about many questions regarding the religiousness of Catholic schools because they
were starting to lack an overwhelming presence of clergy.
In 1983, the publication of A Nation at Risk (National Commission on Excellence in
Education, 1983) cautioned about “a rising tide of mediocrity” within the school systems and the
decline in student achievement. While public schools were struggling with a decline in student
achievement, Catholic school students yielded higher student achievement than those students in
public schools (Hunt, 2005). This led to an increase in enrollment, but Catholic schools were
plagued by three major challenges that are still considered a challenge today (Hunt, 2005). The
first challenge was in keeping and continuing to instill Catholic values despite the lack of clergy.
The second challenge dealt with academic achievement and having high standards for student
PRACTICES OF CATHOLIC SCHOOL PRINCIPALS 14

success. Lastly, the challenge of finances became very evident in the 1980s. With growing
costs, schools could only look toward tuition and subsidies to fulfill yearly budgets. Further
decline in enrollment continued into the 2000s and even included the closure of over 1,700
schools, most of which were elementary schools (McDonald & Schultz, 2011).
Structure of Catholic Schools
The structure of Catholic schools is extremely different from public schools mainly
because of the Church presence in education. According to the Code of Canon Law (Canon Law
Society of America, 1983), the Church is structured as a hierarchy that is divided into various
dioceses each of which is controlled by a bishop who has the final authority on his diocese. The
bishop, in turn, calls on pastors to control the operations of the parish and a superintendent to
manage all the schools within the diocese. Although there is a superintendent, leadership in
Catholic schools, particularly parish schools, should follow the Pastor-Principal model, which
involves a shared leadership between the parish pastor and the school principal (Weiss, 2007).
Each individual brings forth separate attributes, which are necessary for the operation of the
school. The pastor provides spiritual leadership and the school principal is the educational leader
of the school, but essentially it is vital that they work together to “serve the Church in the divine
mission to educate” (Weiss, 2007, p. 19). Although the principal operates the school, the Church
has authorized the pastor to make final decisions on the school because the school is considered a
part of the parish for which he is responsible. Although the pastor is the final decision maker,
the principal has to be an effective leader because he or she is in charge of the daily operations of
the school with the pastor only stepping in when needed.

PRACTICES OF CATHOLIC SCHOOL PRINCIPALS 15

Statement of the Problem
School leaders have been shown to have a powerful influence on the academic
achievement of students (Marzano, Waters, & McNulty, 2005). Although there is a vast amount
of literature on leadership, very little of that literature pertains to Catholic school leadership.
Historically, Catholic schools have had a strong religious presence in them; not only through its
teachers, but as principals. Now with this change in leadership from religious to laypeople, it is
necessary to examine the leadership practices of elementary school principals within the Catholic
school system. In addition, various Catholic schools are plagued by financial problems and low
enrollment that ultimately lead to school closures. The problem is that little is known about the
leadership practices utilized by Catholic school principals and how they use their leadership to
address some of the challenges currently facing Catholic schools. With the structure of Catholic
schools being so different than public schools, it is important to know about the leadership
practices of these principals. Without knowing about the leadership of Catholic elementary
school principals, little can be done to address the issues confronting these schools. By
understanding Catholic school leadership, it can assist in creating better Catholic schools that can
be led by principals that can have a positive effect on student achievement and, therefore,
creating more highly effective Catholic elementary schools.
Purpose of the Study
The purpose of this mixed-methods study was to address the lack of research available on
Catholic school leadership practices. This knowledge is of vital importance because Catholic
schools differ from public schools and all the current research does not necessarily relate to the
leadership practices of Catholic school principals. Catholic schools are also in a state of turmoil
with low enrollment, financial pressures, and school closures; therefore, this research can create
PRACTICES OF CATHOLIC SCHOOL PRINCIPALS 16

a better understanding for pastors in charge of hiring the principal and of the leadership practices
employed by the principals of their schools. Additionally, it can also create a greater sense of
awareness for superintendents of Catholic schools of the leadership needs of the principals.
Research Questions
The study focused on the following research questions pertaining to the leadership
practices of school principals and its influence on student achievement:
1. What is the most prevalent leadership style among Catholic elementary school
principals?
2. What is the relationship between mission and vision of Catholic elementary school
principals?
3. How does a Catholic elementary school principal create, maintain, and further the
school’s Catholic identity?
4. How does a Catholic elementary school principal create a culture of academic success?
Significance of the Study
This study will broaden the limited amount of research on Catholic school principals,
thus creating a larger database of information relevant to this particular type of leader and school.
Because of the changes occurring in Catholic schools, this research can assist in the recruitment,
preparation, and even the retention of principals, which has been seen to be of significant
importance within Catholic schools. The data yielded from this research can ultimately be useful
in creating professional development opportunities that can offer some sort of leadership support
to this population of principals.

PRACTICES OF CATHOLIC SCHOOL PRINCIPALS 17

Assumptions
The main assumption was all participants responded truthfully to the survey and
interview questions. Following are additional assumptions:
• The leadership of the principal is an important factor in the daily functioning of Catholic
schools despite the final authority of school decisions coming from the pastor.
• Because the pastor is the final decision maker, it is expected that his influence affects the
principal’s leadership practices.
Limitations of the Study
There were several limitations to this study.
• Because the survey involved self-evaluating their own leadership abilities, principals may
not have considered an area of strength or weakness.
• Principals may also have felt that responses to the survey and interview questions may
not have been confidential and so responded with desirable answers.
• The involvement of the researcher within the Catholic school system may have
introduced the possibility of bias and may possibly have affected the honesty from
principals in their responses.
Delimitations of the Study
This study was limited to Catholic elementary school principals within southern
California. Since the study incorporated only this area, the results may not be generalized to
other locations. Also, since the schools used were all Catholic schools, it was limited to only this
type of religious school. The results do not relate to public schools. The study only involved
elementary principals; therefore, it cannot be generalized to high school principals.
PRACTICES OF CATHOLIC SCHOOL PRINCIPALS 18

Definition of Terms
The following definitions were used in this study:
1. Catholic school: Schools that incorporate the mission of the Catholic Church within their
own educational mission. There are three types of Catholic schools: diocesan, parish, and
private schools.
2. Code of Canon Law (Canon Law): Laws and regulations used for governing a Christian
organization and its members (Canon Law Society of America, 1983).
3. Diocese (archdiocese): The region that is governed by the bishop or archbishop of the
Catholic Church.
4. Diocesan schools: Schools that are operated and financed by the diocese or archdiocese
for which the principal is held accountable to the bishop or archbishop through the
superintendent. These schools incorporate the educational mission of the diocese or
archdiocese (Hunt et al., 2004).
5. Elementary schools: Schools that enroll students from kindergarten or preschool to 8th
grade.
6. Layperson: A layperson or laity is any individual that is not a part of a Catholic religious
order.
7. Parish: A parish is a local church including its members, which is directly operated by the
pastor.
8. Parish (parochial) schools: A school that is connected to a particular parish because it
incorporates the educational mission of the parish. Finances and operations occur under
the supervision of the pastor to whom the principal is accountable (Hunt et al., 2004).
PRACTICES OF CATHOLIC SCHOOL PRINCIPALS 19

9. Pastor: A priest who is named by the bishop to be in charge of a parish and the parish
school.
10. Private Schools: Schools that are owned and governed by a Catholic religious order and
are independent of parish or diocesan governance. These schools are dependent on
tuition, donations, alumni, fundraising, and the religious order.
11. Second Vatican Council (Vatican II): The twenty-first Ecumenical Council that consisted
of bishops from around the world who met October 11, 1962 to December 8, 1965 (Hunt
et al., 2004). The objective of this council was to update the understandings and practices
of the Catholic Church to the challenges facing the world at the time. It resulted in major
changes within the Church including the announcement of the ideologies of Christian
education in schools and the involvement of laypeople in the Church and its schools.
Overview of the Study
Because there is limited literature on Catholic school leadership, Chapter 2 includes
literature pertaining to the leadership of principals in general as well as Catholic school
leadership. It will also detail Catholic identity and some leadership styles. Chapter 3 will detail
the methodology utilized in this study in order to address the research questions. It will also
include a description of the participants, instruments, data collection procedure, and the analysis
of data. Chapter 4 provides the findings of each research question. Lastly, chapter 5 provides a
summary of the findings and recommendations for future research.
PRACTICES OF CATHOLIC SCHOOL PRINCIPALS 20

Chapter 2
Literature Review
Introduction to the Topic
The effectiveness of a leader is critical to the success of any organization, including
schools. The Catholic school principal has various facets that he or she is responsible for when it
comes to the school. For example, the responsibility of hiring and supervising faculty and staff,
fundraising, recruitment of students, marketing, managing finances, and discipline are some of
the responsibilities of the principal. The principal has to maintain a strong Catholic identity
throughout the school, especially with the decline and disappearance of clergy within Catholic
schools. All students must be taught about the Catholic faith, its values, and virtues in order to
continue the catholicity of its schools. The principal’s ability to lead influences the learning
environment of the school and the effective leadership is a necessary component regardless of
the type of school (Fullan, 2002). This chapter will delve into the components of leadership.
Catholic schools and what researchers have found about leadership in Catholic schools will also
be reviewed. Lastly, various forms of leadership styles will be reviewed in order to form
foundations for this study focusing on the leadership practices of Catholic elementary school
principals.
Leadership
Throughout history, leadership has been a necessary component to the functioning of any
type of organization. Leadership has been given various definitions. Northouse (2010) defined
leadership as the “process by which an individual influences a group of individuals to achieve a
common goal” (p. 3). This definition of leadership indicates that leadership is interactive in such
a way that he or she affects the followers because they share a common goal. In schools,
PRACTICES OF CATHOLIC SCHOOL PRINCIPALS 21

leadership is vital for ensuring students receive a high quality education. In education, “school
leaders are those persons, occupying various roles in the school, who provide direction and exert
influence in order to achieve the school’s goals” (Leithwood & Riehl, 2003, p. 2). Schools can
have many leaders, but the formal leader who has authority over the daily operation and carries
out the achievement of goals is the school principal.
Bolman and Deal (2008) used the four frames of leadership to assist leaders in
developing skills that make them an effective leader. The four frames assisted in dealing with
experiences and deciding a course of action. The four frames are structural, human resource,
political, and symbolic. Each frame has potential problems that would be handled by the leader.
In the structural frame, there is an emphasis on the roles and relationships within an organization
while the human resource frame focuses on meeting the needs of those in the organization. The
political frame emphasizes the allocation of power and scarce resources through bargaining and
negotiation. The symbolic frame focuses on creating and promoting a common vision through
rituals, ceremonies, and symbols. When these rituals, ceremonies, or symbols lose meaning
within an organization, the leader must create meaning. Using the four frames of leadership,
effective leaders learn to reframe experiences and find answers to problems. Bolman and Deal’s
four frames of leadership are pertinent to any organization. It is even visible in the Catholic
Church and its schools, which are further discussed later on in this chapter.
Leadership versus Management
Leadership and management are commonly thought to be the same thing because of the
similarities they share. According to Northouse (2010), both leadership and management
involve influence, working with people, and effectively completing goals. The purpose of
management is to minimize commotion so that organizations can function efficiently. When
PRACTICES OF CATHOLIC SCHOOL PRINCIPALS 22

management is involved in creating and attaining goals, they are actually taking part in
leadership. When leaders take part in organizing, staffing, planning, and controlling, they are
essentially playing the management role. Overall though, leadership is meant to create change
and movement while management creates order and consistency. The manager is also involved
in maintaining the status quo of the organization while the leader develops and furthers the
organization. Table 1 illustrates the actions of management and leadership and how they differ
from each other. Any organization requires an equal balance of the two because management
and leadership are necessary for any organization to thrive.

Table 1
Leadership Theory and Practice
Management
Produces Order and Consistency
Leadership
Produces Change and Movement

Planning and Budgeting
- Establish agendas
- Set timetables
- Allocate resources

Establishing Direction
- Create a vision
- Clarify big picture
- Set strategies
Organizing and Staffing
- Provide structure
- Make job placements
- Establish rules and procedures
Aligning People
- Communicate goals
- Seek commitment
- Build teams and coalitions

PRACTICES OF CATHOLIC SCHOOL PRINCIPALS 23

Table 1 (Cont’d.)
Management
Produces Order and Consistency
Leadership
Produces Change and Movement
Controlling and Problem Solving
- Develop incentives
- Generate creative solutions
- Take corrective action
Motivating and Inspiring
- Inspire and energize
- Empower subordinates
- Satisfy unmet needs
Source: Northouse, 2010, p. 10

Principals
The effectiveness of how a school is run can influence the achievement of its students
(Marzano et al., 2005), thus making school leadership vital to the effectiveness of the school. In
a meta-analysis of 69 studies, Marzano et al. (2005) identified 21 behaviors or responsibilities of
principals that lead to effective school leadership. Table 2 illustrates the correlation of these 21
responsibilities with student achievement. Part of these responsibilities includes the ability to
embrace and respond to the diversity within the population of their students including culture,
immigration status, socioeconomic status, and disabilities (Leithwood & Riehl, 2003). To deal
with these issues, principals must have character, competence, and confidence, which were traits
that were typically admired by people in exemplary leaders (Kouzes & Posner, 2003).

