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A case study of promising leadership practices employed by principals of Knowledge Is Power Program Los Angeles (KIPP LA) charter school to improve student achievement

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A case study of promising leadership practices employed by principals of Knowledge Is Power Program Los Angeles (KIPP LA) charter school to improve student achievement

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Content Running head: LEADERSHIP PRACTICES OF KIPP LA PRINCIPALS 1

A CASE STUDY OF PROMISING LEADERSHIP PRACTICES EMPLOYED BY
PRINCIPALS OF KNOWLEDGE IS POWER PROGRAM LOS ANGELES (KIPP LA)
CHARTER SCHOOL TO IMPROVE STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT

by

Christopher C. Ikeanyi

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 2015

Copyright 2015 Christopher C. Ikeanyi

LEADERSHIP PRACTICES OF KIPP LA PRINCIPALS 2
Dedication
To my memory of beloved father, His Royal Majesty (HRM) Igwe Davidson Okafor Ikeanyi:
This dissertation is dedicated to the memory of my late father, HRM Igwe D. O. Ikeanyi,
who passed on to be with the Lord on April 9, 2009. He was a man who cherished and loved
education more than anything in the world. Throughout his lifetime, he spent all his wealth and
resources investing in the education of the less privileged in his immediate community and
beyond. Until he took his last breath, he was still paying the school fees of many children in his
community from Kindergarten through college. He made so many personal sacrifices and
deprived of himself so many niceties befitting his royal status just to ensure that children could
earn the education they deserved. My only regret about his legacy is that he was not alive to
witness my commencement as a Doctor of Education.
Igwe, I love you for all you did for me, particularly for instilling in me the importance of
learning. May your gentle soul continue to rest in peace!
To my lovely wife, Chimezie, who encouraged and supported me throughout this
endeavor; I could not have asked for a better life partner.
To my children – Nonye, Kenechi, Somto, and Adichie: you guys gave up precious
“Daddy time” to ensure that I accomplished this feat. Thank you for your patience and support.

LEADERSHIP PRACTICES OF KIPP LA PRINCIPALS 3
Acknowledgements
I will be eternally grateful to Dr. Pedro Garcia and Dr. Rudy Castruita for their support,
encouragement, and selfless commitment in seeing me through the entire doctoral program,
particularly the dissertation phase. Both of you truly exemplified quality leadership, and it was a
great privilege to partake in your mentorship. Thank you!
Dr. Jose Posada, you have always been a great friend in need. You not only served as a
member of my Dissertation Team, but also started the ball rolling by recommending me for this
program during the application phrase. I truly appreciate your friendship, and thank you so much
for your generosity. Ms. Maureen Diekmann, thank you for your support and continued
mentorship throughout my career as an educator. Thank you my friend and colleague, William
Estrada, for all your assistance and technical support throughout this project. I am grateful to be
associated with you. Thank you so much Kristin Nakano Aguilar for all your support and
friendship. Thank you so much Amy Powell, my classmate, for critiquing my work and helping
with the thinking and revisions throughout the entire process. Thank you so much to my beloved
sister, Mrs. Oby Victoria Anago, and my brother in-law, Dr. Emeka Anago, for your
encouragement and unrelenting push to finish this program. I will always be indebted to you for
your advice and support. A special thank you to my mother, Mrs. M.N. Ikeanyi, for your
relentless prayers and support. Your support meant a lot to me.
Finally, Martha Gillis, my dedicated proofreader and editor, I will be eternally grateful
for your invaluable assistance in proofreading and revising my writing at every stage of this
dissertation. Without your clinical attention to detail and superior editing skills, the outcome
would not have been the same. Thank you!

LEADERSHIP PRACTICES OF KIPP LA PRINCIPALS 4
Table of Contents
Dedication 2

Acknowledgements 3

List of Tables 7

Abstract 8

Chapter One: Overview of the Study 10

Introduction 10

What is a Charter School? 12

Background of the Problem 14

Statement of the Problem 16

Purpose of the Study 17

Research Questions 17

Significance of the Study 18

Assumptions 18

Limitations 18

Definition of Terms 19

Organization of the Study 21

Conclusion 21

Chapter Two: Review of Literature 22

Introduction 22

Emergence of the Charter School System 22

Definitions of Leadership and School Leadership 24

Traditional Beliefs about School Leadership 25

Transformational Leadership 27

Servant Leadership 29

Shared Leadership 31

Instructional Leadership 33

Theoretical Framework 37

The Twenty-One Responsibilities of the School Leader 38

The Roles of the Principal as a School Leader 42

Importance of the Role of a Principal 43

The Role of the Principal and Impact on Student Achievement 44

Principal Leadership in Charter Schools 46

Conclusion 48

Chapter Three: Methodology 50

Introduction 50

Purpose of the Study 51

Research Questions 52

Research Design 53

Rationale for Qualitative Study Design 53

Reliability and Validity 55

Sample and Population 55

Instrumentation 57

Data Collection 57

Interview Protocol 58

Document Analysis 58

LEADERSHIP PRACTICES OF KIPP LA PRINCIPALS 5
Data Analysis 59

Summary 59

Chapter Four: Results 60

Introduction 60

Purpose 61

Research Questions 61

A Brief Description of KIPP LA Organization and the Four Participating Schools 62

KIPP Los Angeles College Preparatory School (aka KIPP LA Prep) 63

KIPP Sol Academy 64

KIPP Raices Academy 64

KIPP Empower Academy 65

Qualitative Demographic Data 66

Findings for Research Question One: 71

Description of Promising Practice: Empowerment 71

Description of Promising Practice: Training of School Leaders 74

Description of Promising Practice: Professional Development for Faculty 78

Description of Promising Practice: Teacher Apprenticeship 80

Findings for Research Question Two 82

School Structure That Supports Small Group Instruction and Proactive Intervention 82

School Structure That Supports Constructive Feedback 84

School Structure That Facilitates Creation of Curriculum and Assessment by Teachers 86

School Structure That Facilitates Effective Instructional Supervision, Monitoring and
Coaching 88

School/Family Connection 91

Findings for Research Question Three 94

Staffing 94

Budgetary Constraints 95

Operational Concerns 96

Limited Experience in School Leadership 98

Findings for Research Question Four 99

High Student Achievement 99

High Parent Participation Rate 103

Summary 103

Chapter Five: Discussion 106

Introduction 106

Statement of the Problem 107

Purpose of the study 107

Research Questions 108

Review of Literature 108

Theoretical Framework 109

Methodology 110

Findings 112

Implications 121

Recommendation for Future Research 122

Conclusions 123

References 125

LEADERSHIP PRACTICES OF KIPP LA PRINCIPALS 6
Appendix A: Principal Interview Guide 134

Appendix B: Data Sources And Analysis Plan 137

Appendix C: Consent Form 138

LEADERSHIP PRACTICES OF KIPP LA PRINCIPALS 7
List of Tables
Table 1: Demographic Profile of Research Participants 67

Table 2: 2013 KIPP LA Academic Performance Index and Medium API of Similar Schools 120

LEADERSHIP PRACTICES OF KIPP LA PRINCIPALS 8
Abstract
The purpose of this case study is to investigate how Knowledge Is Power Program, Los
Angeles (KIPP LA) principals employed promising leadership practices to manage their
resources, train their staff, and make management and instructional decisions that led to
improved student achievement in urban areas. The following research questions were addressed
in the study: 1.) Which instructional and administrative leadership practices and programs at
KIPP LA schools could be considered innovative or distinctive as well as promising for adoption
by other schools? 2.) What are the specific leadership responsibilities of KIPP LA principals and
their impact on student achievement? 3.) What specific challenges have the principals faced in
the implementation of their programs and practices and how were these challenges addressed?
4.) What evidence exists that these programs and practices have led to improved student
achievement? This study utilized a qualitative approach through personal interviews with four
principals at KIPP LA schools and document reviews of the schools’ practices and performances
to complete the research. Through the process of triangulation of data, the results indicated that
the principals of KIPP LA were empowered to hire teachers whom they believed had the
essential skills, content knowledge, and educational philosophy that compelled them to
implement the schools’ learning goals tailored to the needs of their student population. The KIPP
teacher apprenticeship model provided the support, teaching experience, and participation in
professional learning communities essential to their success and continuation in the teaching
profession. Beyond their fervent desire to improve the learning of students from low socio-
economic backgrounds, the degree to which the principals emphasized vibrant school and family
connections by personally visiting the homes of their incoming and continuing students as well
LEADERSHIP PRACTICES OF KIPP LA PRINCIPALS 9
as creating work schedules that allowed teachers to also make home visits was significant and
worthy of emulation.