PRACTICES OF CATHOLIC SCHOOL PRINCIPALS 24

Table 2
The 21 Responsibilities and Their Correlations (r) with Student Academic Achievement
Responsibility The
Extent to
Which
the
Principal
…
Average
r
95% CI No. of
Studies
No. of
Schools
1. Affirmation .19 .08 to .29 5 332
2. Change Agent .25 .16 to .34 6 466
3. Contingent Rewards .24 .15 to .32 9 465
4. Communication .23 .12 to .33 11 299
5. Culture .25 .18 to .31 15 819
6. Discipline .27 .18 to .35 12 437
7. Flexibility .28 .16 to .39 6 277
8. Focus .24 .19 to .29 44 1,619
9. Ideals/Beliefs .22 .14 to .30 7 513
10. Input .25 .18 to .32 16 669
11. Intellectual Stimulation .24 .13 to .34 4 302
12. Involvement in
Curriculum, Instruction,
and Assessment

.20 .14 to .27 23 826
13. Knowledge of
Curriculum, Instruction,
and Assessment

.25 .15 to .34 10 368
14. Monitoring/Evaluating .27 .22 to .32 31 1,129
15. Optimizer .20 .13 to .27 17 724
16. Order .25 .16 to .33 17 456
PRACTICES OF CATHOLIC SCHOOL PRINCIPALS 25

Table 2 (Cont’d.)
Responsibility The
Extent to
Which
the
Principal
…
Average
r
95% CI No. of
Studies
No. of
Schools
17. Outreach .27 .18 to .35 14 478
18. Relationships .18 .09 to .26 11 505
19. Resources .25 .17 to .32 17 571
20. Situational Awareness .33 .11 to .51 5 91
21. Visibility .20 .11 to .28 13 477
Source: Marzano et al., 2005, pp. 42-43

In schools, the individual responsible for daily operations is the principal (Marzano et al.,
2005). The leadership of principals in schools needs to be strong and effective so children are
prepared with the necessary skills for the future (Sergiovanni, 2007). Schools are not only meant
to provide students with knowledge and skills that would be utilized throughout their lifetime,
but they must also build character and instill virtue. To achieve this, the principal must ensure a
good school climate in order to maintain the quality and effectiveness of educational experiences
for all students (Black, 2010). Institutions are responsive and adaptive; therefore, the job of
transforming a school from an organization to an institution lies in the hands of the school
principal (Sergiovanni, 2007). Ultimately, school leadership is about the moral connection
people have to each other and the work they do through the development of shared beliefs,
values, community building, and character development.
Sergiovanni (2007) identified five aspects or forces of leadership that contribute to school
excellence, which were defined as schools that surpass satisfactory expectations and have
PRACTICES OF CATHOLIC SCHOOL PRINCIPALS 26

teachers that work much harder than expected in order to assist students in accomplishing more.
The five forces are technical, human, educational, symbolic, and cultural. The technical aspect
encompasses planning, organizing, coordinating, and scheduling. A school principal plans and
organizes school activities and meetings. The human leader provides support, inspiration, and
the opportunity for growth to those in the school by listening and providing professional
development. Educational leaders have the knowledge for supervising and evaluating the school
staff and developing the curriculum. The principal does this by being present in classrooms and
offering constructive criticism to better the staff. The technical, human, and educational aspects
are the most critical to the effectiveness of a school. A symbolic leader is one that is involved in
the school and its students by being present at events and working to fulfill the school’s vision.
Lastly, the cultural leader works to further strengthen the beliefs, values, and school mission that
give it its identity. Schools that are considered successful have strong cultures with vision of
excellence.
Gurr, Drysdale, and Mulford (2007) studied the characteristics of school principals that
were considered successful based on peer perceptions. They found that these principals all had
child-centered values and promoted a culture of collaboration, support, and trust in their schools.
They were heavily focused on improving school-wide learning, which was found to be essential
to change. Principals were often described as “visionary” or “inspirational” in their leadership
abilities. All the principals involved in the study had common beliefs and values, which
included that every child was important, capable of success, and that the principal can and should
make a difference in the school and the lives of its children.
In a review of research, Leithwood, Louis, Anderson, and Wahlstrom (2004) indicated
that classroom instruction impacts student achievement the most, followed by leadership.
PRACTICES OF CATHOLIC SCHOOL PRINCIPALS 27

Principals contribute to student achievement by influencing the teachers that teach the
curriculum. The impact of a principal’s leadership is even more profound in those schools that
have low performing students. Many low performing schools are found in inner cities where
successful leadership occurs in a top-down manner. Leadership also differs depending on the
size of the school. Small schools tended to have principals directly involved in instruction.
Because the size of the school is small, it makes it easier for leaders to model what they would
like to see in the classroom. As opposed to small schools, large schools tend to focus more on an
indirect involvement through professional development opportunities.
Culture
Leithwood and Riehl (2003) identified the following three categories as important for
leaders within any type of organization: setting directions, developing people, and developing the
organization. Setting directions incorporates the development of goals and inspiring others.
Having goals is vital in knowing what to strive for. The principal creates high expectations and
monitors the performance and progress by communicating with teachers. Developing people
occurs through the growth of human resources which is done through support and professional
development. The principal is respectful and concerned about the faculty’s and staff’s needs.
The development of the organization encompasses having a strong school culture and focusing
on collaboration. Establishing the culture of the school promotes caring and trust among
individuals, which help, set the tone for the pursuit of goals. The principal does not only work
with the teachers, but must also work with parents, the community, and any other influential
people to create a school culture. Effective leadership is critical in reforming any organization
including schools (Leithwood & Riehl, 2003; Leithwood et al., 2004).
PRACTICES OF CATHOLIC SCHOOL PRINCIPALS 28

A principal who is focused on learning can cause a school’s structure and culture to
change by helping teams of teachers as opposed to individual teachers in achieving the school’s
academic goals (DuFour, 2002). Schools cannot grow and survive without structural and
cultural change. Actions on behalf of the principal and leaders at all levels in the school are
necessary. A principal or a Cultural Change Principal as Fullan (2002) described is much like a
business leader in that he or she must be aware of the big picture and be a thinker who can use
people to transform the school. This principal is energetic, enthusiastic, and hopeful and in
conjunction with the skills that Fullan described should yield a leader that is capable of
improving a school’s environment.
Fullan (2002) mentioned five characteristics of a Cultural Change Principal, which are
moral purpose, understanding change, ability to improve relationships, knowledge creation and
sharing, and coherence making. A principal with a moral purpose wants to make a difference in
the lives of students. Wanting to make a difference adds to the urgency to have high performing
students that assist in closing the achievement gap. This Cultural Change Principal seeks to
develop and prepare other leaders that can continue the reform into the future with or without the
presence of the current principal. The ability to understand change incorporates new ideas and
provides opportunities for teachers to see these ideas being used and anticipates change to occur
soon after. Improving relationships can lead to better schools; hence leaders build relationships
with people in order to benefit the school and students in the long run.
Leadership requires creating and sharing knowledge from all areas. The Cultural Change
Principal encourages the sharing of new research and is above all the lead learner that models
lifelong learning to all of the school’s faculty and staff. The skill of coherence making works
hand-in-hand with the other characteristics because the leader must make sense of all the ideas
PRACTICES OF CATHOLIC SCHOOL PRINCIPALS 29

that they are presented. In order to be an effective principal, principals should have these
characteristics as they lead a school because it is the principal who promotes these necessary
conditions that bring about educational reform.
Catholic Schools
Catholic schools are different than public schools primarily because Christ is the
foundation. In addition, Catholic schools are different in that they function under two sets of
laws, state law and Church law which is known as Canon Law (Schafer, 2004). Under Canon
Law (Canon Law Society of America, 1983), the pastor is the final authority over a parish
school. Despite having delegated the responsibility of the parish school to the principal, having
the support from the pastor is a vital necessity because of the pastor’s ability to be the ultimate
decision maker of the school. Hunt et al., (2004) explained that this structure of governance as
indicated in Canon Law creates less educational bureaucracy.
According to the Congregation for Catholic Education (CCE, 1977) the purpose of
Catholic schools is to teach students about Jesus and encourage them to create the Kingdom of
God in addition to educating on other academic subjects. Students and teachers grow spiritually
and personally when a school has a Catholic culture that is created and communicated to all
(CCE, 1977). Hamilton (2008) found that 91% of Catholics associate the development of moral
values and discipline with parochial schools. Catholic schools work towards mission fulfillment
by educating students “intellectually and morally to exercise their rights and responsibilities as
Catholic citizens, not only of this nation and the global community but of God’s kingdom as
well” (Jacobs, 2000, p. 89). It is a misconception that because of tuition costs, Catholic schools
are for the rich especially when 81% of Catholics still relate Catholic schools to educating the
poor and disadvantaged as they were originally meant to do (Hamilton, 2008).
PRACTICES OF CATHOLIC SCHOOL PRINCIPALS 30

Catholic schools can either be considered diocesan, private, or parochial and this
classification indicates the type of administrative model it follows. A diocesan school is
operated and financed by the diocese. The principal of a diocesan school reports to the
superintendent. Private schools differ in the sense that they are owned and governed by a
religious order. The principal is held accountable to a president. The most common model
refers to the pastor-principal model that is seen within parochial (parish) schools. In the pastor-
principal model, the pastor authorizes the principal to lead the school in religious formation and
in academics (Hunt et al., 2004). Although the principal is the leader of the school, major
decisions, especially in regards to finances, must go through the pastor for final authorization.
The pastor and principal need to be able to collaborate for the school to effectively operate
(Weiss, 2007). According to Hunt et al. (2004), the principal is the educational leader when it
comes to hiring, supervising, and evaluating school personnel, developing the school’s
curriculum, providing professional development, and any other administrative aspects that
pertain to the day-to-day functioning of a school. The pastor has the ultimate authority over the
principal, especially in the areas of faith formation, fundraising, budget, and payroll. In this
relationship, the pastor needs to provide support for the principal in leading the parish school
(Schafer, 2004). The pastor and principal must work together because they each bring some
expertise. With the principal’s educational knowledge and the pastor’s Church knowledge, they
work together to continue the Church’s mission.
Bolman and Deal’s (2008) four frames of leadership are apparent within the Catholic
Church and its schools. The structural frame is evident with the Code of Canon Law which
explains the structure, organization, and governance of the Catholic Church and Catholic schools
(Weiss, 2007). These structures set up expectations for the functioning of Catholic schools. For
PRACTICES OF CATHOLIC SCHOOL PRINCIPALS 31

the human resources frame, the needs of both the pastor and principal who essentially work
together should be a good fit or else both would suffer. It is necessary for both to see how they
perceive each other in order to know each other’s needs. Power is a major component that
constitutes the political frame. Essentially, conflicts are inevitable since people vie for power.
Weiss (2007) indicated that this power conflict frequently occurs between the pastor and school
principal when neither is willing to submit to the other’s authority. This is definitely a serious
problem since principals are commonly perceived as the school’s leaders, but Canon Law
(Canon Law Society of America, 1983) states that the pastor has the final authority for the
schools despite having delegated the ability to lead the school to the principal. Lastly, the
symbolic frame is easily visible through the Church’s symbols, rituals, and ceremonies that
create meaning within the church. All components of the symbolic frame are evident within the
school, but must further be emphasized for the sake of the perpetuation of the school’s Catholic
identity. Essentially, effective leadership on behalf of both the principal and pastor is based on
their ability to reframe and take a look at the organization from another point of view (Bolman &
Deal, 2008).
Catholic School Principals
Catholic school principals are predominantly Catholic, but there are some that are not
(Hunt et al., 2004). Some reasons that account for the low numbers of non-Catholics include
lack of interest in administration on the part of the applicant and the preference of having
practicing Catholics in Catholic schools from the perspective of the pastor. They are even
deterred from becoming principal because of what the job entails. The governance of Catholic
schools and conflicts with pastors make the recruitment and retention of Catholic school
principals difficult (Durrow & Brock, 2004). In addition, principals usually began their careers
PRACTICES OF CATHOLIC SCHOOL PRINCIPALS 32

as teachers and therefore teachers do not want to become principals because of the problems they
encounter or see while they are teachers. Many who leave the principalship do so for a different
position within Catholic education while others leave the Catholic school system altogether
(Durrow & Brock, 2004). The attrition of principals, therefore, interrupts the continuity of
leadership at the school and leadership continuity is important because it has been connected
with school success (Guerra, 2000). Catholic school principals begin their careers as teachers
and then move up to becoming a principal. Public school principals often see themselves as a
professional educator but Catholic school principals see themselves as dedicated to a vocation in
Catholic schools before they even consider themselves to be professional educators (Schuttloffel,
2007). A major challenge to Catholic schools is the salary principals receive which is not as high
as public school principals. Furthermore, governance issues involving the pastor continue to
make the recruitment and retention difficult for Catholic school principals.
Frequently, principals are faced with making decisions where there is no right or wrong
answer (d’Arbon, Duignan, & Duncan, 2002). Regardless of feeling unprepared they have to
take up the role of religious leader (d’Arbon, Duignan, & Duncan, 2002). The position of
principal may be demanding and stressful because they are principal, educator, and administrator
and, in addition, the faith leader of the school. The principal of any type of school must endure
most of the same demands and stresses. A Catholic school principal is different in that they
work within:
. . . communities of faith, living Gospel values within a Christian framework, [which]
would seem to elevate the principalship (and all who are leaders) to the level of a special
vocation – a vocation to make a difference in the lives of others, not only educationally
but also ethically, morally, and spiritually. (d’Arbon, Duignan, & Duncan, 2002, p. 482)

Essential to the survival of Catholic schools is the support that is needed from the Church
(Schuttloffel, 2007). This support needs to come from bishops and pastors in many forms, even
PRACTICES OF CATHOLIC SCHOOL PRINCIPALS 33

financially. Bishops and pastors are essential components to the viability of Catholic schools
because of their influence and relationship to the Catholic Church and its schools. School
viability pertains to “their value, quality, effectiveness, sources of support and parental
involvement” (Convey, 2000, p. 26). Strong leadership is required for the effective functioning
of any organization even a Catholic school. In a study examining the views of bishops and
priests, Convey (2000) found that bishops and priests were supportive of Catholic schools in
regards to quality, effectiveness, and parental involvement. However when it came to the need
and value of Catholic schools, bishops were considered more supportive than priests. This may
be due to the simple fact that bishops do not work directly with the schools like priests do.
Faith Leadership
The principal of a Catholic school must provide educational leadership as well as faith
leadership to the school and its students and families (Hunt et al., 2004). The principal in a
Catholic school is considered a faith leader because he or she has the responsibility “to foster the
integration of Catholic faith in the school’s curriculum and all of its other activities” (Hunt et al.,
2004, p. 293). Being a faith leader entails nurturing, protecting, and advancing the school’s
Catholic identity. As a faith leader, the principal is a witness to one’s faith and brings students
and faculty together in prayer. In Catholic education, the faith leader invites people to be more
like Christ through the signs of Catholic faith with mass, prayers, and service. This faith
component of leadership is a significant role of the principal that makes a Catholic school
principal different from a public school principal.
Faith leadership also refers to the principal’s ability to lead in attaining the school’s
religious mission (Carr, 2000). The faith leadership ability of the principal is a major indicator
of Catholic school effectiveness because the principal must fulfill the academic and religious
PRACTICES OF CATHOLIC SCHOOL PRINCIPALS 34

goals of Catholic education (Carr, 2000). The Catholic school principal is unlike any other
principal because their leadership is a “blend of educational skill, managerial skill, and a
dynamism which is able to perform well and to grow spiritually and educationally” (Drahmann
& Stenger, 1989 as cited in Carr, 2000, p. 71). In a study of 612 Catholic elementary school
principals, measuring faith leadership and its relation to self-efficacy, satisfaction, and
motivation, Carr (2000) found that the higher a principal rated themself in mission motivation,
the higher their satisfaction with being a faith leader. In addition, satisfaction levels were higher
for those who had been principals longer. Principals were highly motivated in achieving the
mission and these motivation levels increased with time. The only problem is that many
principals leave the position and do not give it time to develop.
In a study of 314 Catholic school principals, almost 75% of Catholic school principals in
the United States indicated through self-reports that they were inadequately prepared for their
role as faith leader because of a lack of Church knowledge, Church teachings, and Catholic
school history (Wallace, 2000). Vowed principals were found to have a higher satisfaction level
with being a faith leader handling the pressures that accompany the position (Carr, 2000). Since
part of the goal of Catholic education involves faith, the change from the religious members in
schools to laity leaves this goal in the hands of laypeople that must embrace and work towards
continuing the mission of Catholic education (Jacobs, 2000).
Catholic Identity
With the decline of clergy present in schools, Catholic schools need to retain and
encourage the development of characteristics that give it its Catholic identity. Hobbie, Convey,
and Schuttloffel (2010) investigated the relationship between Catholic school identity and the
organizational leadership in elementary schools within 138 Catholic schools and discovered a
PRACTICES OF CATHOLIC SCHOOL PRINCIPALS 35

relationship with the four factors (principal mindfulness, institutional integrity, collegial
leadership, and resource influence) that measure organizational leadership. In looking at
Catholic identity and organizational leadership, they were interested in the extent to which it
could be used to predict school vitality. It was found that the Catholic school identity predicted
the vitality of elementary schools because the faculty was positively involved and was
competent. McCarron (1997 as cited in Hobbie et al., 2010) stated “Principals who have high
leadership belief also have high leadership behavior and perceive a high level of manifestation of
Catholic identity in their schools” (p. 8).
The presence of a strong Catholic identity is important for the future vitality of Catholic
elementary schools. Hobbie et al. (2010) encouraged religious professional development for
principals and teachers in order for them to become familiar and comfortable enough to integrate
faith into all curricular subjects for the enhancement of a school’s Catholic identity. Hobbie et
al. (2010) offered four methods for improving the ability of Catholic school principals to lead.
The first method involves the principal having the understanding and knowledge to implement
the schools mission. The principal needs to be able to develop relationships with his faculty and
staff in order to instill the value of high performance in instruction for the achievement of the
school’s goals. The principal has to be aware and open to the different perspectives of the
school’s faculty and staff. Lastly, there is a tremendous need for bishops, pastors, and the
superintendent of schools to work together to develop resources and professional development
for principals.
The Catholic identity and mission is crucial for Catholic schools. In the past, it was easy
to maintain and cultivate the school’s identity and mission, especially with the presence of the
clergy within the school, but the retention is becoming difficult with the disappearance of the
PRACTICES OF CATHOLIC SCHOOL PRINCIPALS 36

clergy and the increasing amount of students enrolling in Catholic schools that are non-Catholic
(Carr, 2000). Therefore, effective leadership in which principals can handle all aspects of
Catholic school leadership is crucial for the viability of Catholic schools.
Types of Leadership
There are various types of leadership styles; however, only transformational leadership,
servant leadership, authentic leadership, and instructional leadership will be discussed. Each is
discussed because of how its leadership qualities may pertain to Catholic school principals.
Transformational leadership. Transformational leadership is referred to as “a process that
changes and transforms people” (Northouse, 2010, p. 171). In any organization, this form of
leadership emphasizes the initiation, development, and the fulfillment of change. Change is
needed because it makes keeping up with current societal changes possible. This type of leader
is concerned with helping followers reach their full potential. In order to do so, the leader pays
special attention to their needs and motives. Transformational leadership involves the creation of
relationships that in turn contribute to a higher sense of motivation and morals for both the leader
and his followers. Transformational leaders motivate and inspire their followers to work in
achieving the organization’s goals which is much like how a Catholic school principal works to
have his followers reach the goal of fulfilling the school’s mission (Marks & Printy, 2003;
Northouse, 2010). They act as role models for their followers and exhibit confidence,
competence, and strong beliefs, and effectively communicate (Northouse, 2010). Followers of a
transformational leader feel they are heard and listened to. The transformational leader creates a
vision for the future of an organization and builds trust with his followers and collaborates with
them in order to accomplish the set-forth vision.
PRACTICES OF CATHOLIC SCHOOL PRINCIPALS 37

Transformational leaders are needed in schools that are culturally tight and structurally
loose because these structurally loose schools are not as influenced by the organizational rules
and management (Sergiovanni, 2007). Sergiovanni (2007) described many values that are
essential to transformational leadership. This leader has a purpose that responds to the needs of
others. The transformational leader leads by empowering others in hope of receiving more
power in return. They are concerned with using leadership power to help others in being
successful indicating that the concern is dealing more with what is being accomplished as
opposed to what people are doing. The concept of quality control to a transformational leader
relates to the belief of teachers and their commitment to quality. Transformational leadership
has “the ability to tap higher depths of human potential and to produce levels of performance that
are beyond human expectations” (Sergiovanni, 2007, p. 80).
The transformational leader is mission centered, performance centered, and culture
centered (Marks & Printy, 2003). As a mission-centered leader, the principal develops a vision
for the school and has goals and priorities in mind for the achievement of these goals. Being a
performance-centered leader requires having high expectations for student achievement and
providing support. The culture-centered leader works towards reinforcing the school’s culture
through modeling and building values.
In a mixed-methods study looking at leadership and student performance in elementary
and secondary schools, Marks and Printy (2003) noticed that schools that lacked
transformational leadership also lacked shared leadership. Shared leadership incorporates the
collaboration on curriculum, instruction, and assessment from both the principal and the
teachers. When leadership is ineffective, schools are deficient in collaboration. Shared
leadership allows teachers to take on more responsibility for their professional as well as
PRACTICES OF CATHOLIC SCHOOL PRINCIPALS 38

instructional growth. Having strong transformational leadership is needed in order to support
teacher commitment that would lead to shared leadership. Shared leadership needs to be pursued
and fostered because it will not develop on its own and so the transformational leader would
need to transform the organization if shared leadership is a goal. Marks and Printy stated “When
the principal elicits high levels of commitment and professionalism from teachers and works
interactively with teachers in a shared instructional leadership capacity, schools have the benefit
of integrated leadership” (p. 393).
Transformational leadership emphasizes change and the components that constitute it like
ideas, innovation, influence, and consideration for others involved (Marks & Printy, 2003).
Therefore, this form of leadership is most needed by principals if they are to lead schools
through reform. As leaders, principals have two choices when it comes to a school’s culture,
they can transform it or choose to maintain it. Transformational leadership has the goal of
improving the performance of an organization through finding and solving problems and
collaborating with stakeholders (Marks & Printy, 2003).
Servant leadership. Robert Greenleaf’s (1977) idea of servant leadership developed from
the need to help others. The servant leader is seen as not leading from the top of the
organization, but from the center of it. A Catholic school principal is similar in that they do not
lead from the top. Typically, the servant leader puts others before themselves. Greenleaf’s
description of servant leadership stated that:
The servant-leader is servant first . . . It begins with the natural feeling that one wants to
serve, to serve first. Then conscious choice brings one to aspire to lead. He or she is
sharply different from the person who is leader first, perhaps because of the need to
assuage an unusual power drive or to acquire material possessions. For such it will be a
later choice to serve – after leadership is established. (p. 52)