LEADERSHIP PRACTICES OF KIPP LA PRINCIPALS 10
CHAPTER ONE: OVERVIEW OF THE STUDY
Introduction
Educational reform has remained a prevailing issue in the American national discourse
since the 1980’s. After the publication of A Nation at Risk in 1983, the discussion has become
more focused and has also provoked serious interest with the revelation that American students
were falling behind when compared with other industrialized nations (National Commission on
Excellence in Education, 1983). During the 2000 presidential campaign, the issue of the low
academic achievement of American students was center stage with blames and accusations
directed at American K-12 schools, their teachers and administrators for failing students and the
country (Gibelman & Lens, 2002).
The subsequent political rhetoric marked a significant departure from the usual blame on
inadequate funding of education to scrutiny of the quality (or lack of quality) of services
provided by educators to the American public school system. A growing number of interest
groups championed by Republican Party presidential candidate, Governor George W. Bush,
offered privatization of public education and the provision of school vouchers as solutions to
revitalizing the public schools. They advocated that education must be privatized and vouchers
be issued to parents, particularly in poor urban areas, so that families could shop for better
schools for their children (Gibelman & Lens, 2002). Gibelman (1998) broadly defines
privatization as the delegation of public functions to the private sector. She argues that this move
was engendered by a lack of trust in the government-run system. She states that people were
becoming frustrated by the perceived lack of effort from the public school system. In addition,
the booming economic climate of the 1990’s led people to believe that privatizing public schools
would lead to successful educational outcomes similar to the booming economy.
LEADERSHIP PRACTICES OF KIPP LA PRINCIPALS 11
Gibelman and Lens (2002), however, were not advocating for privatization of public
schools or provision of vouchers. They entered the debate from the social work point of view and
clearly indicate that the debate on school choice was misguided. They suggest that the focus of
the debate “must be on how to use public resources for public good, ensuring that equality and
equity remain paramount considerations in any reform efforts.” (p. 218). The raging debate and
ensuing discourse on educational reform gave birth to a hybrid approach – the charter school
system - as a reluctant compromise. Jamie Gottlieb (2009) defines charter schools as legally and
fiscally autonomous public schools operated under a charter granted by a state government. As
schools, particularly those in urban American areas, continued to decline, the George W. Bush
administration worked together with Congress to enact bi-partisan, K-12 legislation - the No
Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act of 2001. This legislation established new requirements for states
to receive federal education funds. Additionally, the law requires strict outcome-based education
by mandating that every state must offer students criterion-referenced tests to determine their
progress toward achieving at the proficient level or higher in the new benchmark - Average
Yearly Progress (AYP) (U.S. Department of Education, 2004). The NCLB also requires that
schools and each Local Educational Agency (LEA) meet concrete, measurable goals for student
achievement based on overall performance. Subgroups must meet these goals as well in order to
ensure that all students achieve their state level standards.
The NCLB specifies the consequences for schools and districts that fail to meet the
benchmarks including corrective action steps and outright takeover of failing schools and/or
districts. Consequent to the NCLB requirements, the right of parents to move their children out
of failing public schools and to receive government-issued vouchers opened the door for the
LEADERSHIP PRACTICES OF KIPP LA PRINCIPALS 12
growth of charter schools. Adherents of school choice made a compelling case for alternatives to
public school and provided fertile ground for the nascent charter school movement to thrive.
During his first election campaign in 2008, President Obama promised to double federal funding
to charter schools. The Obama administration supports charter schools as a middle ground
between public and private schools (Payne & Knowles, 2009). This support was further echoed
by Arne Duncan, the Secretary of Education, who told the Senate during his confirmation
hearing that he supports the growth of charter schools nationwide.
What is a Charter School?
A charter school is an autonomous, publicly funded institution that operates under the
authority of a local education agency that enters into a contract with the entity that owns or
organizes the school. Although a charter school is autonomous and may not operate under the
direct contract control of the approving agency, the contract must stipulate the conditions under
which the school must function. The agency that grants a charter school the approval to operate
is usually a local public school district or state education agency (Daley, Norman, Weingarten &
Chavez, 2005). A typical charter school contract specifies the accountability measures and
performance outcomes including the school’s mission and vision, its goals, objectives and
programs, the population to be served and how performance will be evaluated (Bulkley &
Schneider, 2007).
Charter schools are peculiar to the United States. It is a hybrid system that combines the
features of both public and private schools. As public, they receive public funding and are
expected to meet a set of public requirements, but private in the sense that they enjoy certain
autonomy in governance and sponsorship peculiar to private schools (Bifulco & Bulkley, 2008).
LEADERSHIP PRACTICES OF KIPP LA PRINCIPALS 13
As at 2010, there are over 4000 charter schools scattered across forty states in the United States
and serve over one million students in K-12 system.
According to Payne and Knowles (2009), charter schools promise to fulfill three salient
needs: 1. To offer effective schooling options to children and families who have been historically
underserved. 2. To create the possibilities of institutional partners to increase their stakes in the
educational outcomes of their children, and 3. To provide significant flexibility that is currently
lacking in traditional public schools because of the ways the current school system is organized.
Additionally, the U.S. Charter Schools website lists that charter schools were created to
provide the following:
• To create a system of accountability for results in public education;
• To encourage innovative teaching practices;
• To create new professional opportunities for teachers;
• To encourage community and parent involvement in public education;
• To leverage improved education broadly (U.S. Charter Schools, 2006).
The state of California enacted a charter school law in 1992 as the second state in the
country to do so. According to the legislation, the primary intent of the California charter school
law is to encourage different and innovative teaching for the benefit of the educational system,
particularly in meeting the needs of the historically underserved communities and students with
special needs (Daley et al., 2005). The first charter schools began operating in Los Angeles
Unified School District (LAUSD) in 1993.
While the research on the success of charter schools in comparison to public schools is still
viewed with suspicion depending on who finances the particular study, there are cases of
exemplary accomplishments in some charter schools. This study will investigate how KIPP LA
LEADERSHIP PRACTICES OF KIPP LA PRINCIPALS 14
principals utilize promising leadership practices to manage their human capital, train their staff
and make decisions that lead to improved student achievement.
Background of the Problem
In the United States, a disparity in academic achievement persists between races and
socio-economic classes of the student population. This inequality manifests in various ways
including the dropout rates and graduation rates of the students according to their ethnicities and
social class. Students from low-income families are not graduating from high school at the same
rate as students from affluent or privileged backgrounds (National Assessment of Educational
Progress, 2009). Although the population of African Americans stands at 12.6% of the United
States population, their high school dropout rate is 16.1%. Similarly, the Hispanic population at
16.1% does not fare any better with a high school dropout rate of 26.1% (Ennis, Ríos-Vargas, &
Albert, 2011). The US Department of Education predicts that this disparity in student
achievement will continue to grow among these two minority groups (Choy, 2001).
The failure of the public school system is also evident in the type of personnel dedicated
to the service of low-income consumers. In most cases, schools in low socio-economic
neighborhoods are staffed by inexperienced teachers with limited training. These teachers are
often unprepared to offer quality education to their students (Futernick, 2007;
National Commission on Teaching and America‘s Future, 2007). Children living in poverty tend
to be educated in the lowest performing schools and taught by unskilled teachers with weak
leaders (Murnane, 2007). In addition, parents of students residing in high poverty urban areas
have less of a choice about where their children may attend school (Christle, Jolivette & Nelson,
2007).
LEADERSHIP PRACTICES OF KIPP LA PRINCIPALS 15
The need for a suitable alternative to provide quality education to all children,
particularly the low income children who are historically underserved, paved the way for the
existence of charter schools. Early charter school organizations emerged to address the problems
outlined above and to prove that with adequate support and attention, less privileged students
have the capacity to achieve academic success (Dressler, 2001). The proprietors believe that with
equitable resources, quality teachers and instruction as well as trained and dedicated leadership,
children in less affluent schools would attain academic success in all endeavors. One of the
pioneer charter schools that took on this challenge is Knowledge Is Power Program (KIPP).
KIPP organization was created in 1994 by Feinburg and Levin to educate poor and
minority students in Houston, Texas. After $15 million dollars in start-up funds were donated by
the Fisher Family, Co-founders of The Gap, Inc., the KIPP foundation was established. The 125
KIPP schools in operation primarily serve students living in high-poverty areas with 95% of the
student body comprised of African Americans or Latinos (KIPP, 2012). KIPP LA schools are
located in the urban areas of South and East Los Angeles. KIPP schools share a core set of
operating values known as the “Five Pillars” described below:
1. High Expectations: The schools have clearly defined and measurable high
expectations for academic achievement and conduct that make no excuses based on
the students' backgrounds.
2. Choice and Commitment: Students, their parents, and the faculty of each KIPP school
choose to participate in the program. No one is assigned or forced to attend a KIPP
school.
3. More Time: KIPP schools know that there are no shortcuts when it comes to success
in academics and life. With an extended school day, week, and year, students have
LEADERSHIP PRACTICES OF KIPP LA PRINCIPALS 16
more time in the classroom to acquire the academic knowledge and skills that will
prepare them for competitive high schools and colleges, as well as more opportunities
to engage in diverse extracurricular experiences.
4. Power To Lead: The principals of KIPP schools are effective academic and
organizational leaders who understand that great schools require great school leaders.
They have control over their school budget and personnel. They are free to swiftly
move dollars or make staffing changes, allowing them maximum effectiveness in
helping students learn.
5. Focus on Results: KIPP schools relentlessly focus on high student performance on
standardized tests and other objective measures. (KIPP, 2012)
The success of this charter school model is demonstrated in part by the fact that 93% of the
students who completed middle school at KIPP graduated from high school. Similarly, 83% of
KIPP students have moved on to college, with 40% earning Bachelor’s degrees (KIPP, 2012).
Additionally, 96% of KIPP students outperformed their local districts in English Language Arts
and 92% in mathematics (KIPP, 2012). This study will focus on uncovering and analyzing the
specific leadership behaviors or practices employed by KIPP LA school principals to improve
student achievement.
Statement of the Problem
Little is known of the specific leadership practices of successful charter school leaders as
connected to the twenty-one leadership responsibilities of the school leader (Marzano, Waters &
McNulty, 2005). Much of the extant research on charter schools has been conducted on
teachers’ instructional behaviors (Malloy & Wohlstetter, 2003). An investigation into the
administrative and instructional leadership practices of successful charter school principals will
LEADERSHIP PRACTICES OF KIPP LA PRINCIPALS 17
provide information as to how the leaders at KIPP L.A. meet the needs of their employees,
manage their human resources, and lead training and organizational development (Marzano et
al., 2005). Further investigations will examine how the KIPP LA administration makes decisions
and allocates resources within Marzano et al.’s (2005) school leader’s meta-analysis. The
specific leadership practices of the principals in terms of recruitment of personnel, training,
management, instructional practices including professional development, curricular adoption,
planning and implementation of effective strategies in the classroom, scheduling of the curricular
programs, as well as evaluation of instruction and teachers will be explored.
Purpose of the Study
This study will investigate how KIPP LA principals employ promising leadership
practices to manage their resources, train their staff, and make management and instructional
decisions that lead to improved student achievement in urban areas.
Research Questions
1. Which instructional and administrative leadership practices and programs at KIPP
L.A. schools could be considered innovative or distinctive as well as promising for
adoption by other schools?
2. What are the specific leadership responsibilities of KIPP LA principals and their
impact on student achievement?
3. What specific challenges have the principals faced in the implementation of their
programs and practices and how were these challenges addressed?
4. What evidence exists that these programs and practices have led to improved student
achievement?

LEADERSHIP PRACTICES OF KIPP LA PRINCIPALS 18
Significance of the Study
This study will add to the growing body of work on the viability of charter schools as an
alternative to the public and private school systems. While much of the existing scholarly work
has focused on teacher practice and behavior in charter schools, little is know about the impact of
principals, the instructional leaders at these schools. It is hoped that principals and other school
leaders can learn more about promising leadership practices from this study and endeavor to
apply them in their job settings. In the current efforts to establish a compendium of appropriate
leadership practices in the field of education, this study will prove timely and inevitable.
Furthermore, the findings from this study can assist policy makers as they make laws and enact
legislation concerning various aspects of the American K-12 educational system, including
funding, training for school leaders and staffing of local schools, particularly in large urban
communities.
Assumptions
This study assumes the following:
1. Principal leadership is crucial to student achievement in any school organization.
2. Principals will be able to recognize and articulate the practices used for improving
student achievement.
3. The chosen procedures and methods are appropriate.
4. The information gathered will adequately answer the research questions.
Limitations
This study includes the following limitations:
1. The validity of the data will rely on the chosen instruments of measurement.
LEADERSHIP PRACTICES OF KIPP LA PRINCIPALS 19
2. Challenges inherent in isolating the impact of leadership practices from other
variables.
3. The ability and willingness of the principals to provide accurate information.
4. The ability to gain access to the principals and pertinent documents for review and
analysis.
Definition of Terms
Academic Performance Index: Measurement of academic performance and progress of
individual schools and districts in California.
Accountability: An agreement between a director and a provider.
Achievement gap: Disparity in achievement among various groups of people.
Adequate Yearly Progress: A federal measure of students meeting or exceeding “proficient”
status on mandated yearly-standardized tests in English Language Arts and mathematics.
Assessments: Tools to measure student achievement.
At risk: Minority students and students with low socioeconomic status.
Capacity building: Developing individuals and institutions to meet student achievement goals.
Charter schools: Schools with government financing and decentralized decision-making
authority. In other words, public schools that operate independently from local school board
control.
Open enrollment charter schools: Schools that are constructed from scratch and accept students
from all school district boundaries.
District conversion charter schools: Public schools from a local school district converted into the
charter school model.
LEADERSHIP PRACTICES OF KIPP LA PRINCIPALS 20
Fundamental change: Change that is highly disruptive and involves significant alteration of the
processes and people in an organization.
Human capital: The knowledge and skills needed to do 21
st
century work.
Incremental change: Change that follows a natural and logical progression.
Instructional leadership: Generating both the will and the capacity for student achievement
reform within an institution.
No Child Left Behind Act of 2001: The most recent reauthorization of the Elementary and
Secondary Education Act that ushered in an era of federal accountability.
Principal: The highest-ranking administrator in a school.
Professional development: Targeted action to increase the knowledge, skills, and motivation of
education providers to meet rigorous demands for student achievement.
Program Improvement: A status designation given to schools that fail to meet student
achievement targets for two consecutive years under the provisions of NCLB.
Promising Practice: Any school-wide practice that is unusual and fresh, even if not original. A
practice that has the potential impact to affect an entire school (Daley et al., 2005).
Reform: Make changes to improve.
School Accountability Report Card: Annual public disclosure of school-level data.
Stakeholders: Individuals and groups that occupy formal and informal roles within an
organization.
Student achievement: The quantifiable academic performance of students.
Subgroups: An identifiable group of students within the student population.
Traditional school: The most common type of public school within a local educational agency.
Unions: Employee organizations that have elected to bargain collectively.
LEADERSHIP PRACTICES OF KIPP LA PRINCIPALS 21
Urban schools: Schools serving a disproportionately high number of at-risk students.
Organization of the Study
Since this study seeks to uncover the specific leadership practices that produce student
achievement in KIPP LA schools, the case study method is the most fitting research design for
the purpose of this investigation. The case study provides an in-depth, multifaceted investigation
that uses the qualitative research method for a single social phenomenon (Merriam, 2009). The
objective is to study the effective practices of KIPP L.A. charter school principals in improving
student achievement by collecting data, analyzing that data and ending with a description of my
findings. The case here is the principals of KIPP LA charter schools and the study will focus on
their leadership practices.
Conclusion
This chapter provides the introduction and an overview of the study, which contains a
brief description of what led to the establishment of the charter system. It also states the
background of the problem and purpose of this study, which is to investigate the leadership
practices of KIPP LA charter school principals and their impact on student achievement. The
research questions are presented as well as the definitions of key terms. The next chapter will
discuss relevant literature on the charter school system, selected leadership theories or
approaches, school leadership, the role of a principal as the instructional leader, and the impact
of school leadership on student achievement.