PRACTICES OF CATHOLIC SCHOOL PRINCIPALS 39

Servant leadership is similar to transformational leadership, but goes even further than
transformational leadership because it transforms people so that they may grow personally and
professionally with the possibility that they may become servants (Black, 2010).
The following are skills that are necessary of servant leaders:
• Understanding the personal needs of those within the organization
• Healing wounds caused by conflict within the organization
• Being a steward of the resources of the organization
• Developing the skills of those within the organization
• Being an effective listener (Marzano et al., 2005, p. 17)
Because servant leadership is focused on serving others, Schafer (2005) indicated that this is
the most suitable leadership style for those in Catholic schools because the concept of servant
leadership is evident throughout the teaching of the Catholic Church. Black (2010) suggested
that principals should be servant leaders especially if they would like to improve school climate.
Principals that are servant leaders can be curriculum and faith leaders by seeking to improve
student achievement and protecting the faith community that is evident within the values and
purpose of Catholic schools. While serving others is an important component of servant
leadership, “the most important thing is to serve the values and ideas that help shape the school”
(Sergiovanni, 2007, p. 51).
Characteristics of servant leadership include listening, healing, stewardship, community
building, and the commitment to the growth of all individuals (Schafer, 2005). Spears (1998)
created a list of traits that servant leaders should have beginning with the ability to motivate
others, listen, heal, be empathetic, aware, and persuade. The list goes on to include foresight,
stewardship, community building, and commitment to the growth of others. Many of these
PRACTICES OF CATHOLIC SCHOOL PRINCIPALS 40

characteristics of a servant leader are similar to the goals of Catholic schools, which are to
cognitively, physically, emotionally, and spiritually educate children (Black, 2010).
Authentic leadership. Authentic leadership focuses on the “authenticity of leaders and
their leadership” (Northouse, 2010, p. 205). This form of leadership relies on trustworthiness,
honesty, and goodness, especially during tough times. Authentic leadership is seen through the
intrapersonal, interpersonal, and developmental viewpoints, each of which has a distinct meaning
to what authentic leadership is. The intrapersonal perspective focuses on what goes on within
the leader in terms of self-knowledge, self-regulation, and self-concept. Interpersonally,
authentic leadership relies on the relationship that occurs between the leader and the followers
and ultimately materializes from these interactions (Northouse, 2010). From the developmental
aspect, authentic leadership can be cultivated over time and may develop after major life altering
events (Avolio & Gardner, 2005).
Another key element to authentic leadership is the concept of self-knowledge, which
forms when individuals are motivated to learn more about their own inner self. Knowing oneself
is very important to the concept of authentic leadership and can only be fully realized by those
who have, “the commitment and courage to come to know and understand the full extent of the
influential power of their whole inner Self” (Branson, 2007, p. 228). It is important to know
one’s own personal values because they influence behavior.
Northouse (2010) specified that authentic leadership has four components. The first
component is self-awareness, which relates to being aware of oneself and trusting yourself. It
also involves knowing yourself on a deeper level. Like servant leadership and transformational
leadership, authentic leadership has a moral aspect to it that incorporates the need to do what is
right for their followers above and beyond their own personal needs. The second component,
PRACTICES OF CATHOLIC SCHOOL PRINCIPALS 41

internalized moral perspective refers to the use of morals and values to guide the leader’s
decision making. Having moral reasoning empowers the authentic leader to make ethical
decisions that can encourage justice for those around them. The third component of authentic
leadership is balanced processing. It refers to the ability to evaluate and explore information and
ideas from different perspectives. The final component is called rational transparency, which
involves open communication that allows the person to be honest about feelings and motives.
This open communication enables the formation of trusting relationships that lead to loyalty and
commitment from followers. These four components are at the core of authentic leadership.
They essentially create a leader that people can trust and ultimately people want a person they
can trust leading them.
Instructional leadership. Instructional leadership requires principals to focus attention
on improving the teaching and learning that occurs at their schools (Jenkins, 2009). To be an
instructional leader, the principal has to make the quality of instruction a top priority. More
often, instructional leadership is not prioritized because principals lack training, knowledge,
time, and having paperwork to complete (Fullan, 1991). In making instruction a priority, the
principal has to be involved in the goal setting and resource allocation that is specifically to
instruction (Jenkins, 2009). In addition, the principal manages the curriculum, monitors lesson
plans, and evaluates teachers.
Instructional leadership can be direct or indirect (Bendikson, Robinson, & Hattie, 2012).
Direct instructional leadership is focused on improving the teaching that occurs in the classroom,
while indirect instructional leadership is centered on the conditions that would lead to teaching
and learning. In a study on principal leadership that included 651 teachers, Bendikson,
Robinson, and Hattie (2012) found that instructional leadership at the high school level is more
PRACTICES OF CATHOLIC SCHOOL PRINCIPALS 42

likely to be indirect because much of those responsibilities are delegated to department heads.
On the contrary, within elementary schools, there is less of a hierarchy making the instructional
leadership by the principal more direct. Direct instructional leadership was also more frequently
found within schools that were showing improvements in academic performance.
In a study of 809 teachers, Blase and Blase (2000) looked at characteristics of principals
that were involved in classroom instruction. They found that principals who were instructional
leaders had discussions with teachers for the purpose of promoting reflection. Within these
conversations, several approaches were taken including making suggestions, modeling, asking
questions, and giving feedback and praise. Also, Blase and Blase (2000) found that principals
with instructional leadership qualities encouraged professional growth of their teachers by
supporting collaboration, developing coaching relationships, and incorporating research into
decision making.
Since instructional leaders are focused on teaching and learning, they need to have up-to-
date knowledge in the field. Their knowledge should include maintaining awareness in the
changing concepts within curriculum, different teaching methodology, and assessments (DuFour,
2002). The school principal’s role as an instructional leader makes them an educational
visionary that guides teachers in ensuring student learning and therefore to ensure student
learning; first and foremost, the principal acts as a “facilitator of teacher growth” (Marks &
Printy, 2003, p. 374).
Conclusion
This literature contributes to the study because many of the traits and characteristics are
essential to any principal regardless of the type of school, but Catholic school principals require
an added dimension to their leadership abilities. They must also be faith leaders that work to
PRACTICES OF CATHOLIC SCHOOL PRINCIPALS 43

perpetuate the Catholic identity of the school. There is still much to be learned about Catholic
school principals and how they lead their schools; so consequently, there is a need for further
research on Catholic school education.
PRACTICES OF CATHOLIC SCHOOL PRINCIPALS 44

Chapter 3
Methodology
Introduction
The job of a Catholic school principal entails many responsibilities that are unique for the
position like incorporating religion into all aspects of the school’s education. In addition, the
principal is also involved in finance, facility management, development, fundraising, and public
relations (Archdiocese of Los Angeles, 2012). Therefore, the leadership practices of the school
principal are vital for the survival of Catholic schools due to the current challenges they face and
because of the many roles they assume. This chapter describes the purpose of the study, its
design, the sample and population, instrumentation, and the methods of data collection and
analysis utilized in this study.
Purpose of the Study
The purpose of this mixed-methods study was to investigate the leadership practices of
Catholic elementary school principals in order to address the lack of current research available.
This study was intended to focus on leadership practices of Catholic school principals because
they differ from their public school counterparts and leadership is a critical element in education
regardless of the type of school. This study was designed to address the following research
questions:
1. What is the most prevalent leadership style among Catholic elementary school
principals?
2. What is the relationship between mission and vision of Catholic elementary school
principals?
PRACTICES OF CATHOLIC SCHOOL PRINCIPALS 45

3. How does a Catholic elementary school principal create, maintain, and further the
school’s Catholic identity?
4. How does a Catholic elementary school principal create a culture of academic success?
Design of Study
According to Creswell (2003), the three important approaches for research are
quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods. Quantitative data is best used for the gathering of
numeric data that would then yield a numerical interpretation of the variables. On the other
hand, qualitative data, seeks to determine how things work through the reliance on observations
and descriptions (McEwan & McEwan, 2003). A mixed-methods approach allows for the use of
both quantitative and qualitative methodology, which in turn allows for better understanding of
research questions because of the diversity of the data collected (Creswell, 2003).
To allow for a comprehensive collection of data to address the research questions, this
study was conducted using mixed methodology incorporating responses to a survey and
interviews with Catholic elementary school principals. Research question one was addressed
primarily through the use of quantitative data, but also integrated qualitative methodology. In
order to address research question two, quantitative methodology was used through a survey. A
survey is best utilized to address this question because the researcher is looking for a relationship
between variables that can be explained through the use of numerical data (McEwan & McEwan,
2003). The use of a survey also allows the researcher the ability to “generalize from a sample to
a population so that inferences can be made about some characteristic, attitude, or behavior of
the population” (Creswell, 2003, p. 146).
Qualitative methodology was used to address research question three but data from the
survey was also incorporated. Research question four strictly used qualitative data from the
PRACTICES OF CATHOLIC SCHOOL PRINCIPALS 46

survey and interviews with school principals. The use of qualitative methodology allows for
greater depth and detail than can be yielded through the use of a survey because it focuses on
explaining how and why things work or did not work (McEwan & McEwan, 2003). Therefore,
the use of qualitative methodology can allow the researcher to delve into the topic being studied
allowing for the ability to further explain how and why things work.
Participants
The population for this study was Catholic elementary school principals in California, but
specifically within the Archdiocese of Los Angeles (2012). The Archdiocese of Los Angeles
incorporates Los Angeles, Santa Barbara, and Ventura counties and consists of 224 Catholic
elementary schools that offer education from kindergarten to 8th grade with many schools
starting at preschool. These schools are further broken up into parish schools, diocesan schools,
and private schools depending on their governance structure. The demographics of the 224
principals are unknown to the researcher.
On behalf of the researcher, the superintendent of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles (2012)
encouraged all 224 principals to participate in the study. Therefore, the quantitative portion of
this study included principals with different levels of experience. Of the 224 principals who
were encouraged to participate in the study, 35 surveys were received yielding a response rate of
15.6%. Limitations to this low response rate will be addressed later.
For the interview portion of the study, purposeful sampling was used because of its focus
on “selecting information-rich cases whose study will illuminate the questions under study”
(Patton, 2002, p. 230). Specifically, criterion sampling was utilized due to the predetermined
criteria set forth by the researcher. Interview participants were required to have at least two
years of experience as a Catholic elementary school principal and at least two years at the same
PRACTICES OF CATHOLIC SCHOOL PRINCIPALS 47

school site. If principals responded to the survey but did not meet the set requirements, their
survey responses would be used, but the researcher would not utilize their responses to the
qualitative questions. Because this study examined the leadership practices of Catholic
elementary school principals, the researcher deemed it necessary to focus interview data on
principals that were not in their first year in the position since they were still learning the job as
well as their own leadership skills. The researcher believed that after the first year as a principal,
they would have a better ability to understand and reflect on their own leadership skills and have
greater knowledge of what is required of a Catholic elementary school principal.
Of the 35 principals that participated in the survey portion of the study, 14 indicated a
desire to participate in a face-to-face interview. Five principals were selected and interviewed
based on meeting the set forth criteria, schedule availability, and geographic location. In
addition, they were chosen incorporating a mix of gender, ethnicity, and experience.
Pseudonyms were assigned to participants in order to allow for anonymity.
Instrumentation
The researcher developed the Principal Leadership Survey (Appendix A) instrument used
in this study. The first section of the survey consisted of demographic information regarding
gender, ethnicity, religion, total experience, years at current school site, and type of school
(diocesan, parish, private). The main portion of the survey consisted of 40 statements, all of
which were rated on a 5-point Likert scale (1-strongly disagree, 2-disagree, 3-neutral, 4-agree,
and 5-strongly agree). Each statement in the survey reflected leadership traits drawn from the
literature. The third section of the survey was composed of two open-ended questions, which
required them to explain how they created a school culture of high expectations for all students
and how they foster the Catholic identity within their school.
PRACTICES OF CATHOLIC SCHOOL PRINCIPALS 48

The survey was pilot tested by one Catholic school principal who did not participate in
the study due to the close affiliation to the researcher. The survey was reviewed for any gaps in
the language used and for clarity. In addition, it was also reviewed to ensure that participants
would not spend more than 20 minutes taking the survey. Any feedback given was incorporated
to make necessary changes to the survey instrument in order to maintain content validity.
The use of interviews allowed for more details and information that could not be gathered
employing only quantitative methodology. The interview protocol consisted of six open-ended
questions used to determine the leadership styles and how the school culture is cultivated. The
interview protocol entailed the following:
1) Define your own leadership style.
a. Do you feel it is effective? Why? Why not?
b. Can you give an example?
2) How is your leadership growth fostered?
3) What leadership skills are needed to create a culture of academic success?
4) How do you create a culture of academic success at your school?
a. How does your school’s culture support student achievement?
b. How is the school’s academic performance judged?
5) How would you define the Catholic identity of a school?
a. Can you describe the Catholic identity of your school?
b. How does your school’s uniqueness embrace its Catholic identity?
6) How do you cultivate your school’s Catholic identity?
a. Create, sustain, and further it?
PRACTICES OF CATHOLIC SCHOOL PRINCIPALS 49