LEADERSHIP PRACTICES OF KIPP LA PRINCIPALS 22
CHAPTER TWO: REVIEW OF LITERATURE
Introduction
As discussed in Chapter One, the goal of this study is to identify the promising leadership
practices employed by three KIPP LA charter schools to improve student achievement in Los
Angeles urban neighborhoods. Also explained in Chapter One are the following four research
questions that will guide the examination of the goal of this study: (a) Which instructional and
administrative programs and practices at KIPP LA schools could be considered innovative or
distinctive as well as promising for adoption by other schools? (b) What are the specific
leadership responsibilities of KIPP LA principals and their impact on student achievement? (c)
What specific challenges have the principals faced in the implementation of their programs and
practices and how were these challenges addressed? and (d) What evidence exists that these
programs and practices have led to improved student achievement?
This chapter on the review of the literature will address the following key topics. First
will be a brief overview of the emergence of the charter school system. Second, definitions of
pertinent types of leadership unique to school organization as well as school leadership will be
synthesized. Third, a theoretical framework for this study will be explained. Fourth, a synthesis
of the roles of the principal as a school leader as well as the impact of principal leadership on
student achievement will be offered. The conclusion of this chapter will contain a summary of
the prevalent views of the current literature and research on school leadership and the role of
principal leadership on student achievement.
Emergence of the Charter School System
This section offers a brief definition of a charter school as well as an explanation of what
gave rise to charter schools as another alternative to the traditional K-12 education system. It will
LEADERSHIP PRACTICES OF KIPP LA PRINCIPALS 23
also give a description of the Knowledge Is Power Program (KIPP), one of the pioneer
organizations of the charter school movement.
A charter school is an autonomous, publicly funded institution that operates under the
authority of a charter. This is a contract between the granting agency, usually a public school
agency, such as a local school district or state department of education, and the entity that
organizes the charter school (Fusarelli, 2002). The contract usually states how the school will be
operated as well as the educational outcomes for evaluating its performance (Fusarelli, 2002).
The challenges to schools to produce students equipped with the knowledge and skills to live up
to the demands of the 21
st
century labor force continue to propel education reforms in American
schools. Since the enactment of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) of 1965
aimed at ensuring equity in the K-12 educational system, other legislation including the No Child
Left Behind (NCLB) of 2001 have been enacted. Still the achievement gaps between Whites and
other minority groups, particularly children of low socioeconomic backgrounds, have continued
to grow. Students from low-income families are not graduating from high school at the same rate
as students from middle class, affluent or privileged backgrounds (National Assessment of
Educational Progress, 2009).
The need for a suitable alternative to provide quality education to all children,
particularly low income children who are historically underserved, paved the way for the
existence of charter schools (Payne & Knowles, 2009). Early charter school organizations
emerged to address the problems outlined above and to prove that with adequate support and
attention, less privileged students have the capacity to achieve academic success (Dressler,
2001). The proprietors believed that with equitable resources, quality teachers and instruction as
well as trained and dedicated leadership, children in less affluent schools could and would
LEADERSHIP PRACTICES OF KIPP LA PRINCIPALS 24
succeed. Moreover, an important concept of the charter school movement involves site-based
management and increased flexibility for school leaders and teachers to make key decisions with
little or no bureaucratic bottleneck (Payne & Knowles, 2009).
One of the pioneer charter schools that took on this challenge is the Knowledge Is Power
Program (KIPP). KIPP was created in 1994 by Feinburg and Levin to educate poor and minority
students in Houston, Texas (KIPP, 2012). After $15 million dollars in start-up funds were
donated by the Fisher Family, co-founders of The Gap, Inc., the KIPP foundation was
established. The 125 KIPP schools in operation primarily serve students living in high-poverty
areas with 95% of the student body comprised of African Americans or Latinos (KIPP, 2012).
KIPP L.A. schools are located primarily in the urban areas of South and East Los Angeles.
The success of this charter school model is demonstrated in part by the fact that 93% of
its students who completed middle school at KIPP graduated from high school (KIPP, 2012).
Further success is indicated by the fact that 83% of KIPP students have moved on to college,
with 40% earning Bachelor’s degrees (KIPP, 2012). Additionally, 96% of KIPP students
outperformed their local districts in English Language Arts, and 92% in mathematics. This study
will focus on uncovering and analyzing the specific leadership behaviors or practices employed
by KIPP L.A. school principals to improve student achievement (KIPP, 2012).
Definitions of Leadership and School Leadership
Many theorists have ascribed several different definitions to leadership. Such definitions
range from the claim that leadership qualities are innate traits possessed by a few privileged
members of society to the claim that those skills and knowledge can be taught and learned by
others (Northouse, 2006). Several theorists agree that leadership is an ever-evolving concept that
changes with time, and that effective school leadership is not an exception (Northouse, 2006).
LEADERSHIP PRACTICES OF KIPP LA PRINCIPALS 25
According to Marzano, Waters, and McNulty (2005), the concept of leadership dates back to the
beginning of time, and leadership is vital to the effective functioning and success of any
institution. Northouse (2006) defines leadership as a set of learned skills that could be acquired
by anyone. He sees leadership as a process whereby an individual influences a group of people in
order to achieve a goal in which the leader and the led (followers) are part of the leadership
process. This aligns with James Burns’ (1978) definition of leadership as an interaction between
the leader and followers whereby the leader influences the follower to act for certain goals that
represent the values and motivation, the aspirations and expectations of both the leader and the
follower (p. 19). In spite of varying definitions or descriptions of leadership offered by theorists,
there is a consensus that it contains the following elements: (a) leadership is a process, (b)
leadership involves influence, (c) leadership occurs in groups, and (d) leadership involves
common goals (Northouse, 2006).
Although there are many types of leadership and leadership theories, this review will
focus on a few leadership theories and approaches as they relate specifically to the field of
education. For the purpose of this study, the explanation of the concept of school leadership will
be discussed through the lens of these selected leadership models: traditional perspective,
transformational leadership, servant leadership, shared leadership, and instructional leadership.
This section on leadership will conclude with the prevalent school leadership models through
which this study will be examined.
Traditional Beliefs about School Leadership
Traditional beliefs about school leadership and how it has evolved over the years will be
addressed in this section along with a reference to the role of leadership in human endeavors.
The belief that leadership is a universal concept that occurs among people of all cultures and
LEADERSHIP PRACTICES OF KIPP LA PRINCIPALS 26
creeds has been widely documented (Marzano et al., 2005). Over the years, stories and histories
of leaders who have had a positive impact among their contemporaries abound. Similar stories
exist of poor leaders and their leadership that are marked with negative legacies.
Traditional school leadership similar to leadership in many other organizations follows
the hierarchical “top down” style of organization and management. Typically, traditional school
leadership equates leadership with headship. It operates on a hierarchy that presents the principal
as the head person with many responsibilities and as the ultimate decision-maker at the school
(Marzano et al., 2005). The principal is often seen as a sage with the exclusive knowledge of
what the school needs in order to make progress and accomplish its set goals. On the basis of
such significant autocratic powers, the principal makes decisions unilaterally and delegates tasks
to his followers (Marzano et al., 2005). Such a leadership model is antithetical to growth and
progress. Elmore (2004) indicates that the knowledge base required to effectively discharge the
responsibilities of a school leader is too vast to be carried out alone. As a solution, he
recommends distributing leadership responsibilities among the other stakeholders.
With the advent of educational reforms including rigorous curricular programs,
standards-based instruction and high-stake assessments, the role of a school leader has continued
to evolve (DuFour, 2002). The traditional approach is becoming less fashionable largely due to
the increasing responsibilities of school leadership and demands from other stakeholder groups
for more involvement in school leadership as well as in the education of their children.
According to Roland Barth (1988), “Leadership is making what you believe in happen.
Everyone deserves an opportunity for leadership” (p. 640). Arguing for more inclusive school
leadership, Barth states that teachers harbor extraordinary leadership capabilities, and their
leadership is a major untapped resource for improving U.S. schools. Finally, criticisms of the
LEADERSHIP PRACTICES OF KIPP LA PRINCIPALS 27
traditional approach of school leadership as well as the latest research in educational leadership
have paved the way for better models of leadership that have led to improved student outcomes
as well as smoother operations of various aspects of a school (Marzano et al., 2005).
Transformational Leadership
Transformational leadership is one leadership approach that is becoming very popular
among theorists and practitioners because of its emphasis on intrinsic motivation and follower
development (Northouse, 2006). Burns (1978) defines transformational leadership as a process
that changes people. It is a process whereby the leader engages with followers to create a
connection that raises the level of motivation and morality in both the leader and the followers.
This leadership process compels both the leader and the followers to subscribe to the same
emotions, values, ethics, goals and motivation. The leaders and followers are all driven by the
importance and purpose of the tasks to be accomplished and are morally vested in getting the job
done as part of their shared sacrifice.
Because transformational leadership focuses on the relationship between a leader and
followers and enjoins both to pursue a higher purpose, it has been the subject of systematic
inquiry in non-school organizations for several decades. Bass (1985) expanded on Burns’
definition of transformational leadership by giving more attention to the follower’s expectations
in a transformational partnership. The role of a transformational leader is to motivate followers
by raising their consciousness about the importance of organizational goals and by inspiring
them to transcend beyond their self-interest for the sake of the organization as well as moving
followers to address higher level needs (Marks & Printy, 2003).
Bass (1985) recommends that a transformational leader should possess at least one of the
following leadership factors: idealized influence, inspirational motivation, intellectual
LEADERSHIP PRACTICES OF KIPP LA PRINCIPALS 28
stimulation and individualized consideration. A summary of each of the following
characteristics, also known as the Four I’s of transformational leadership, is provided below:
1. Idealized Influence or charisma refers to leaders with very high standards and strong
morals and values who act as role models for followers. These leaders command the
respect of their followers who identify with them and express a strong desire to
emulate their leaders (Northouse, 2006).
2. Inspirational Motivation refers to leaders who communicate high expectations to
followers, inspiring them through motivation to subscribe to the shared vision and
mission of the organization (Northouse, 2006).
3. Intellectual Stimulation describes leadership that stimulates followers to become
creative and innovative and to think outside the “box” by challenging their own
beliefs and values as well as those of the leaders and the organization (Northouse,
2006).
4. Individualized Consideration entails a leadership attribute that compels the leader to
listen closely to the individual needs of the followers while gently assisting them to
maximize their efforts and potential (Northouse, 2006).
Leithwood (1994) built on the works of Burns (1978) and Bass (1985) and developed the
transformational model of school leadership. He indicates that the four I’s of transformational
leadership espoused by Bass and Avolio (1994) are essential skills for school principals in order
to meet the challenges of the 21
st
century. Working with other colleagues, Leithwood et al.
(1999) identify nine functions of a transformational leader as it pertains to school leadership. The
functions, clustered in three main areas, include (1) Mission centered – developing a widely
shared vision for the school and building consensus about school goals and priorities. (2)
LEADERSHIP PRACTICES OF KIPP LA PRINCIPALS 29
Performance centered – holding high performance expectations, providing individualized support
and supplying intellectual stimulation. (3) Culture centered – modeling organizational values,
strengthening productive school culture, building collaborative cultures, and creating structures
for participation in school decisions. Judging from the original conception of the
transformational leadership approach by Burns (1978) and subsequent expansion made by Bass
(1985) as well as the application of the model to school leadership by Leithwood et al. (1999), it
is evident that transformational leadership is capable of creating a fundamental and enduring
sense of purpose in a school community in terms of building organizational capacity (Marks &
Printy, 2003).
Servant Leadership
Servant leadership is another leadership approach chosen for review in this study because
of its suitability to the new paradigm shift in school leadership. Contrary to the traditional
perspective of leadership where the leader occupies a position at the top of the organizational
hierarchy and works with only a few highly placed people, a successful 21
st
century school
leader is expected now to work with everyone at the school site.
Originating from the work of Robert Greenleaf (1970), servant leadership is a type of
leadership that focuses on the leader’s humility and interaction with the followers. As the name
implies, the leader assumes the role of a servant and positions himself or herself at the center of
the organization and leads from there (Marzano, 2005). The leadership style compels the leader
to be attentive to the needs and concerns of the followers, empathize with them and nurture them
(Northouse, 2006). Additionally, a servant leader must be ethical and be preoccupied with ways
to provide assistance for the service of the greater good of the organization, community and
LEADERSHIP PRACTICES OF KIPP LA PRINCIPALS 30
society at large (Northouse, 2006). Greenleaf suggests that a servant leader also has a social
responsibility to be concerned about the less privileged members of the society.
If there are inequalities and social injustices, a servant leader is expected to address them
(Graham, 1991). The expectation that a servant leader is obligated to address injustice and equity
concerns aligns with the expressed intent for the creation of charter schools. Charter schools
developed as a response to the public outcry to address the inequality and poor education of
students from minority and low socio-economic backgrounds (Payne & Knowles, 2009). Even if
a charter school leader is not familiar with the specific components of servant leadership,
significant aspects of the leadership model ought to be demonstrated in their practices because of
the population of the students they serve.
In order to describe the characteristics of servant leadership in concrete terms for
practitioners, Spears (2002) identifies ten characteristics of Greenleaf’s model of leadership. The
following characteristics, which will also serve as part of the theoretical framework for this study
on promising leadership practices of charter school principals, are described below:
1. Listening: Servant leaders maintain on-going communication with their followers by
listening to them. First, they listen to identify the views of their followers. Next, they
validate those opinions and then make their decisions.
2. Empathy: Servant leaders feel the pain and concerns of their followers and send a
clear message to the followers that they care and feel for them.
3. Healing: In addition to empathizing with their followers, servant leaders are willing to
offer helping hands.
4. Awareness: Servant leaders are aware of the physical, social and political
environment of their work situation.
LEADERSHIP PRACTICES OF KIPP LA PRINCIPALS 31
5. Persuasion: Servant leaders lead by persuading others to see things their way and then
make changes as a result. They do not lead by intimation or coercion.
6. Conceptualization: This refers to the ability of a servant leader to provide a clear
sense of the goals and directions for the daily operations of an organization as well as
long-term goals.
7. Foresight: A servant leader needs to be able to predict the future and plan ahead.
Greenleaf believes that a servant leader should be held accountable for any failures
that could be reasonably predicted and prevented.
8. Stewardship: Under the model of servant leadership, stewardship compels the leader
to take full responsibility for the leadership role entrusted to the leader.
9. Commitment to the growth of people: A servant leader is committed to eliciting the
unique qualities of each person and treating each follower as a unique person beyond
the follower’s tangible contributions to the organization.
10. Building community: A servant leader fosters the development of a community – a
collection of individuals who have shared interests and pursuits with a sense of unity
and relationship to a course.
These characteristics along with other attributes from other leadership approaches will constitute
the theoretical framework for this case study.
Shared Leadership
Duke’s (1982) article on leadership functions and instructional effectiveness, which
describes the roles of instructional leaders, indicates that the structure of a school organization
influences the behavior of principals and vice versa. He describes this concept as “reciprocal
determinism” (Duke, 1982, p. 2). He further extends this concept to imply that principals can
LEADERSHIP PRACTICES OF KIPP LA PRINCIPALS 32
influence instructional effectiveness at their local school sites by interacting with teachers. This
makes the case for shared leadership - a leadership approach that emphasizes interaction among
members of a school community and faculty.
Within the context of an educational organization, shared leadership refers to the sharing
of instructional leadership between the principal and teachers. Unlike the traditional leadership
concept where the principal make decisions unilaterally, shared leadership is inclusive and leads
to the development of empowered and competent teachers (Marks & Printy, 2003). Cox, Pearce,
& Perry (2003) describe shared leadership as a collaborative process that allows team members
to work together, negotiate ideas and apply their collective knowledge and skills towards a
common objective. They suggest that the collaborative process engendered by shared leadership
improves team effectiveness and ultimately results in positive performance outcomes (Cox et.
al., 2003).
DuFour and Mattos (2013) view collaboration as an integral component of shared
leadership. Drawing from their practical experience as former principals and the work of other
researchers, they state that the most powerful strategy for improving teaching and learning is
through collaborative culture and the collective responsibility of creating a professional learning
community. They describe the professional learning committee (PLC) as a process where the
principal and teachers engage in collective discourse to determine students’ instructional needs
and the methods for accomplishing identified tasks. Within the context of shared leadership, they
contend that when teachers participate in identifying the problems and articulating the solutions,
they feel more empowered and eager to work collaboratively to achieve improved student
outcomes (DuFour et al., 2013).
LEADERSHIP PRACTICES OF KIPP LA PRINCIPALS 33
In her review of shared leadership, Lambert (1998) supports the development of
leadership at all levels of an organization and contends that everyone has the ability as well as
the obligation to serve as a leader. Within a school organization, she recommends the shared
leadership approach and expresses the importance of teachers and principals working together in
order to create a community of learners. As previously mentioned in this literature review, one of
the tenets for the creation of charter schools is increased flexibility for school leaders and
teachers to make key decisions collaboratively, and this notion has a seamless alignment with the
shared leadership approach.
Instructional Leadership
Instructional leadership has developed into the most popular theme in educational
leadership in North America over the past twenty years (Marzano et al., 2005). This is in
response to the public’s enormous expectations of the role of public education in students’ lives.
The new reform movements and the requests for improved curriculum, standards-based
instruction and assessments have continued to increase the responsibilities and functions of
school administrators. These added responsibilities call for significant changes in the role of
principals. These new roles compel principals to transition from organizational and facility
managers to instructional leaders (Kezar, 2001).
Even though the term instructional leadership has become very popular, it still lacks a
universal definition (Leithwood, Jantzi & Steinbach, 1999). However, one definition that has
attained increasing acceptability is the description of instructional leadership by Smith and
Andrews (1989). They identify four components of an instructional leader: resource provider,
instructional resource, visible presence and communicator. As a resource provider, the principal
ensures that teachers and students have the materials they need to do perform the job of teaching
LEADERSHIP PRACTICES OF KIPP LA PRINCIPALS 34
and learning. In a state like California, which must comply with the Williams Case Settlement
(Slater, 2004), it means the provision of sufficient textbooks and instructional materials for
teachers to teach and for students to use both in the classroom and at home. It is also means the
provision of safe and decent school facilities and the staffing of every classroom with a well
trained, qualified teacher.
As an instructional resource, the principal must support daily instructional activities,
including classroom observations, professional development for teachers and staff as well as
attending to the socio-emotional needs of the teachers and students in order to facilitate
appropriate teaching and learning. Additionally, the principal is expected to maintain high
visibility on campus in order to proactively address the concerns of the stakeholders and to be
accessible to everyone as needed. Moreover, all these tasks are predicated on the firm
communication from the principal on the vision and mission of the school. Through on-going
communication, the principal is expected to continue to restate and reiterate the school’s mission
in the form of short and long-term goals and objectives. Sustained and regular communication
through various channels is imperative for any effective school leadership (Marzano, 2005). A
more detailed explanation of the duties of a principal will be offered in the section that addresses
the role of the principal as an instructional leader.
While transformational leadership builds organizational capacity and servant leadership
nurtures those within the organization, they do not explicitly focus on teaching and learning. This
is where instructional leadership becomes important. Instructional leadership builds individual
and collective competence. It focuses on leadership functions that deal with student learning
including managing student behavior as well as providing for academic achievement (Marks &
LEADERSHIP PRACTICES OF KIPP LA PRINCIPALS 35
Printy, 2003). It is shared leadership because specific leadership functions are implemented by
people working collaboratively among themselves (Firestone, 1996).
Regardless of how instructional leadership has been defined or described by various
researchers, there is a consensus that instructional leadership, particularly in the 21
st
century, has
shifted from the individual role of a principal to how the principal as an instructional leader
collaborates with the people, in this case teachers, who are at the forefront of instructional
delivery. Blase and Blase (1999), on the basis of their review of current literature categorize
instructional leadership into four broad areas. First, their prescriptive model identifies
instructional leadership as the inclusion of the tasks of direct assistance to teachers, group
development, staff development, curriculum development, and action research (Blase & Blase,
1999). This category firmly situates instructional leadership as a collaborative endeavor between
the principal and the members of the teaching faculty.
The second category identified by Blase and Blase (1999) deals with the indirect effects
of principal-teacher instructional conferences and behaviors, including the effects of monitoring
student progress. The third category addresses the effects of the principal’s behavior on teachers
and classroom instruction, and the fourth area looks at the principal’s direct and indirect effects
on student achievement. These four categories have in common the necessity for collaboration
among all school personnel who are responsible for teaching and learning. Blase and Blase
(1999) indicate through their analysis that effective instructional leadership is embedded in the
school culture, a culture that emphasizes integration, collaboration, collegial study groups, and
reflective discussion to build knowledge and professional capacities among the faculty.
Moreover, collaboration between the school leader and teachers as an integral component
of instructional leadership is necessitated by the limited powers of principals to effect change
LEADERSHIP PRACTICES OF KIPP LA PRINCIPALS 36
alone. As the instructional responsibilities of school leaders continue to grow as a result of the
public’s demands for rigorous curriculum, instruction and assessments, there is no commensurate
increase in the authority of principals to effect those changes (Owens, 2001). Consequently,
school leaders are compelled to create school cultures that will allow them to effectively achieve
their instructional objectives.
In summary, the above synthesis of different leadership styles shows the evolutionary
trends of school leadership. Starting with the traditional perspective, school leadership began
with the authoritarian management style that exists in many other organizations where leadership
is dispensed in a hierarchical order. It is a leadership style that equates leadership with headship
and allows the principal to arrogate himself or herself as the only person with all the solutions.
Reacting to the public pressure for educational reforms, theorists came up with other leadership
models including transformational leadership, servant leadership and instructional leadership.
Leithwood’s (1994) application of the transformation leadership model to the field of education
enjoins school leaders to build organizational capacity. Similar to the transformational leadership
model, a servant leader works with every member of the organization in a collaborative fashion.
Unlike the traditional perspective, a servant leader leads from the middle, nurtures and treats
every follower as a unique individual and worthy member of the organization regardless of his or
her contributions to the organization’s well being.
The incessant demands for reforms in education has also led to the emergence of
instructional leadership – the leadership model that specifically focuses on teaching and learning.
It looks closely at the relationship between the leader (principal) and teachers and emphasizes the
need for collaboration among the faculty in order to facilitate student learning. Among all these
leadership approaches discussed above, this study will view school leadership and the charter
LEADERSHIP PRACTICES OF KIPP LA PRINCIPALS 37
school leadership practices through the lens of transformational and instructional leadership
theories. As will be further expanded upon in the theoretical framework section, these two
theories are chosen because of their compatibility with the latest paradigm shifts in education
that demand increased collaboration and shared leadership among all providers of teaching and
learning. The body of research on these two models of leadership places strong emphasis on
collaboration and attests to their effectiveness on group performance and student achievement.
According to Leithwood et al. (1999), transformational leadership is an expansion of
instructional leadership because it “aspires, more generally, to increase members’ efforts on
behalf of the organization, as well as develop more skilled practice” (p. 20).
Also contributing to the theoretical framework for this study is the meta-analytical work
of Marzano, Waters, and McNulty (2005) as outlined in “The 21 Responsibilities of the School
Leader.”
Theoretical Framework
The theoretical framework for this research will be based on leadership theories.
Specifically, transformational leadership theory and instructional leadership as well as a
condensed version of the twenty-one leadership responsibilities (Marzano et al., 2005) will serve
as the theoretical basis for understanding this research. The goal of this study is to investigate the
leadership practices of charter school principals at KIPP LA schools. The investigation will focus
on how the school leaders utilize any and all aspects of these two leadership theories discussed in
the prior section and implement the processes and programs inherent in each model to improve
student achievement.
The theory of action assumes that if the charter school leaders in this study are exposed to
sound leadership theories that are specific to the field of education – transformational and
LEADERSHIP PRACTICES OF KIPP LA PRINCIPALS 38
instructional leadership - and implement key components of the twenty-one leadership
responsibilities in an integrated fashion, there is a significant chance that their leadership will
lead to improved student achievement (Marzano et al., 2005). Mindful of other variables
responsible for student achievement, this study focuses on only the principals’ leadership actions
and their impact on student achievement. However, the expectation that effective leadership will
have positive effects on other variables responsible for improved student achievement will be
factored in while investigating the leadership roles of the principal leaders in this study.
The Twenty-One Responsibilities of the School Leader
As part of the theoretical framework for this study, the twenty-one leadership
responsibilities of the school leader identified by Marzano, Walters, and McNulty (2005) will be
explained in this section. Born out of in depth meta-analysis of 69 studies that researched
specific behaviors related to principal leadership, Marzano et al. (2005) identified twenty-one
categories of behaviors, which they refer as “responsibilities.” While these responsibilities are
not new findings in the literature on leadership, they offer new insights into the nature of school
leadership (Marzano, et al., 2005).
In lieu of conducting their own empirical research, Marzano et al. (2005) analyzed
studies on school leadership that consisted of a survey of more 650 principals on the behavior of
effective principals in relation to student achievement. The goal of the study was to determine
the effects of specific principal behaviors as they related to student achievement. Their findings
reveal a significant relationship between leadership and student achievement, with a correlation
of .25. According to the researchers, a .25 statistical correlation represents an improvement of a
principal in the identified 21 responsibilities by one standard deviation. In terms of student
LEADERSHIP PRACTICES OF KIPP LA PRINCIPALS 39
achievement, they claimed that such an improvement translates into a 10-percentile point gain on
a standardized achievement test (Marzano, et al., 2005).
The list of twenty-one leadership responsibilities includes affirmation, change agent,
contingent rewards, communication, culture, discipline, flexibility, focus, ideals/beliefs, input,
intellectual stimulation, involvement in curriculum/instruction/assessment, knowledge of
curriculum/instruction/assessment, monitoring/evaluating, optimizer, order, outreach,
relationships, resources, situational awareness, and visibility. For the purpose of this study,
seven of the twenty-one responsibilities have been chosen for a brief description because of their
closer compatibility with the transformational and instructional leadership models that constitute
the theoretical framework for this research.
The seven behaviors were also chosen as a result of their alignment to task-relevant
competencies and socio-emotional considerations identified by Blase (1987) as two broad
dimensions of effective leadership. The task-relevant competencies are demonstrated in such
activities as planning, defining, organizing, and evaluating the work of individuals. Additionally,
a school leader demonstrates the second dimension – socio-emotional considerations – in various
ways such as his or her support and care for the followers’ personal and professional needs,
handling of issues of fairness and equity, willingness to delegate authority and trust as well as the
capacity to recognize, praise and reward followers. The seven responsibilities include: change
agent, communication, culture, focus, knowledge of curriculum, instruction and assessment;
relationships, and resource.
1. Change Agent: A leader as the change agent mirrors the views and intent of
transformational leadership as the name of the theory implies. It refers to the leader’s
willingness to challenge the status quo. Fullan (2001) indicates that such a leader has
LEADERSHIP PRACTICES OF KIPP LA PRINCIPALS 40
the capacity to “disturb them (staff) in a manner that approximates the desired
change” (pp. 45-46). The change agent denotes leadership that empowers the
followers to make decisions, take risks and protect those that take risks (Silins,
Muflord, and Zarins, 2002). The change agent is bold enough to ask uncomfortable
questions to extend the thinking of followers, prevents against complacent behaviors
and yet patient enough to allow changes to take root.
2. Communication: Communication refers to the school leaders ability to establish
strong communication through multiple channels with all the stakeholder groups.
Effective communication is imperative in any human endeavor that requires people to
work collaboratively towards a common purpose. In more practice terms, Elmore
(2004), Fullan 2001) and Leithwood and Riehl (2003) suggest that an effective
principal should engage in the following specific behaviors: (a) develop efficient
means for teachers to communicate with one another, (b) communicate through his
presence by being accessible to teachers, and (c) maintain open and effective lines of
communication with staff.
3. Culture: A school culture revolves around the values, beliefs and feelings of the staff
members. Whether implicitly or explicitly, the culture portrays what is important to
the school community and what they stand for. For example, a school culture that
emphasizes learning is usually evident in the conduct and activities of the school
faculty and students (Hanson, 2001). Because the school culture dictates the way
things are done in any given school, it remains the most difficult thing for any
reformer to change (Barth, 2007). Marzano et al. (2005) indicate that an effective
school leader who strives to foster a school culture does the following: (a) promote
LEADERSHIP PRACTICES OF KIPP LA PRINCIPALS 41
cohesion among staff, (b) promotes a sense of well-being among staff, (c) develops
an understanding of purpose among staff, (d) develops a shared vision of what the
school could be like.
4. Focus: Focus refers to the school leader’s ability to set clear goals and expectations
and to sustain those goals by keeping them at the forefront of the school’s attention
(Marzano et al., 2005).
5. Knowledge of curriculum, instruction and assessment: Fullan (2001) explains that
the principal’s knowledge of effective practices in curriculum and instruction is vital
to his or her ability to provide guidance to teachers for the daily implementation of
any instructional tasks. Elmore (2004) views principal leadership as synonymous with
directing and enabling instructional improvement at a local school site. The
knowledge component must be complemented with the school leader’s direct
involvement in the day-to-day learning and teaching activities (Marzano et al., 2005).
6. Relationships: Building personal and sustainable relationships with teachers and other
members of a school faculty is perceived as the glue that brings all other leadership
behaviors together (Marzano et al., 2005). When a school leader goes out of his way
to maintain face-to-face relationships with teachers by knowing them at personal
level beyond the scope of their duties and responsibilities, it creates a culture that
encourages teachers to maximize their potential and efforts (Elmore, 2004). It also
incentivizes teachers to become more committed and by so doing, enhances teaching
and learning (Elmore, 2004).
7. Resources: According to Marzano et al. (2005), “Resources are to a complex
organization what food is to the body” (p. 59). Resources go beyond books and
LEADERSHIP PRACTICES OF KIPP LA PRINCIPALS 42
materials and extend to the leader’s ability to respond to new circumstances as well as
to exercise quick and prudent judgments and respond to opportunities and threats
(Deering, Dilts, and Russell 2003). Expressing it in a more instructional context,
Fullan (2001) describes resources as the provision of materials, equipment, space,
time and access to new ideas and to expertise. Elmore (2004) sees resources as heavy
investments in targeted and data-driven professional development that build
knowledge and skills capacity among the teachers and administrators.
While this list is neither exhaustive nor novel in terms of the attributes of an effective
school leader, it constitutes the lens through which the leadership practices of the KIPP LA
charter school principals will be viewed. Mindful of the familiarity of these behaviors, this
study’s emphasis will investigate how the charter school leaders are employing these behaviors
in accordance with their commitment to educate in innovative ways those students who have
been historically marginalized or neglected by the traditional public school system.
The Roles of the Principal as a School Leader
As the pressure to reform the K-12 educational system to produce quality schools that
will serve both individual and social goals increases, both educators and policy makers at the
legislative level are reaching consensus that the roles of a principal are vital in improving
teaching and learning (Murphy & Beck, 1995). Legislators from many states believe that
exemplary schools have effective school leaders who direct and encourage staff members’
engagement in school-wide efforts to improve student learning (National Conference of State
Legislatures, 2002). This section will provide an overview of the research literature on the
importance of the roles of the principal as a school leader, the impact of principal leadership on
LEADERSHIP PRACTICES OF KIPP LA PRINCIPALS 43
student achievement and a comparison of the principal’s role in both public schools and charter
schools.
Importance of the Role of a Principal
Succinctly stated, Kelley and Peterson (2009) capture the important role of a principal as
follows: “In fact, one seldom finds an instructionally effective school without an effective
principal” (p. 355). Marzano et al. (2005) indicate that an effective principal is perceived as the
pre-condition for an effective school. Their meta-analysis of seventy empirical studies on school
leadership concluded that the principal is the most influential person in any school. While
acknowledging the impact of other variables, Daresh and Playko’s (1997) review of the research
on school effectiveness indicates that the most critical variable that makes one school more
successful than another is the leadership behavior of the school principals. In spite of the above
statements, a few researchers identify no direct effect of principal leadership on student
achievement (Hallinger & Beck, 1996).
Regardless of any contrary views, a school needs a principal to formulate and implement
the curriculum, quality instructional strategies, and assessment strategies that facilitate planning
and school improvement efforts (Kelley & Peterson, 2009). Numerous researchers in education
have emphasized the role of a principal in promoting school effectiveness, organizing and
guiding school improvement and implementing the reform processes (Elmore & Burney, 1997).
A school leader sets the instructional tone for the campus by establishing a clear vision
and mission of the school’s operations, sets the long and short-term goals, and establishes the
leadership structure of the school. The totality of these components constitutes the school
culture, which dictates and influences teaching and learning (Fullan, 2001). In the context of the
California public school system, the Williams Case Settlement (Slater, 2004) mandates school
LEADERSHIP PRACTICES OF KIPP LA PRINCIPALS 44
leaders to ensure the provision of sufficient instructional materials, including textbooks for the
classrooms and homework, a clean and decent campus and highly qualified teachers at every
school. The school principal is responsible for the day-to-day supervision of classroom
instruction, scheduling of instructional and school activities, including student assessment and
staff development (Leithwood et al., 2004).
The responsibilities of a school principal are spiraling, and his or her impact is not limited
to instruction. Principals are held responsible and accountable for every aspect of a school
operation (Leithwood, 2005). According to a 1977 United States Senate Committee Report on
Equal Educational Opportunity (cited in Marzano et al., 2005), “The principal is the person
responsible for all activities that occur in and around the school building. It is the principal’s
leadership that sets the tone of the school, the climate for teaching, the level of professionalism
and morale of teachers, and the degree of concern for what students may or may not become…”
(p. 56).
The Role of the Principal and Impact on Student Achievement
As previously discussed, effective leadership in any school organization has a positive
impact on every aspect of the school, including student achievement. The principal is considered
a key element in school effectiveness (Duke, 1982). School effectiveness is largely determined
by student academic achievement as measured by standardized tests, certain desirable work
habits and character traits related to good citizenship (Duke, 1982). Because teaching and
learning are the aspects of school activities that have the biggest effect on student achievement,
there have been increasing expectations for principals to shift their focus from management and
administration to instruction and capacity building (Hallinger, 2005). The shift to an instructional
focus has compelled principals to become change agents who are deeply involved with teachers
LEADERSHIP PRACTICES OF KIPP LA PRINCIPALS 45
in the improvement of instruction and curriculum (Barber & Meyerson, 2005). Such principals
have been able to demonstrate sustained attention to organizational capacity that engages
teachers to support the school’s vision as well as its instructional goals (Leithwood & Janzi,
2000).
Although the expression “building organizational capacity” has become all too familiar in
many industries, DuFour (2002) provides an explanation of how a principal can build capacity
and also recommends a change of the title associated with principalship. For the past three
decades, most of the research in school leadership has described the principal as the instructional
leader (DuFour, 2002). The intent behind this new title for principals is the understanding that
student achievement should become the ultimate outcome of any effective school. On the basis
of this belief, DuFour (2002) distinguishes between the titles instructional leader and learning
leader and argues that the latter has more impact in improving student achievement. He describes
the role of an instructional leader as helping individual teachers to improve instruction and that
of a learning leader as helping teams of teachers to ensure that students achieve the intended
outcomes of their schooling. He concludes that teachers and students benefit more when
principals function as learning leaders than as instructional leaders (DuFour, 2002).
Many researchers have documented strong correlations between the leadership practices
of school principals and the academic achievement of students (Cotton, 2003). Marzano et al.’s
(2005) meta analysis of the research on school leadership note as one of the major conclusions
that leadership is second only to classroom instruction among variables responsible for student
learning. Although their section on instructional leadership provides great insights on its nature
and form, Marzano’s et al.’s list of twenty-one responsibilities expand on principal behaviors
that lead to an effective school. Other specific principal behaviors that have a positive impact on
LEADERSHIP PRACTICES OF KIPP LA PRINCIPALS 46
student achievement include the principal’s ability to: (a) recruit competent teachers and
continually develop their knowledge and skills, (b) provide adequate time for direct instruction,
(c) provide an orderly learning environment, (d) provide adequate instructional resources, (e)
communicate high expectations for teachers and students, (f) and to continuously monitor
teacher and student progress toward meeting the instructional targets for each student, teacher
and the entire school. From the foregoing, it is evident that while the principal performs various
roles in the school organization, his or her ability to make any positive impact on student
learning depends on the amount of time and emphasis placed on instructional matters directly
linked to student learning outcomes (DuFour, 2002).
Principal Leadership in Charter Schools
Because the goal of this study is to examine the promising leadership practices of KIPP,
LA principals in California, it will be useful to briefly review the salient goals of the California
charter school law. The primary intent of the California charter school law is to improve student
learning by increasing learning opportunities for all children, with a special emphasis on students
from historically disadvantaged communities and students with special needs (Daley, Norman,
Weingarten & Chavez, 2005). Additionally, the law encourages charter operators to explore
different and innovative teaching methods to meet the enormous needs of their potential student
population. The reform mindset that led to the creation of charter schools is designed to offer
greater autonomy and accountability for results at the local school site. This requires changes in
the schools’ formation as well as the personnel policies by charter schools as part of their reform
strategy (Podgursky & Ballou, 2001).
Many researchers indicate that many charter schools often begin with the principal as the
founding member as well as a critical component of its operation (Chubb & Moe, 1990). As the
LEADERSHIP PRACTICES OF KIPP LA PRINCIPALS 47
founding member, they articulate the vision and mission of the school and by extension help in
determining the culture of the school. As noted by Marzano et al. (2005), a culture can be a
positive or negative influence on a school’s effectiveness. Because the principals at charter
schools play a key role in recruiting the teaching staff, teachers hold them in high regard and
indicate that they are instrumental to school success (Malloy & Wohlstetter, 2003). The
autonomy enjoyed by charter principals to directly hire most of their staff enables them to recruit
teachers who subscribe to the same morals, values and work ethic that enhance teachers’
motivation and commitment and consequently lead to improved student achievement. Despite
the lack of satisfaction with their comparable lower financial compensation and longer work
hours, evidence indicates that charter school teachers appreciate their professional lives and
collaboration with their colleagues as well as the school’s education programs (Malloy &
Wohlstetter, 2003).
In spite of the advantages derived from the freedom from public school bureaucracy,
there are daunting challenges that come with the role of being a charter school principal
(Dressler, 2001). While a principal in a traditional public school may receive assistance from the
local district office for a variety of similar management responsibilities, a typical charter school
principal may serve as his own superintendent of the school with more responsibilities and
limited personnel to help. He may be responsible for managing the school plant, including
overseeing the custodial staff, the support staff (secretaries and office assistants), maintaining
effective fiscal management procedures, ordering supplies, equipment, and writing grants for the
ever-needed funds. These responsibilities are over and above his instructional tasks as the
supervisor and evaluator of teaching and learning. Additionally, the principal is expected to
LEADERSHIP PRACTICES OF KIPP LA PRINCIPALS 48
attend to the needs of the parents – a major stakeholder group – by maintaining constant
communication, public relations and a variety of community outreach activities (Dressler, 2001).
Although charter school leaders are expected to work with a unique population of
students and accomplish specific learning outcomes for the children they serve, the principal is
charged with similar responsibilities as traditional public school principals (Dressler, 2001). Both
the principal of a charter school and a public school are expected to be accountable to the public
in the areas of student achievement, standards and curriculum, assessments and consequences.
In summary, effective schools are synonymous with effective leadership. Principals play
a key role in the success of any effective school. School effectiveness is largely determined by
student academic achievement as measured by standardized tests, certain desirable work habits
and character traits related to good citizenship (Duke, 1982). Principals have a positive impact on
student achievement by engaging in a variety of research-proven behaviors that foster a culture
of teaching and learning among stakeholder groups – students, teachers and parents. Even though
charter school principals are faced with additional responsibilities, they also enjoy the special
benefits that come with the autonomy to recruit staff members that share the same beliefs,
values, and aspirations for their schools’ vision and mission.
Conclusion
The intent of this chapter is to review the existing literature on school leadership and how
the various leadership theories or approaches may impact school leadership. In reviewing
leadership approaches, such as the traditional perspective, transformational leadership, servant
leadership and instructional leadership, it was perceived that school leadership, similar to
leadership itself, has continued to evolve and adapt to the latest theories and prevalent
LEADERSHIP PRACTICES OF KIPP LA PRINCIPALS 49
educational reforms of the 21
st
century. One certainty supported by a large body of research is
that leadership is vital to the success of any organization, including schools (Marzano, 2005).
As part of the literature review, special focus was placed on instructional leadership, the
roles of a principal, and how the principal leadership role impacts student achievement with an
emphasis on the charter school system. On-going educational reforms in the United States have
led to the creation of charter schools - autonomous, publicly funded institutions that operate
under the authority of a charter granted by another agency (Fusarelli, 2002). The literature
reveals that instructional leadership is the aspect of school leadership that has the most
significant impact on student achievement. The research supports the assertion that a principal
plays the most significant role in student achievement, second only to classroom instruction
(Marzano et.al, 2005).
Additionally, research recommends explicit principal behaviors that facilitate such
impacts. The goal of this study is to engage in a practical investigation of the leadership practices
of selected charter school principals to determine what can be found in light of the professed
goals of charter school mandates to offer innovative teaching and learning opportunities to a
specific population of students. Dressler (2001) suggests that if we believe that charter schools
provide opportunities for a fundamental change in ways of educating children, it makes sense for
such change to include ideas of what principals do and how they are prepared. This study intends
to conduct that investigation in order to add to the existing body of research on charter school
leadership. In chapter three, the research methods, design, research questions, instrumentation,
sample and population, data collection and analysis will be described.