In addition, the interview questions were also reviewed and pilot tested with any
feedback being utilized to improve the interview questions.
Data Collection and Analysis
Data was collected from the Principal Leadership Survey. The superintendent sent out
emails to Catholic elementary school principals within the Archdiocese of Los Angeles
requesting their participation and explaining the purpose of the study. Included in the email was
a link to Qualtrics, an online survey software, for access to the survey. Principals were also
reminded to complete the survey after the initial email was sent.
Responses were exported to the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS,
Version 15.0) where data was analyzed. The variables were defined and labeled for analysis.
SPSS allowed for the computation of descriptive statistics that included frequencies, means, and
standard deviations to be used in the analysis. Correlations were used to assess the relationships
among variables in the study.
For the qualitative portion of this study, principals were contacted and explained the
purpose of the study once again and appointments were made for the interview component of the
study. Interviews were scheduled for 45 minutes at the principal’s school site. Principals were
notified that the interviews would be audio recorded with their permission and they could decline
being recorded and it would not affect their participation in the study.
Data from the interviews were analyzed to identify commonalities in Catholic elementary
school principal leadership styles. The interviews were also analyzed to determine how Catholic
elementary school principals created a culture for academic success at their present school site.
To assist in the analysis of the tremendous amount of data yielded from the interviews and to
maintain accuracy in the analysis of the data, each interview was transcribed. The transcriptions
PRACTICES OF CATHOLIC SCHOOL PRINCIPALS 50

allowed the researcher to read the interview data with ease and helped in the facilitation of the
analysis process. During several readings of the transcripts, the researcher noted any relevant
themes or patterns that were apparent from the interviews so they could be incorporated in the
results of the study.
Validity
Patton (2002) mentioned four kinds of triangulation that offers an assortment of ways to
examine things. The four types are data triangulation, investigator triangulation, methodological
triangulation, and theory triangulation. The confidence in the results from the study was
increased due to the increased credibility that was added from triangulation. In order to ensure
the validity of this study, three forms of triangulation were incorporated. Data triangulation was
used with the use of open-ended questions in the survey as well as within the interviews.
Methodological triangulation was utilized through the use of both quantitative and qualitative
methodology in the collection, analysis, and reporting of data. The study incorporated the use of
theory triangulation by using leadership frameworks in the development of the survey and
interview protocol. Overall, the incorporation of triangulation strengthened the validity of the
results yielded from the study.
Limitations
A major limitation to this study is the low response rate of 15.6%. Surveys were sent out
at the beginning of the school year and therefore the timing of the surveys may have contributed
to the low response rate. Since surveys were sent out by email, it may have been easy to forget
about completing the survey.
This low response rate makes the findings difficult to generalize to the population. The
low response rate may indicate the potential for bias. Results may be biased because of the
PRACTICES OF CATHOLIC SCHOOL PRINCIPALS 51

limited number of people who responded. Since participants knew the study was related to
leadership, results may be biased because responses may have come from those principals more
confident with their own leadership abilities.
Ethical Considerations
All guidelines set forth by the University of Southern California’s Institutional Review
Board (IRB) were strictly followed. Participation in this study was voluntary. Confidentiality
and anonymity was guaranteed for all participants involved. All survey data and interview
transcriptions were stored in a secure location where only the researcher had access. In order to
further protect confidentiality and anonymity, all transcriptions and recordings would be
destroyed.
Summary
This chapter illustrated the methodologies that were used to answer the following
research questions:
1. What is the most prevalent leadership style among Catholic elementary school
principals?
2. What is the relationship between mission and vision of Catholic elementary school
principals?
3. How does a Catholic elementary school principal create, maintain, and further the
school’s Catholic identity?
4. How does a Catholic elementary school principal create a culture of academic success?
In addition, this chapter also discussed the purpose of the study, its design, the sample
and population, instrumentation, and the methods of data collection and analysis. The analysis
of the data collected in this mixed-methods study is presented in Chapter 4.
PRACTICES OF CATHOLIC SCHOOL PRINCIPALS 52

Chapter 4
The Findings
Introduction
This chapter presents an analysis of data collected from a mixed-methods study
examining the leadership practices of Catholic elementary school principals within the
Archdiocese of Los Angeles (2012). The purpose of this study was to address the lack of
research available on Catholic school leadership as well as gain some understanding in the
practices of Catholic school principals.
The quantitative data was obtained through an online survey and qualitative data was
collected from open-ended questions on the survey as well as interviews. Quantitative and
qualitative data was collected from Catholic elementary school principals within the Archdiocese
of Los Angeles (2012), which includes Los Angeles, Santa Barbara, and Ventura counties. The
surveys were distributed to 224 elementary school principals who were informed that any of their
responses would be kept confidential and anonymous. The superintendent emailed surveys to
the elementary school principals on behalf of the researcher. Of the responses received, five
principals were selected and interviewed. The principals are referred to as Principal A-E to
protect their anonymity. This chapter presents the demographic information and findings from
the data in order to address the following research questions:
1) What is the most prevalent leadership style among Catholic elementary school
principals?
2) What is the relationship between mission and vision of Catholic elementary school
principals?
PRACTICES OF CATHOLIC SCHOOL PRINCIPALS 53

3) How does a Catholic elementary school principal create, maintain, and further the
school’s Catholic identity?
4) How does a Catholic elementary school principal create a culture of academic success?
Quantitative demographic data. Demographic data was disaggregated by gender, age,
ethnicity, total years as principal, total years at current school site, type of school, school size,
and membership to a religious order. Of the 224 electronically distributed surveys, 35 were
completed providing a 15.6% response rate. Of the 35 respondents, 22.9% were male and 77.1%
were females. The age of the respondents varied from under 30 to over 61 years old. Only one
principal (2.9%) was under 30 years old at the time of the survey. About 25.7% indicated they
were between 31 and 40 years old while the largest amount (31.4%) indicated they were between
41 and 50 years old. There were 17.1% that specified an age between 51 and 60 and then a slight
increase with 22.9% being over the age of 61. Figure1 illustrates the age breakdown of the
principals surveyed.

Figure 1: Age of Principals Surveyed

Under

30

3%
31-‐40
26%
41-‐50
31%
51-‐60
17%
61
+
23%
Age of Principals
PRACTICES OF CATHOLIC SCHOOL PRINCIPALS 54

All principals (100%) responded with their religious affiliation being Catholic. The
ethnicities of the principals were as follows: 57.1% Caucasian, 22.9% Hispanic/Latino, 8.6%
Asian/Pacific Islander, 5.8% African American, and 5.7% other. The breakdown of ethnicities
can be seen in Figure 2.

Figure 2: Ethnic Breakdown of Principals Surveyed

The principals who completed the survey had a wide array of experience in the position
of school principal. Principals ranged from being in their first year in the position to having 35
years of experience as a school principal. The mean for the total number of years as principal
was 8.97 with a standard deviation of 8.94 indicating a distribution of responses representing a
variety of answers. For the amount of years at the current school site, it ranged from 1 to 31
years. The mean total of years at a school site for principals was 6.4 years with a standard
deviation of 7.37, also illustrating a wide variety of responses. The vast majority (91.4%) of the
African
American
6%
Asian/Pacific
Islander
8%
Caucasian
57%
Hispanic/Latin
o
23%
Other
6%
Ethnicities
of
Principals
Surveyed
PRACTICES OF CATHOLIC SCHOOL PRINCIPALS 55

respondents indicated they were principals at parish schools while only 5.7% were at diocesan
schools and 2.9% at a private school. One respondent did not specify the school size leaving
only 34 principals who indicated their school size. School size varied from under 150 students to
over 301 students with over half of the principals indicating the school size to be between 151 to
250 students. School size is illustrated in Figure 3. Four principals (11.4%) indicated being a
member of a religious order with the remaining 31 respondents (88.6%) specifying they were lay
principals.

Figure 3: School Size

Under

150
9%
151-‐200
35%
201-‐250
32%
251-‐300
9%
301
or
more
15%
School
Size
PRACTICES OF CATHOLIC SCHOOL PRINCIPALS 56

Qualitative demographic data. Qualitative data was collected through interviews
conducted with the school principal and two open-ended questions that were included in the
survey. In the survey, the participants were asked to respond to the following two open-ended
questions:
1. How do you foster your school’s Catholic identity?
2. How do you create a culture of high expectations for all students?
These questions yielded 26 and 23 responses respectively. Not all respondents meet the criteria
of at least two years of experience and two years at the same school site. The researcher utilized
only 22 responses of the 26 and 19 of the 23 responses.
Interview participants were purposefully selected to participate based on their interest to
be a part of the interview portion of this study. In addition to their interest in participating and
geographic location, they were selected based on the amount of years they have been a principal
at their current school site; therefore, yielding a group of principals that have experience and
know the inner workings of their school site. Each of the five principals selected had to be in at
least their second year as a principal at the same school site. Two males and three females were
interviewed. All participants were Catholic and specified that they were principals at a parish
school. Table 3 indicates the demographic data for the interview participants.

PRACTICES OF CATHOLIC SCHOOL PRINCIPALS 57

Table 3

Demographics of Interview Participants
Name Gender Age Ethnicity Years Principal Years at School
Site
Principal A Male 61+ Caucasian 19 2
Principal B Male Under
30

Hispanic 3 3
Principal C Female 51-60 Caucasian 6 6
Principal D Female 41-50 Caucasian 7 3
Principal E Female 41-50 Hispanic 8 5

Findings to Question 1
What is the most prevalent leadership style among Catholic elementary school
principals?
In order to analyze the data to address this research question, averages were found for
each item on the survey. All items on the survey pertaining to leadership style were rated on a 5-
point Likert scale with 1 being “strongly disagree” and 5 being “strongly agree.” The statements
on the survey were then categorized into whether it described transformational leadership,
servant leadership, authentic leadership, or instructional leadership. The researcher looked at
how many items received an average of 4.5 or higher out of 5 and determined the most prevalent
leadership style to be the one with the most responses higher than 4.5.
The most prevalent leadership style among Catholic elementary school principals was
found to be servant leadership. Servant leadership obtained 7 out of 10 statements with averages
over 4.5 while transformational leadership had 6 out 10 statements. Authentic leadership
PRACTICES OF CATHOLIC SCHOOL PRINCIPALS 58

acquired 3 out of 10 statements and instructional leadership yielded 3 out of 8 statements with an
average of 4.5 or higher.
The following statements on the survey related to servant leadership:
Ø I create a safe environment for students.
Ø I believe service is at the core of what I do.
Ø I build relationships with teachers that are collaborative and respectful.
Ø I help my staff even if it involves personal sacrifice.
Ø I stand up for the rights of people in need
Ø I assign power to others.
Ø I delegate tasks as a way to develop people who have leadership potential.
Ø I listen to what my staff has to say with respect.
Ø I am compassionate.
Ø I encourage my employees to be lifelong learners.
Figure 4 illustrates the responses to the survey questions relating to servant leadership.
The figure shows the average response on a scale of 1 to 5 from the principals surveyed.
Responses to servant leadership questions ranged from an average of 4.2 to 4.69. The statement
“I assign power to others” received the lowest score, while three statements tied for the highest
average of 4.69. These statements were: “I believe service is at the core of what I do”, “I listen
to what my staff has to say with respect”, and “I create a safe environment for students.”
PRACTICES OF CATHOLIC SCHOOL PRINCIPALS 59

Figure 4: Survey Response to Servant Leadership Questions

The statements on the survey that relate to transformational leadership were:
Ø I provide necessary materials and equipment for teachers to affect student achievement.
Ø I embody the mission of the school.
Ø I have goals that relate to student achievement.
Ø I clearly articulate the goals to the faculty and staff.
Ø I assist teachers in interpreting, monitoring and evaluating student work.
Ø I create a school culture that is collaborative.
Ø I create a school culture that is supportive.

PRACTICES OF CATHOLIC SCHOOL PRINCIPALS 60

Ø I maintain open and effective communication with staff members.
Ø I have a vision for the future of the school.
Ø Change is at the core of what I do.
Figure 5 illustrates the responses to the survey questions relating to transformational
leadership. The figure displays the average response given from the principals surveyed.
Statements relating to transformational leadership ranged from 4.09 to 4.66. The statement
receiving the highest average was “I have goals that relate to student achievement” while the
lowest average was “I assist teachers in interpreting, monitoring, and evaluating student work.”
Interestingly, the statement most related to transformational leadership “Change is at the core of
what I do” received a low score of 4.2 among those principals surveyed indicating that the
principals surveyed did not feel as strong about being agents of change.

PRACTICES OF CATHOLIC SCHOOL PRINCIPALS 61

Figure 5: Responses to Transformational Leadership Questions

In addition to statements about transformational leadership and servant leadership, the
survey included statements relating to authentic leadership. The statements pertaining to
authentic leadership were:
Ø I have strong moral beliefs.
Ø I believe “an organization can only be as effective as its members.
Ø I talk about my vision for the school in terms of the potential of my staff.
Ø I seek to develop the greatest good for the greatest number of people at my school.
Ø I think enthusiastically about what needs to be accomplished.
Ø I believe I inspire others into action.