LEADERSHIP PRACTICES OF KIPP LA PRINCIPALS 50
CHAPTER THREE: METHODOLOGY
Introduction
The roles of principals in school leadership are enormous and continue to expand to meet
the demands of the 21
st
century. As the pressure to reform the K-12 educational system
increases, both educators and policy makers are reaching consensus that the roles of principals
are vital in improving teaching and learning (Murphy & Beck, 1995). As previously discussed in
the literature review, school leadership has evolved over the years to reflect and incorporate new
leadership approaches that align with the changes and challenges in education. The realization
that teaching and learning have the biggest effects on student achievement – the ultimate goal of
any effective principal – has shifted the focus of principals from management and school
operations to instruction and capacity building (Hallinger, 2005).
This new focus on instruction is responsible for the recent prominence of the instructional
leadership approach (Marzano et al., 2005). Today’s principals are expected to serve as
instructional leaders with the specific expectation to improve student learning. As instructional
leaders, the principal is responsible among other things, the day-to-day supervision of classroom
instruction, scheduling of instructional and school activities including student assessment and
staff development (Leithwood et al., 2004). The principal’s functions increase much more in a
charter school environment where the principal takes on the duties and challenges of educating
primarily students who have been historically underserved and neglected by the public school
system (Dressler, 2001). Regardless of the types of students being served and the roles of other
variables, several researchers have identified specific principal behaviors that lead to student
achievement (Marzano et al., 2005). Because of the evolving nature of leadership and school
LEADERSHIP PRACTICES OF KIPP LA PRINCIPALS 51
leadership and the perennial desire to continually improve student learning, it make sense to
continue to look at principals’ leadership behaviors.
This chapter will briefly re-introduce the purpose of this study and explain the
methodology for conducting the research. The methodology will state the research questions, the
research design including the rationale for the selected method, sample population,
instrumentation and data collection protocols, and data analysis process.
Purpose of the Study
This study intends to investigate how KIPP LA principals employ promising leadership
practices to manage their human capital, train their staff, and make management and
instructional decisions that lead to improved student achievement in urban areas. This study is
crucial because the role of a principal is vital to the success of any school organization (Marzano
et al., 2005). Effective principal leadership is a pre-condition for an effective school and whether
a school operates effectively or not determines the chances of students’ academic achievement
(Marzano et al., 2005). This research will be a case study of four KIPP, LA schools.
Knowledge Is Power Program, Los Angeles (KIPP LA) is one of the numerous charter
organizations in the Los Angeles area. KIPP LA is affiliated with the KIPP Foundation, one of
the oldest charter school organizations in the United States of America. John Lee, the founder
and school leader of KIPP LA, opened its first school, the KIPP Los Angeles College
Preparatory School, in 2003. One of the key practices within the KIPP organization is its
emphasis on a strong leadership development program. The organization prides itself on being an
incubator for future successful school leaders (Daley, Norman, Weingarten & Chavez, 2005),
hence the focus of this study on principal leadership at KIPP LA schools.
LEADERSHIP PRACTICES OF KIPP LA PRINCIPALS 52
KIPP school leaders, some of them starting without formal administrative credentials, are
required to attend a one-year intensive training through the Fisher Fellowship or a two-year
training through the Miles Family Fellowship (Macey, Decker, & Eckes, 2009). This mandatory
training works in concert with the development of a school plan and charter by the prospective
school leader. The leadership program, which is very popular and difficult to get in, is designed
to attract highly motivated, high-energy individuals who are eager to make a difference. In 2004,
only 10 out of 400 applicants were admitted to the leadership program (Daley et al., 2005). Over
70 school leaders have been trained through the Leadership program since 2000 (Macey et al.,
2009). Additionally, they also have a “Leaders in Training” program designed to replenish their
school leadership pool, which consists of current teachers within their organization. This study
expects to unveil the leadership practices of selected KIPP LA principals in order to add to other
existing principal behaviors capable of enhancing student learning.
Research Questions
As indicated in the literature review, the second most important variable responsible for
school effectiveness and improved student achievement is principal leadership (Marzano, 2005).
The analysis of the research suggests that KIPP schools are yielding positive results in serving
underserved, low socio-economic communities (Macey et al., 2009). Consequent to research
findings about the learning successes at KIPP, it makes sense to study the leadership behaviors of
the principals in order to understand what they do as well as how they do it. The following
research questions guided this study:
1. Which instructional and administrative leadership practices and programs at KIPP LA
schools could be considered innovative or distinctive as well as promising for
adoption?
LEADERSHIP PRACTICES OF KIPP LA PRINCIPALS 53
2. What are the specific leadership responsibilities of KIPP LA principals and their
impact on student achievement?
3. What specific challenges have the principals faced in the implementation of their
programs and practices and how were these changes addressed?
4. What evidence exists that these programs and practices have led to improved student
achievement?
Research Design
The purpose of this study is to investigate the promising leadership practices of
three KIPP LA charter school principals and the impact of those practices on student
achievement. Daley, Norman, and Weingarten (2005) define a promising practice as any school-
wide practice that is unusual and fresh, even if not original; a practice that has the potential
impact to affect an entire school particularly in the areas of curriculum and instruction. The
practices or new ideas may not have been widely circulated or implemented but they are
promising in nature and possess the potential to make a positive impact in future educational
advancement (Wohlstetter & Kuzin, 2006).
Rationale for Qualitative Study Design
This research was intended to be a case study that utilized primarily a qualitative research
design. Merriam (2009) defines a case study as a detailed description and analysis of a single
phenomenon. The phenomenon in question could be a program, an organization or a school,
which offers the researcher the opportunity to explore or seek to uncover new knowledge by
concentrating on a single phenomenon that is specific. The specificity is determined by the
ability of the researcher to generate finite data by working with a limited number of people
within a stated time period (Merriam, 2009). Furthermore, the qualitative research design is
LEADERSHIP PRACTICES OF KIPP LA PRINCIPALS 54
most suitable for an event or case occurring in a natural setting and observed from the vantage
point of the participants involved in the phenomenon (Gail, Gail, & Borg, 2003).
Because this study was aimed at investigating the leadership practices and programs,
benefits, level of implementation as well as challenges associated with KIPP LA schools, it made
sense to employ qualitative research design for a detailed description of the occurrences at the
schools –the natural setting where the practices were being implemented.
The suitability of any research method depends on the purpose the study intends to serve
(Merriam, 2009). This goal of this study is to analyze and explain how leadership practices
contribute to the successes enjoyed by KIPP LA principals in serving historically underserved
students. A study that seeks such a description of a phenomenon informs the selection of the case
study approach. Other advantages of a case study include the provision of a rich, thick and
holistic account of a phenomenon, which the researcher may not be familiar with. Unlike the
quantitative method that employs strict controls and restrictions, the qualitative case study
method provides the researcher with the latitude to manage the direction of his or her inquiry.
Moreover, the case study offers a researcher the enabling environment to observe the event at its
natural state of occurrence. Consequently, the researcher is able to not only gain new knowledge
(or confirm existing knowledge) about the phenomenon but also an understanding of its
implementation and application (Merriam, 2009).
Conversely, a case study also has its disadvantages. It is often too lengthy and detailed
for busy policy makers and consumers to read, and it may be too expensive to fund (Merriam,
2009). Furthermore, a case study may limit consumers to the views of an unethical researcher
who may simply select and apply information that aligns with his or her biases. In spite of these
LEADERSHIP PRACTICES OF KIPP LA PRINCIPALS 55
limitations, the benefits of using a qualitative case study approach for this study outweighed its
disadvantages.
Reliability and Validity
Reliability in a general sense is the degree to which an assessment tool produces stable
and consistent results. However, in qualitative research, it means the extent to which the study’s
results are consistent with the data collected (Merriam, 2009). To ensure reliability for this study,
data were collected from multiple sources and triangulated. Triangulation serves as a useful
technique for cross-checking data for consistency not necessarily for the same results (Patton,
2002).
Merriam (2009) describes validity as the strength of qualitative research because it
compels the researcher to ensure that the findings match reality. Applying a simple, everyday
usage of the term, Creswell (2013) defines validity as the “correctness or credibility of a
description, conclusion, explanation, interpretation, or other sort of account” (p.122). The
interviews from the principals offered realistic insights into their actions and beliefs. Document
reviews and analysis were used to crosscheck the interview data as well as to distinguish
between realities and intentions (Merriam, 2009). Sometimes during the analysis of preliminary
data, the researcher used the strategy of member check to confirm the emerging data. Merriam
(2009) describes member check as the process of going back to the respondents to seek
clarification and confirmation of the researcher’s interpretation of data (2009).
Sample and Population
Purposeful criterion sampling was employed to identify charter schools that are
implementing promising leadership programs while serving historically underserved
communities in Los Angeles, California (Patton, 2002). The criteria sampling of the charter
LEADERSHIP PRACTICES OF KIPP LA PRINCIPALS 56
schools in Los Angeles offered the researcher the opportunity to limit the selection to charter
schools that have shown remarkable success in student achievement, particularly when compared
with traditional neighborhood public schools with similar demographics. The selected schools
have demonstrated consistent and sustained improvement in student learning. In addition to their
academic excellence, the KIPP LA schools were chosen due to their emphasis on a school
leadership program. As mentioned earlier in this chapter, all KIPP school leaders are required to
attend a minimum of a one-year residential training in an institution approved by the KIPP
foundation. Within the KIPP LA schools, the following selection criteria were utilized:
• Longevity. The school has been in existence for at least three years and the principal
must have been at the same school for at least two years.
• Serving disadvantaged populations. These schools serve a population of students
from low socio-economic backgrounds and are comparable to schools in the lowest
quartile (lowest 25 percent of the schools with similar demographic) of academic
performance in California.
• High achievement. Each of these schools has a California Similar Schools Rankings
of 8 or higher on a 1-10 scale of the Academic Performance Index (API), which
places them in the top 30% of schools in the state with similar ranking in their last
two consecutive California Standards Test (CST).
• Achievement Growth. The schools have maintained a sustained growth in API in
their last three CST assessments.
• Evidence of practices that are implemented school-wide
LEADERSHIP PRACTICES OF KIPP LA PRINCIPALS 57
The rationale for the selection was to identify schools that would enable the researcher to
identify promising and innovative leadership practices that might be responsible for academic
progress currently in existence at the selected schools.
Instrumentation
The primary instrument utilized for this study was a qualitative interview protocol that
consisted of open-ended questions crafted to answer the research questions as well as to reflect
on the extensive literature review on school leadership and the impact of the roles of a principal
on student achievement (see Appendix A). The interview questions were grouped according to
the categories of the data collected for each of the four research questions as shown in Appendix
A.
Data Collection
To facilitate data collection, site interviews were arranged for and conducted with four
KIPP LA principals. Before embarking on the interviews and data collection, the researcher
submitted an application and obtained approval from Institutional Review Board (IRB) in order
to protect the human subjects in the study in accordance with the provisions of the University of
Southern California. Participation in this study was voluntary. Obtaining the consent of
participants is an essential component of any qualitative study because it lays the foundation for
the study and helps the researcher establish good rapport with participants (Bogden & Biklen,
2007). The initial contacts with the respondents were made via emails. The researcher sought the
consent of the respondents via an introductory letter that explained the purpose of the study, the
research questions for the study as well as the estimated time for each interview session and the
duration of the entire study. The respondents agreed to participate.

LEADERSHIP PRACTICES OF KIPP LA PRINCIPALS 58
Interview Protocol
A single interviewer conducted the interviews with each principal. All interview
questions were open-ended and designed to elicit information regarding each principal’s
leadership practices (see Appendix A). According to Merriam (2009), interviews yield useful
and insightful information that may not be readily observed. Each interview lasted for
approximately 50 minutes. The researcher took notes and also taped the sessions with the
consent of the respondents. The transcripts of the taped interviews and notes taken during the
interviews were stored in a computer for analysis. The identity of the respondents as well as all
identifiable data collected were coded for confidentiality and should not be used beyond the
scope of this study. Data collection also included any records pertinent to addressing any of the
research questions for this study.
Document Analysis
Merriam (2009) recommends document analysis as a valuable method for collecting data
because documents are generally free, accessible and stable. He further indicates that
documented data are usually objective and unchanged by the presence of the researcher.
Moreover, a combination of the interviews and information collected from the review of
documents tend to provide a holistic view of the phenomenon being studied (Merriam, 2009).
Because of the evolving and incremental nature of leadership programs and practices and the
difficulty in capturing all the details in a few interview sessions, it was prudent for the researcher
to collect and analyze documents. Additionally, document analysis was done to facilitate the
triangulation of the data obtained from interviews. The relationship between each instrument and
a corresponding research question was established in the study (see Appendix B).