PRACTICES OF CATHOLIC SCHOOL PRINCIPALS 62

Ø I demonstrate beliefs that are consistent with my actions.
Ø I lead with integrity.
Ø I believe I tremendously impact the students at my school.
Ø I believe I positively impact my employees.
Figure 6 illustrates the responses to the survey questions relating to authentic leadership.
This figure shows the average response given from the principals surveyed. Principal responses
to the authentic leadership statements ranged from 4.24 to 4.89.

Figure 6: Survey Response to Authentic Leadership Questions
4.41
4.39
4.66
4.46
4.24
4.35
4.43
4.24
4.89
4.71
4 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 4.7 4.8 4.9 5
I
believe
I
positively
impact
my
employees.
I
believe
I
tremendously
impact
the
students
at
my
school.
I
lead
with
integrity.
I
demonstrate
beliefs
that
are
consistent
with
my
actions.
I
believe
I
inspire
others
into
action.
I
think
enthusiastically
about
what
needs
to
be
accomplished.
I
seek
to
develip
the
greatest
good
for
the
greatest
number
of
people
at
my
school.
I
talk
about
my
vision
for
the
school
in
terms
of
the
potential
of
my
staff.
I
believe
"an
organization
can
only
be
as
effective
as
its
members."
I
have
strong
moral
beliefs.
Survey
Response
to
Authentic
Leadership

Questions
Average
principal
response
(out
of
5)

PRACTICES OF CATHOLIC SCHOOL PRINCIPALS 63

Lastly, the survey included a few statements aimed at instructional leadership. The
following statements looked at how the principals rated themselves in regards to instructional
leadership:
Ø I am actively engaged in the continued improvement of the school’s instructional
program.
Ø I set and adhere to high performance standards for instruction.
Ø I model desired behaviors.
Ø I give priority to instructional time.
Ø I engage in classroom observations (2 or more formal observations that are longer than 30
minutes).
Ø I engage in weekly classroom walkthroughs (5 minutes or less).
Ø I use performance on standardized tests to develop goals.
Ø I meet with teachers to discuss student progress.
Figure 7 shows the average responses to these statements. Principal responses ranged
from 3.86 to 4.57. The statement that received the 3.86 was “I engage in classroom observations
(two or more formal observations that are longer than 30 minutes).” The statement with the
highest average score of 4.57 was “I model desired behaviors.”
PRACTICES OF CATHOLIC SCHOOL PRINCIPALS 64

Figure 7: Survey Response to Instructional Leadership Questions

Several statements relating to each of the leadership styles were rated very high amongst
principals surveyed. The following statements received an average principal rating of at least 4.5
out of 5 and are listed in order from those with the highest average to the lowest:
Ø I believe “an organization can be only as effective as its members.” 4.89 (Authentic)
Ø I have strong moral beliefs. 4.71 (Authentic)
Ø I believe service is at the core of what I do. 4.69 (Servant)
Ø I listen to what my staff has to say with respect. 4.69 (Servant)
Ø I create a safe environment for students. 4.69 (Servant)
Ø I lead with integrity. 4.66 (Authentic)

PRACTICES OF CATHOLIC SCHOOL PRINCIPALS 65

Ø I have goals that relate to student achievement. 4.66 (Transformational)
Ø I create a school culture that is supportive. 4.63 (Transformational)
Ø I embody the mission of the school. 4.63 (Transformational)
Ø I help my staff even if it involves personal sacrifice. 4.61 (Servant)
Ø I have a vision for the future of the school. 4.60 (Transformational)
Ø I encourage my employees to be lifelong learners. 4.59 (Servant)
Ø I create a school culture that is collaborative. 4.58 (Transformational)
Ø I model desired behaviors. 4.57 (Instructional)
Ø I stand up for the rights of people in need. 4.57 (Servant)
Ø I maintain open and effective communication with staff members. 4.54
(Transformational)
Ø I set and adhere to high performance standards for instruction. 4.51 (Instructional)
Ø I build relationships with teachers that are collaborative and respectful. 4.51 (Servant)
Ø I give priority to instructional time. 4.50 (Instructional)
The principals surveyed rated themselves as having qualities associated with
transformational, servant, authentic, and instructional leadership. The highest rated statement
with a 4.89 was associated with authentic leadership. This statement was I believe “an
organization can only be as effective as its members.” Interestingly, this high average is
consistent with Principal C stating, “I want everyone to feel that they are part of a well-oiled
machine, and without their piece, we might not run as effectively.”
The five principals interviewed mentioned the use of standardized tests to develop goals in
all subject areas including Religion, but surprisingly, it received a low rating of 4.20 among all
the principals surveyed. Principal A stated, “Using ITBS (Iowa Test of Basic Skills) in the
PRACTICES OF CATHOLIC SCHOOL PRINCIPALS 66

beginning of the year as a formative assessment is terrific.” However, Principal A did say that a
posttest is missing in order to create more meaning to these tests.
Although authentic leadership had two statements with the highest average, the principals
had a greater number of statements associated with servant leadership and transformational
leadership that were rated over 4.5 out of 5. Servant leadership yielded a greater number of
statements with a 4.5 or higher average indicating that these principals believe they are serving
others in their role as principal. Many of the principals interviewed called their role as principal
of their school a vocation. Principal D stated, “This vocation allows us to serve others as Christ
did.” In addition, Principal C said, “With that vocation comes the ability to share your faith. To
act, to follow the gospel message in the way you act, and the way you treat other people . . . It’s
not a job, it’s a vocation.” Both principals associated their vocation with serving others and
relating it to the Catholic Church. This is consistent with the finding of Schafer (2005) who
indicated that the servant leadership is evident throughout the teaching of the Catholic Church.
Findings to Question 2
What is the relationship between mission and vision of Catholic elementary school
principals?
Principals who participated in the survey responded to statements that were associated
with a particular leadership style. The statements were then analyzed in order to look for any
correlations between how principals rated themselves in relation to mission and vision. Salkind
(2010) suggested the following guidelines for determining the strength of the correlations:
• .8 to 1.0 – very strong relationship
• .6 to .8 – strong relationship
• .4 to .6 – moderate relationship
PRACTICES OF CATHOLIC SCHOOL PRINCIPALS 67

• .2 to .4 – weak relationship
• .0 to .2 – weak or no relationship (p. 88)
No correlations yielded a very strong relationship among the responded statements. Only strong
and moderate correlations were being reported.
Correlations pertaining to mission and vision were only being reported because of the
importance of mission and vision to Catholic schools. The Catholic school mission has been
established for many years defining the purpose and objective of the school and the goals from
which the school originally formed. The principal primarily creates the vision of the school and
uses their vision to determine where they would like the school to be in the future. Therefore,
examining the relationship between mission and vision is of great importance because both relate
to each other and set the tone for the school.
Vision. A correlational analysis was run between “I have a vision for the future of the
school.” and other statements in the survey. A moderate, but statistically significant relationship
(r = .472, p < .01) was found between vision for the future of the school (M = 4.60, SD = .60)
and I embody the mission of the school (M = 4.63, SD = .60). In addition, a strong and
significant relationship (r = .627, p < .01) was found when a correlation was run between vision
for the future (M = 4.60, SD = .60) and having goals that relate to student achievement (M =
4.66, SD = .48). This indicated that there is a relationship between the principals’ vision for the
future and how it related to student achievement goals. When the future vision of the school (M
= 4.60, SD = .60) was compared with being actively engaged in the continued improvement of
the school’s instructional program (M = 4.46, SD = .56), a moderately statistically significant
relationship (r = .469, p < .01) was found indicating that the future vision of the school is
moderately related to the instructional program of the school. Lastly, another strong and
PRACTICES OF CATHOLIC SCHOOL PRINCIPALS 68

statistically significant relationship (r = .699, p < .01) was found between a vision for the future
(M = 4.60, SD = .60) and service being at the core of what the principal does (M = 4.69, SD =
.53). This significance indicated an association between the high scores on vision for the future
and the high scores on service. Table 4 illustrates the correlations.

Table 4
Correlation Coefficients for Future Vision
Vision for the Future
Service .699**
Student Achievement Goals .627**
Embody Mission .472**
Instructional Program Improvement .469**
** Denotes significance at p < .01

Mission. Correlations were run between how the principals rated themselves on “I
embody the mission of the school” and various other statements on the survey. When a
correlational analysis was run between embody mission (M = 4.63, SD = .60) and service being
at the core of what I do (M = 4.69, SD = .53), a moderately statistically significant relationship (r
= .456, p <.01) was found indicating that the relationship between mission and service was not as
strong as could be anticipated. A statistically strong significant relationship (r = .668, p <.01)
was found between embody mission (M = 4.63, SD = .60) and leading with integrity (M = 4.66,
SD = .48). This indicated the presence of a strong relationship between how the principals
PRACTICES OF CATHOLIC SCHOOL PRINCIPALS 69

represent the schools’ mission and how they lead the school with integrity. Lastly, the
relationship between embody mission (M = 4.63, SD = .60) and maintaining a strong Catholic
identity (M = 4.57, SD = .50) was found to have a moderate relationship (r = .434, p < .01). This
indicated that principals believe there is not a strong relationship between the mission of Catholic
school and the Catholic identity of the school. Table 5 illustrates the correlations between
embody mission and the other statements.

Table 5

Correlation Coefficients for Embody Mission
Embody Mission
Lead with Integrity .668**
Service .456**
Catholic Identity .434**
** Denotes significance at p < .01

Findings to Question 3
How does a Catholic elementary school principal create, maintain, and further the
school’s Catholic identity?
Catholic identity can be seen as how Catholic schools comprehend and describe the
religious and educational mission of the Church (Guerra, 2000). Continuing this mission of the
Church is necessary within Catholic schools and is one of the many responsibilities that a school
principal has. Based on principal interviews and survey data, principals mentioned what they do
PRACTICES OF CATHOLIC SCHOOL PRINCIPALS 70

at their school site to address Catholic identity. Principals discussed their own meaning of
Catholic identity and the specific things done at their schools to further it.
Meaning of Catholic identity. Three of the principals interviewed mentioned Catholic
identity as being something intangible, as did some of the surveyed principals. Principal C
defined Catholic identity as “more of a feeling, a sense you get. It comes from the spirit of the
school . . . a spirit of welcome.” The welcoming spirit refers to the idea of welcoming all
individuals regardless of their non-Catholic religious affiliation, whether they are students or
faculty members. An example given by one principal as to how non-Catholics are welcomed at
that school was by having one tuition rate for all regardless of whether or not they are practicing
Catholic parishioners. This is different than what other schools do in which tuition is less for
Catholics than it is for non-Catholics. A survey respondent wrote, “The ‘proof’ of our Catholic
identity is how we treat each other with respect and kindness. We live by the Golden Rule. We
are friendly to each other and visitors. We are a community which fosters Catholic values.” The
meaning of Catholic identity given by these principals gives a simplistic meaning that can easily
be understood by students at their schools at any grade level.
Cultivating Catholic identity. In order to create, sustain, and further a school’s Catholic
identity, principals described various things they do to continue to reinforce the religious and
educational mission of the school. It was evident from the interviews and surveys that daily
prayers, religion classes, mass attendance, and the presence of religious items make up a portion
of a school’s Catholic identity, but a lot more is done to assist in making it stronger at each
school site. There are many activities that schools share in common as a way to develop
Catholic identity, but as Principal E stated, “It’s the different things each school does that gives a
school its unique Catholic identity.” Various principals indicated other things like service
PRACTICES OF CATHOLIC SCHOOL PRINCIPALS 71

projects, spiritual retreats, and events involving the community like acting out the Stations of the
Cross.
Interestingly, three of the principals interviewed said that Catholic identity is something
they really have to work at because of the lack of religious members within Catholic elementary
schools. A survey respondent, who happens to be a part of a religious order, wrote that she
fosters Catholic identity by her “consecration as a religious Sister. Letting the children see me
pray and speaking often as Jesus being the reason for our actions.” In turn, this presence of a
religious member in a school, especially in the role of school principal, was noted by Principal B
to play a significant role in the Catholic identity of a school because the person lives their faith
daily and, therefore, would carry more weight with the school community.
All of the principals interviewed mentioned the participation of their faculty and staff in
catechetical training. This was a decision handed down by the Council of Bishops in order to
better prepare teachers with the knowledge and skills needed to assist in the faith formation of
the students they work with. These trainings are seen as a way to strengthen the Catholic identity
of the schools. Principal A believed it is a way in which “the Church is responding to what they
see as a departure once the majority of school folks went from cleric to lay.” Above all, Catholic
schools have so much going on to address Catholic identity that it really emphasizes the idea
stated by Principal C that “Catholic identity is what distinguishes us from other educational
institutions.”
Included in the survey were two questions relating to Catholic identity and being a
religious leader. The two statements were as follows:
Ø I maintain a strong Catholic identity in my school.
Ø I feel adequately prepared to be a religious leader at my school.
PRACTICES OF CATHOLIC SCHOOL PRINCIPALS 72