LEADERSHIP PRACTICES OF KIPP LA PRINCIPALS 59
Data Analysis
The essence of data analysis for any research is to answer the salient questions that
guided the study. Data analysis in a qualitative study is an iterative process with evolving codes
and themes as data are analyzed (Miles & Huberman, 1994), and consequently, the researcher is
compelled to make adjustments to reflect any new findings. The information collected from
interviews and document analysis were color-coded and grouped along the same broad themes
on which the research questions were based. Codes were selected to align with specific research
questions. For example, the first research question asked the following: Which instructional and
administrative leadership practices and programs at KIPP LA schools could be considered
innovative or distinctive as well as promising for adoption? The answers to this question were
collected and grouped under the theme, “Description of Practices” and then coded with a
different color from the other research questions. Each principal respondent was denoted with a
different letter of the alphabet for confidentiality.
Summary
This chapter began with a review of the scholarly literature that inspired the current
research. It explained the purpose of study, stated the research questions, the research design
including the rationale for the selected method, sample population, instrumentation and data
collection protocols as well as the data analysis process itself. The chapter also showed how data
were collected through numerous sources and triangulated. Triangulation of data obtained
through interviews and document analysis was used as a technique to cross check both sources to
support the validity of the study. The next chapter will discuss the study findings.

LEADERSHIP PRACTICES OF KIPP LA PRINCIPALS 60
CHAPTER FOUR: RESULTS
Introduction
The need for a suitable alternative to the traditional public K-12 schools’ quest to provide
quality education for all children, particularly low income children who are historically
underserved, paved the way for the existence of charter schools (Payne & Knowles, 2009). In
California, the primary intent of the charter school laws is to improve student learning by
increasing learning opportunities for all children, with a special emphasis on students from
historically disadvantaged communities and students with special needs (Daley, Norman,
Weingarten & Chavez, 2005). In many charter organizations, the principal is the key personnel
as a well as the focal point of a school’s existence as many charter schools often begin with the
principal as the founding member (Chubb & Moe, 1990). According to Marzano et al. (2005),
school leadership is second only to classroom instruction among the variables responsible for
student learning. And because the principals at charter schools play a key role in recruiting the
teaching staff as well as setting the instructional tone of their schools, it makes sense to examine
the role of principal leadership at KIPP LA schools.
This chapter will restate the purpose of this study as well as the research questions. A
description of each of the participating KIPP LA schools was offered along with the
demographic of the student population including a chart describing the profile of each of the
school leaders. A synopsis of the theoretical lens from which the study could be viewed was
discussed with an explanation of how the study data were coded. Additionally, the findings
gathered through the interviews and document reviews were presented as they align with each
research question. The chapter concluded with a summary and significance of the overall
findings in the study.
LEADERSHIP PRACTICES OF KIPP LA PRINCIPALS 61