When principals were asked to rate themselves on maintaining a strong Catholic identity,
the mean was 4.57 with a standard deviation of 0.50. Overall, it appears that the surveyed
principals believe they are maintaining a strong Catholic identity at their school site.
Conversely, when these principals had to rate themselves on if they felt adequately prepared to
be a religious leader of their school they scored lower with a mean of 4.31 and a standard
deviation of 0.76. These results indicated that principals felt more confident in their ability to
maintain a strong Catholic identity while slightly less confident in being a religious leader.
Findings to Question 4
How does a Catholic elementary school principal create a culture of academic
success?
Creating a culture of academic success is not only the role of the principal, but also
incorporates teachers and parents (Liethwood & Riehl, 2003). Maintaining a strong culture of
academic success is necessary for the viability of Catholic schools. Based on principal
interviews and the open-ended survey questions, principals specified what they do at their school
site to address how they create a culture of academic success.
During the interview with Principal A, he identified what he considered to be his four
aspects to creating a culture of academic success. The principal identified having buy-in, the use
of data, collaboration, and knowing the community. These four aspects were found to be
recurring themes throughout the principal interviews and within the responses to the open-ended
question on the survey.
Buy-In. Principal A identified buy-in as the first and foremost necessity to creating a
culture of academic success. The principal mentioned that the faculty needs to “buy into the
need that things can be better.” This idea that there is room for improvement applies to all
PRACTICES OF CATHOLIC SCHOOL PRINCIPALS 73

schools regardless if they are high or low performing. Having that buy-in includes making sure
there is an awareness that curriculum and teaching skills need to be continuously updated. A
survey respondent described that the culture at that school encourages professional development
and the use of various teaching and learning resources that are readily available to its teachers.
Use of data . The use of data to identify strengths and weaknesses is crucial in creating a
culture of academic success. Principal A discussed that using data gives a better understanding
about what is done well and what needs to be improved upon in a school. Catholic schools take
the Iowa Test of Basic Skills (ITBS) at the beginning of each school year to assess performance
in math, language arts, social studies, and science. Various principals mentioned that this data is
a formative assessment to inform principals and teachers about the strengths and weaknesses and
is used to create a stronger focus on weaker areas. This was verified by Principal C who stated,
“test scores primarily enhance curriculum issues.” One issue noted by Principal A and D with
the ITBS is the lack of a post-test at the end of the year to see the actual growth students made
and to use that information to prepare the curriculum for the following year. Additionally, every
year Catholic schools must write an in-depth study for Religion and one other rotating subject.
Principal C discussed that these in-depth studies act as a source of data to help in decision
making.
Many principals mentioned creating a higher level of academic integrity in their schools
by using rubrics and creating culminating tasks. Specifically, at Principal A’s school, they are in
the process of unpacking the common core standards and developing tasks that demonstrate
students know the standard and are able to do something that demonstrates it. The use of rubrics
would dictate exactly what needs to be done in order to receive a certain grade, creating as
PRACTICES OF CATHOLIC SCHOOL PRINCIPALS 74

Principal A stated, “more of a transparent conversation about how grades are given and how kids
earn grades.”
Collaboration. Numerous principals stated collaboration was something they do to
create a culture of high expectations for all students. Principal A said that these collaborative
discussions could be about social, academic, or organizational issues or just anything that can get
these teachers talking. Principal D discussed that collaboration is heavily focused amongst
primary grades, intermediate grades, and junior high. This way the teachers may work together
to see how they influence each other’s grade and to set up academic goals. A survey respondent
wrote the incorporation of Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) meeting twice a week to
review student work for the Wall of Fame in which students selected receive of a certificate of
recognition. Another survey respondent wrote, “I encourage a culture that believes all students
can learn. We just have to work to find out how they learn. You teach the student that is in front
of you and allow them to reach their fullest potential.” Collaborating with peers and sharing
ideas helps in making it possible to allow students to reach their fullest potential.
The community. The final aspect in creating a culture of academic success involves
knowing the community that is being served. This includes the students, families, and their
perceptions and outlooks. When principals go in not knowing the community, Principal A said
they are “apt to make a lot of what appears to be good decisions that aren’t.” The involvement of
the community is necessary because everyone must work together towards the same goal of high
expectations and the involvement of the community, besides the teachers and students, ensuring
that it is done in a loving and nurturing environment.
These concepts of buy-in, use of data, collaboration, and the community were by far the
most mentioned themes. These four components were found to be visible amongst various
PRACTICES OF CATHOLIC SCHOOL PRINCIPALS 75

principal responses as important pieces that are utilized to create a culture of academic success at
their school site.
Summary
This chapter presented the analysis of a survey that was completed by 35 principals
within the Archdiocese of Los Angeles (2012). Five of those principals also participated in an
interview. The survey and interview data was analyzed and suggest the following findings.
Research question one asked, “What is the most prevalent leadership style among
Catholic elementary school principals?” Principals had high averages pertaining to
transformational leadership, servant leadership, authentic leadership, and instructional
leadership. Servant leadership received the most averages that were considered high when
compared to the other leadership styles therefore making it the most prevalent leadership style
among Catholic elementary school principals.
Research question two asked, “What is the relationship between mission and vision of
Catholic elementary school principals?” Several leadership traits were found to be significantly
related with the principals’ vision for the future and their embodiment of the mission of the
school. Relationships were found when vision for the future was correlated that embodies the
mission, student achievement goals, instructional program improvement, and service. Positive,
significant relationships were also found when embody mission was correlated with service,
leading with integrity, and Catholic identity.
Research question three asked, “How does a Catholic elementary school principal create,
maintain, and further the school’s Catholic identity?” Many things such as daily prayers,
religion classes, mass attendance, presence of religious items, retreats, service projects, and
PRACTICES OF CATHOLIC SCHOOL PRINCIPALS 76

events and activities unique to each school gives it its Catholic identity that distinguishes each
institution from each other.
Research question four asked, “How does a Catholic elementary school principal create a
culture of academic success?” Principals utilized the concept of buy-in, use of data,
collaboration, and the community as the key strategies for creating a culture of academic success
at their school sites.
Chapter five entails a summary of the research study and recommendations for further
research.
PRACTICES OF CATHOLIC SCHOOL PRINCIPALS 77

Chapter 5
Summary and Recommendations
Introduction
Catholic school principals play an instrumental role in Catholic schools. Therefore, their
leadership styles, as well as how they address the needs of their school, are relevant and
essentially vital to each particular school site. This chapter provides a summary of this study
examining the leadership of Catholic elementary school principals. Included in the summary is
the statement of the problem, purpose of the study, research questions, methodology, and
findings. Limitations to this study and recommendations for further research are also discussed
in detail.
Statement of the Problem
There is a tremendous amount of literature available on leadership and specifically
dealing with school leadership, but very little of that literature pertains to Catholic schools. With
the changing dynamics of Catholic schools now moving to lay faculty and leadership, the once
strong religious presence is no longer strongly visible. This change in leadership and lack of
literature contributes to the problem that little is known about the leadership practices of Catholic
elementary school principals. Knowing about the leadership practices of Catholic elementary
school principals is important because the abundant information relevant to their public school
counterparts may not relate to them since the structure of Catholic schools is different.
Additionally, Catholic schools have recently been plagued by low enrollment and closures and
therefore this knowledge on Catholic school leadership can assist in forming better Catholic
schools that can sustain the Catholic values and academic success that were previously prevalent
in the past.
PRACTICES OF CATHOLIC SCHOOL PRINCIPALS 78

Purpose of the Study
The purpose of this study was to address the lack of research available on Catholic school
leadership. The study sought to determine what type of leadership styles are found within
Catholic elementary schools. In addition, the study examined what principals do in order to
create and sustain academic success and Catholic identity within Catholic schools, many of
which are struggling with low enrollment and the possibility of school closures.
Research Questions
The following questions guided this study:
1) What is the most prevalent leadership style among Catholic elementary school
principals?
2) What is the relationship between mission and vision of Catholic elementary school
principals?
3) How does a Catholic elementary school principal create, maintain, and further the
school’s Catholic identity?
4) How does a Catholic elementary school principal create a culture of academic success?
Methodology
This study utilized a mixed-methods approach in order to collect data from 35 Catholic
elementary school principals who completed the online survey developed on Qualtrics, an online
survey software. Five of those principals surveyed also participated in qualitative interviews.
All principals, regardless of the years of experience, participated in the survey. Only principals
who indicated a desire to participate in a 45-minute interview and met the criteria of at least two
years in the position with at least two years at the same school site were able to participate in the
PRACTICES OF CATHOLIC SCHOOL PRINCIPALS 79

interview portion of the study. All principals who participated in the study were informed that
their responses would be confidential and anonymous.
The survey included demographic information and 40-Likert scale statements asking
participants to rate each statement on a 1 to 5 scale with 1 being “strongly disagree” and 5 being
“strongly agree.” In addition, the survey included two qualitative questions regarding Catholic
identity and high expectations for academic success. The superintendent emailed the survey to
Catholic elementary school principals on behalf of the researcher. An interview protocol
composed of six questions was developed. Follow-up questions were also used to probe or for
clarification. Quantitative data was analyzed using SPSS while qualitative data was examined
for specific themes that may be related to the four research questions guiding this study.
Findings
Research question one asked, “What is the most prevalent leadership style among
Catholic elementary school principals?” Principals rated themselves on statements that were
later classified as related to transformational leadership, servant leadership, authentic leadership,
and instructional leadership. The highest mean response scores were attributed to two statements
pertaining to authentic leadership, but servant leadership had the most responses with a mean
score over 4.5 out of 5 indicating that servant leadership was most prevalent amongst principals
who participated in this study. Principals also indicated through the interview that they do serve
others in their role as principal. These results are consistent with those of Schafer (2005) who
indicated that servant leadership is most suitable for those within Catholic education because the
teaching of the Catholic Church incorporates serving others.
The second research question asked, “What is the relationship between mission and
vision of Catholic elementary school principals?” Correlations were run among the survey
PRACTICES OF CATHOLIC SCHOOL PRINCIPALS 80

statements and statistical significance was found between many traits. Future vision was found
to be correlated with the principals’ belief that service is central to what the principal does (r =
.699). This suggests that the principals’ vision for the future of a school is strongly related to
their belief that service is a main factor in what they do. Correlations also found a relationship
between future vision and embody mission (r = .472) signifying that a principal’s vision
incorporates the mission and values that Catholic schools were created upon. A strong
relationship was found between future vision and student achievement goals (r = .627) indicating
that the principals’ vision for the future is linked with student achievement goals. This is
important because having goals that pertain to student achievement are necessary for the future
of Catholic schools, especially those that struggle to maintain enrollment and market themselves
on student achievement. Although a strong relationship was found with future vision and student
achievement goals, a moderate relationship was found between future vision and instructional
program improvement (r = .469) indicating that the improvement of a school’s instructional
program does not have a strong relationship with the future vision of the school. A school’s
instructional program is important, but not a substantial factor when it comes to the future vision
of a school.
Correlations were run between embody mission and other statements. Results indicated
relationships between embody mission and service (r = .456) and lead with integrity (r = .668).
The way a principal represents the school’s mission is done through service and with integrity.
Through service the principal ensures that the mission of Catholic schools is achieved. The
relationship between embody mission and Catholic identity (r = .434) was found to be moderate
in strength. Interestingly, this indicates that principals believe that the Catholic school mission
PRACTICES OF CATHOLIC SCHOOL PRINCIPALS 81

and Catholic identity are not strongly related as one would expect them to be considering that
part of the mission of Catholic school incorporates the idea of Catholic identity.
Research question three asked, “How does a Catholic elementary school principal create,
maintain, and further the school’s Catholic identity?” This study found that principals consider
Catholic identity to be a sense of welcome that is manifested toward all students. It is the respect
and kindness that is shown to all. This meaning of Catholic identity gives an easily understood
meaning to something that can be considered abstract to the students in a kindergarten to 8
th

grade school. Many principals indicated that Catholic identity is a major focus of what they
work towards by incorporating many activities into the curriculum. In addition to activities, like
service projects and spiritual retreats, schools also have daily prayers, religion classes, mass
attendance, and religious objects throughout classrooms and the school. Principals were found to
believe that they maintain a strong Catholic identity within their school site but did not feel as
strong about their own preparation to be a religious leader. It is evident that principals try to
create, maintain, and further the Catholic identity of their schools through various methods, but
they need more support and assistance in being a religious leader that engulfs and perpetuates the
religious aspects of their role as principal.
The last research question of this study asked, “How does a Catholic elementary school
principal create a culture of academic success?” Through principal interviews and responses to
the question on the survey pertaining to this research question, the following themes were
identified: buy-in, use of data, collaboration, and knowledge of the community.
Buy-in was the most mentioned theme. Having buy-in from the faculty and staff, as well
as parents, was a major factor for creating a culture of academic success. The idea that there is
always room for improvement and making others aware and wanting to buy-in to this notion was
PRACTICES OF CATHOLIC SCHOOL PRINCIPALS 82

important for principals. Awareness in changing curriculum and updating teaching skills
through professional development was something that also required buy-in. The use of data for
the identification of strengths and weaknesses was discussed. The principal and the teachers
would utilize this data to determine what areas need a stronger focus in order to improve upon.
Numerous principals mentioned collaboration among teachers. This includes teachers
discussing and working together to make it possible for students to reach their fullest potential.
Lastly, knowing the community was another theme mentioned by principals. By knowing the
students, families, and the neighborhood that is served, principals are better capable of making
decisions based on the needs of the community. These four factors for creating a culture of
academic success are important and indicate that Catholic school principals strive to further
academics within their schools and look at various areas in order to complete their goal.
Limitations
All participants were allowed to participate in the survey portion of the study.
Unfortunately, this included first year principals who had not yet been able to put their leadership
style into practice, so the few first year principals who participated in the study may have
affected the results. Research may have also been limited due to the small number of principals
who participated in the study. The small sample size may have contributed to results that were
considered insignificant. In addition, the data from this study was collected from principals
within the Archdiocese of Los Angeles (2012) and therefore may not apply to principals in other
dioceses in California or other states.
Implications for Practice
This research on leadership provides information on the leadership practices of principals
within the Catholic elementary school system. Pastors and principals, as well as the Department
PRACTICES OF CATHOLIC SCHOOL PRINCIPALS 83

of Catholic Schools, may utilize these results in various different ways. Principals could utilize
these findings as a reason to be more actively involved in instructional leadership within their
school sites because it was evident that a stronger presence of instructional leadership is needed.
The Department of Catholic Schools could use these findings to increase the professional
development opportunities for principals in the areas of instructional leadership as well as better
preparing principals to be religious leaders. Pastors can also be incorporated in assisting and
supporting principals with the religious leadership aspect because they have the knowledge to do
so.
Recommendations for Future Research
This study had important findings, but there is still a need for further research within
Catholic school leadership. The following are suggestions for future research:
1) Further research that incorporates a larger sample size of principals from private and
diocesan schools as well as examining the principals within a wider geographic area.
This could allow results to be generalized to other Catholic elementary schools.
2) There are many more types of leadership styles that were not covered within this study.
Conducting a study that looks at more leadership styles may be beneficial in order to gain
a better understanding of the different types of leadership styles that Catholic elementary
school principals possess.
3) Further research examining how these leadership styles affect student achievement at
Catholic schools is necessary.
4) Since the church pastor typically hires the school principal (for parish schools), further
research, which includes the pastor, would be needed. This would examine what the
PRACTICES OF CATHOLIC SCHOOL PRINCIPALS 84

pastor looks for in a school principal and what he believes are essential traits and skills
for the position.
Conclusion
This study addresses the little known research that involves Catholic elementary school
leadership specifically investigating leadership styles and how principals create and sustain
Catholic identity and high expectations for academic success. This research can be utilized by
principals to gain knowledge on what can be done in regards to Catholic identity and creating a
culture of academic success. Pastors, who hire school principals and the Department of Catholic
Schools, may utilize these results. The results may be used to see the leadership styles that are
present in Catholic Schools and use the knowledge of those leadership styles and traits to address
any leadership issues that occur within Catholic schools. Although this study has added to the
literature on Catholic schools, much more research covering different aspects of Catholic school
leadership still needs to be investigated.
PRACTICES OF CATHOLIC SCHOOL PRINCIPALS 85

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PRACTICES OF CATHOLIC SCHOOL PRINCIPALS 90

Appendix A
Principal Leadership Survey

Gender: male female
Ethnicity: African American Asian Caucasian Latino Other_____
Age: under 30 31-40 41-50 51-60 61 +
Total Years as principal: ____________
Years at current school site: _____________
Type of school: parish diocesan private
School size: under 150 151-200 201-250 251-300 301 or more
Catholic: yes no
Member of a religious order: yes no

Consider each statement in terms of your own leadership at your present school site. Respond to
each statement

1) Strongly disagree 2) disagree 3) Neutral 4) Agree 5) strongly agree

1) I provide necessary materials and equipment for teachers to affect student achievement.
2) I embody the mission of the school.
3) I have goals that relate to student achievement.
4) I clearly articulate the goals to the faculty and staff.
5) I assist teachers in interpreting, monitoring and evaluating student work.
6) I create a school culture that is collaborative.
7) I create a school culture that is supportive.
8) I maintain open and effective communication with staff members.
PRACTICES OF CATHOLIC SCHOOL PRINCIPALS 91

9) I create a safe environment for students.
10) I build relationships with teachers that are collaborative and respectful.
11) I have strong moral beliefs.
12) I help my staff even if it involves personal sacrifice.
13) I stand up for the rights of people in need.
14) I assign power to others.
15) I delegate tasks as a way to develop people who have leadership potential.
16) I listen to what my staff has to say with respect.
17) I am compassionate.
18) I encourage my employees to be lifelong learners.
19) I believe service is at the core of what I do.
20) I believe “an organization can only be as effective as its members.”
21) I talk about my vision for the school in terms of the potential of my staff.
22) I have a vision for the future of the school.
23) I seek to develop the greatest good for the greatest number of people at my school.
24) I think enthusiastically about what needs to be accomplished.
25) Change is at the core of what I do.
26) I believe I inspire others into action.
27) I demonstrate beliefs that are consistent with my actions.
28) I lead with integrity.
29) I believe I tremendously impact the students at my school.
30) I believe I positively impact my employees.
31) I maintain a strong Catholic identity in my school.
32) I feel adequately prepared to be a religious leader of my school.
33) I am actively engaged in the continued improvement of the school’s instructional
program.
34) I set and adhere to high performance standards for instruction.
35) I model desired behaviors.
36) I give priority to instructional time.
37) I engage in classroom observations (2 or more formal observations that are longer than
30 minutes).
PRACTICES OF CATHOLIC SCHOOL PRINCIPALS 92

38) I engage in weekly classroom walkthroughs (5 minutes or less).
39) I use student performance on standardized tests to develop goals.
40) I meet with teachers to discuss student progress.

Short Answer
41) How do you create a culture of high expectations for all students?
42) How do you foster your school’s Catholic identity?

If you would be interested in participating in a 45-minute interview, please enter your name and
number.
PRACTICES OF CATHOLIC SCHOOL PRINCIPALS 93

Appendix B

Letter to Superintendent Requesting Permission

May 8, 2012

Dr. Kevin Baxter, Elementary Superintendent
Department of Catholic Schools
Archdiocese of Los Angeles
3424 Wilshire Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90010-2202

Dear Dr. Baxter:

My name is Lisa Zamora (Vice-Principal and 8
th
grade teacher at Our Lady of Loretto School)
and I am a doctoral candidate in the Rossier School of Education at the University of Southern
California working under Dr. Rudy Castruita and Dr. Pedro Garcia. The purpose of my study is
to examine effective leadership practices of Catholic elementary school principals.

I request your permission to conduct an anonymous survey with the principals in the
Archdiocese. I would also request permission to invite a sample of these same principals to an
interview. Having your permission is essential for the success of my research and the
completion of my degree.

The survey will ask the participants to provide biographical and demographic information. They
will further be asked to read statements that deal with their own leadership strategies and rate
each statement using a Likert scale. I would be sending out the survey via Qualtrics and would
need your cooperation with email addresses. I would ask you to notify principals to expect a
survey and to encourage their participation when I get closer to collecting data. All information
gathered will be anonymous and confidential. The results will be shared with the Department of
Catholic Schools for the purpose of knowing about the practices of Catholic school principals.

I thank you for your time. Please feel free to contact me if you have questions at (818) 625-2554
or lmzamora@usc.edu

Sincerely,

Lisa Zamora
PRACTICES OF CATHOLIC SCHOOL PRINCIPALS 94

Appendix C
Principal Recruitment Letter

August 22, 2012
Dear Principal:
My name is Lisa Zamora. I am currently a doctoral student working on my dissertation in K-12
leadership at the University of Southern California, under the guidance of Dr. Rudy Castruita and
Dr. Pedro Garcia. The purpose of my study is to identify leadership practices of Catholic
elementary school principals. You are invited to participate in the study. The survey is
anticipated to take no more than 10 minutes to complete.

I also encourage your participation in an interview to strengthen the results of my study.
Interviews are expected to last approximately 45 minutes and would be conducted in September
2012. Your cooperation would be greatly appreciated and is necessary for the successful
completion of my research and degree. I am aware of your busy schedule as a principal and if
your assistance is possible please click on the enclosed link to complete the survey.

Your participation and answers will be kept confidential and anonymous. If you have any
questions, please feel free to contact me at (818) 625-2554. Please click on the link to take the
survey. Thank you very much for your time.

Link: https://usceducation.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_e2kYoxa5c9Pb4UJ

Sincerely,

Lisa Zamora
Our Lady of Loretto
Vice-Principal/8
th
grade teacher

Abstract (if available)

Abstract The purpose of this study was to investigate the leadership practices of Catholic elementary school principals. This study sought out to determine: 1) the most prevalent leadership style among Catholic elementary school principals, 2) the relationship between the mission and vision of the school principal, 3) how principals create, maintain, and further the school’s Catholic identity, and 4) how principals create a culture of academic success at their school site. A mixed-methods approach was implemented utilizing a total of 35 Catholic elementary school principals within the Archdiocese of Los Angeles (2012) who completed a survey composed of closed and open-ended questions. Of the 35 principals who completed the survey, 5 were selected and interviewed to gain further insight on addressing the research questions. The study’s findings indicate that Catholic elementary school principals are primarily servant leaders and a principal’s vision incorporates the mission and values that Catholic schools were created upon. In addition, principals create, maintain, and further the Catholic identity of their schools through various activities and the curriculum as well as incorporate buy-in, the use of data, collaboration, and knowledge of the community in order to create a culture of academic success at their schools. Overall, this study provides pastors, the superintendent, and the Department of Catholic Schools with valuable information on what is occurring and what needs to be improved upon within the Archdiocese of Los Angeles Catholic Schools.

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Asset Metadata

Creator Zamora, Lisa (author)

Core Title An examination of the leadership practices of Catholic elementary school principals

School Rossier School of Education

Degree Doctor of Education

Degree Program Education (Leadership)

Publication Date 03/15/2013

Defense Date 02/20/2013

Publisher University of Southern California (original), University of Southern California. Libraries (digital)

Tag Catholic identity,Catholic schools,Education,leadership,OAI-PMH Harvest

Language English

Contributor Electronically uploaded by the author (provenance)

Advisor Castruita, Rudy Max (committee chair), García, Pedro Enrique (committee member), Marsh, Julie A. (committee member)

Creator Email langelic15@aol.com,lmzamora@usc.edu

Permanent Link (DOI) https://doi.org/10.25549/usctheses-c3-225347

Unique identifier UC11294841

Identifier usctheses-c3-225347 (legacy record id)

Legacy Identifier etd-ZamoraLisa-1473.pdf

Dmrecord 225347

Document Type Dissertation

Rights Zamora, Lisa

Type texts

Source University of Southern California (contributing entity), University of Southern California Dissertations and Theses (collection)

Access Conditions The author retains rights to his/her dissertation, thesis or other graduate work according to U.S. copyright law. Electronic access is being provided by the USC Libraries in agreement with the a...

Repository Name University of Southern California Digital Library

Repository Location USC Digital Library, University of Southern California, University Park Campus MC 2810, 3434 South Grand Avenue, 2nd Floor, Los Angeles, California 90089-2810, USA