Purpose
This goal of this study is to investigate the leadership practices of four KIPP LA
principals with the intention of determining the promising practices of school leadership that
have contributed to significant student achievement over and above the performance of public
schools in the same geographic location serving students with similar demographics. This case
study used the qualitative descriptive method to conduct the investigation. Interviews and
document reviews were used to gain understanding of the leadership practices, program
implementation and activities of the school leaders that are likely to contribute to the
compendium of information available to other K -12 school leaders to enhance their practice. It
is also hoped that the strengths and weaknesses of this study could excite more curiosity about
the impact of leadership in the performance of charter school students.
Research Questions
The following research questions were addressed in this study:
1. Which instructional and administrative leadership practices and programs at KIPP LA
schools could be considered innovative or distinctive as well as promising for
adoption by other schools?
2. What are the specific leadership responsibilities of KIPP LA principals and their
impact on student achievement?
3. What specific challenges have the principals faced in the implementation of their
programs and practices and how were these challenges addressed?
4. What evidence exists that these programs and practices have led to improved student
achievement?
LEADERSHIP PRACTICES OF KIPP LA PRINCIPALS 62
A Brief Description of KIPP LA Organization and the Four Participating Schools
As already described in greater detail in various sections of this study, Knowledge Is
Power Program LA (KIPP LA) is a non-profit organization that began in 2003 with the opening
of two middle schools in South and East Los Angeles. It operates free, open-enrollment, public
charter schools focused on preparing students in under-resourced communities in Los Angeles
for success in school, college, and life (KIPP LA, 2013). KIPP LA is affiliated with the
nationwide KIPP network of 162 schools in 20 states and Washington, D.C. that serves over
58,000 students (KIPP LA, 2013).
Currently, KIPP LA operates eleven schools (five elementary schools and six middle
schools) in South and East Los Angeles, serving over 4,000 students and alumni. Approximately
89 percent of their students are from low-income families and eligible for the federal free or
reduced-price meals programs, and 99 percent are African Americans or Latinos. More than 95
percent of KIPP LA middle students have graduated from high school, and more than 75 percent
of college-age alumni are enrolled in college. Students are admitted regardless of their prior
academic records and socio-economic background. Applications received in excess of available
space at KIPP LA schools are considered through the state of California’s mandated lottery
process (KIPP LA, 2013).
The principals of four KIPP LA schools, consisting of two elementary schools and two
middle schools, were interviewed for this study. The middle schools are KIPP LA Prep (5
th
-8
th
grades), KIPP Sol (5
th
– 8
th
grades), and the elementary schools are KIPP Raices (K -4
th
grades)
and KIPP Empower (K -4
th
grades). A more detailed description of each school is provided
below.

LEADERSHIP PRACTICES OF KIPP LA PRINCIPALS 63
KIPP Los Angeles College Preparatory School (aka KIPP LA Prep)
KIPP LA Prep was established in 2003 in the Lincoln Heights district of Los Angeles by
the founding principal, John Lee. In 2009, the school moved into its current location in the Boyle
Heights neighborhood of East Los Angeles (KIPP LA, 2013). KIPP LA is a high performing,
tuition-free public charter middle school that serves 470 students in grades five through eight.
Ninety percent of KIPP LA students are Latinos, one percent is Asian/Pacific Islander, and one
percent is African American. Ninety percent of the student population qualifies for the federal
free and reduced lunch program (KIPP LA, 2013). The school employs a total of 23 teachers
and two administrators. As in many charter schools, the teachers and administrators do not
belong to any union, and no faculty member has an employment contract beyond one year.
The mission of KIPP LA Prep “is to prepare students with the academic skills,
intellectual habits, and character traits that are necessary for success in high school, college, and
the competitive world beyond” (KIPP LA, 2013). The goal of KIPP LA is to function as a
community school designed to serve students who will in turn become contributing members of
the community. Its core values include love, honor, integrity and excellence.
Even though KIPP LA Prep typically enrolls students who are performing two to three
years below grade level, the students make significant gains across all subjects during their
middle school years (KIPP LA, 2013). In 2011-2012, KIPP LA Prep’s eighth graders outscored
the LAUSD students, the licensing district, by 44 percent in English language arts, 68 percent in
math, and 52 percent in history. One hundred percent of KIPP LA Prep’s eight graders were
proficient or advanced in science and 94 percent scored at that level in math as measured by the
California Standards Tests (CST).
LEADERSHIP PRACTICES OF KIPP LA PRINCIPALS 64
KIPP LA Prep serves as the pacesetter to the newer KIPP LA schools, including KIPP Sol
Academy, which shares similar demographic, population, philosophy and beliefs.
KIPP Sol Academy
KIPP Sol came in existence in August 2013 under the leadership of its founding school
leader, Rachelle Minix, a graduate of the prestigious KIPP School Leadership Program (KIPP
LA, 2013). As an affiliate of the KIPP Organization, it is a tuition-free public charter middle
school that began with 140 fifth grade students with the intention of adding one grade per year
until it is fully enrolled in 2016 as a 5
th
-8
th
grade school. Standing at ninety-eight percent, the
student population is predominantly Latinos and two percent other.
The mission of KIPP Sol Academy is to provide an excellent education that ignites hearts
as much as minds. By teaching academic skills, fostering intellectual habits and cultivating
character strengths, the school intends to light the spark within every student to encourage him or
her to explore, advance and succeed on the path to and through college (KIPP LA, 2013). The
quest for KIPP Sol to ensure the success of every student is reflective of its name, Sol. In
Spanish, Sol means “sun” – the biggest star in the sky. Students at KIPP Sol are encouraged to
strive for greatness, to push their limits and endeavor to reach for the stars (KIPP LA, 2013).
Although the school is relatively young with only one year in existence, its leadership
implements promising practices that are considered noteworthy as discussed in the findings.
KIPP Raices Academy
KIPP Raices Academy was established in 2008 as the first elementary school (K-4)
within the KIPP LA network of schools. The founding principal, Amber Medina Young, is also a
graduate of the prestigious KIPP School Leadership Program. Currently, the school serves
approximately 525 students in Kindergarten through fourth grade. Ninety-six percent of the
LEADERSHIP PRACTICES OF KIPP LA PRINCIPALS 65
students are Latinos and two percent are African Americans. Ninety percent of students qualify
for the federal free and reduced lunch program.
Since KIPP Raices students began to participate in the California Standards Tests (CST)
from second grade level and above, the school has been achieving at 960 API and above (KIPP
LA, 2013). The Academic Performance Index (API) measures the performance of California
schools based on how well each school performs on the California Standards Tests (CST). The
scale ranges from 200 to 1000 (California STAR Program, 2013). Ninety-five percent of KIPP
Raices in second through fourth grade have been scoring at proficient or advanced in English
Language Arts and ninety-nine percent have been doing so in mathematics until the last
administration of the text in 2013. KIPP Raices was featured on “Dan Rather Reports” in
October 2008 for academic excellence. Other elementary schools that opened years later,
including KIPP Empower Academy followed in the footsteps of Raices Academy.
KIPP Empower Academy
KIPP Empower Academy (KEA), a college-preparatory, tuition-free public charter
elementary school was founded by Michael Kerr in summer of 2010. KEA is a Kindergarten
through 4
th
grade school, which started with one level at a time and added another grade each
successive year until the population reached 4
th
grade in 2014 with 550 students. The
demographics of the student population include 87% African American and 12% Latino. Ninety-
one percent of the students qualify for the federal free and reduced lunch program.
The vision of KEA is to produce students who will be equipped with the necessary skills
to thrive in middle school as they advance to high school and college. The school strives to
achieve this vision by engaging their students in rigorous learning processes aimed at mastery of
academic standards through critical thinking, problem solving and effective communication
LEADERSHIP PRACTICES OF KIPP LA PRINCIPALS 66
skills. Students are encouraged to take pride in their unique identities and to “work hard, be nice
and stay strong” (KIPP LA, 2013).
The first time KEA participated in the California Standards Tests (CST), the school
scored over 800 API. During the subsequent administration of the test, KEA achieved 991 API
score, a score that is 269 points above the nearest Los Angeles Unified District schools with
similar student demographics. Additionally, the percent of KEA second grade students scoring
proficient or advanced in English Language Arts is 95 percent and 98 percent in Math. Above
all, KEA leadership specifically recruits students that are considered “too difficult to educate.”
Qualitative Demographic Data
Purposeful criterion sampling was used to identify charter schools that are implementing
promising leadership programs while serving historically underserved communities in Los
Angeles, California (Patton, 2002). The criteria sampling of the charter schools in Los Angeles
offered the researcher the opportunity to limit the selection to charter schools that have shown
remarkable success in student achievement, particularly when compared with traditional
neighborhood public schools with similar demographics. The selected schools have
demonstrated consistent and sustained improvement in student learning. In addition to academic
excellence, the KIPP LA schools were chosen because of their emphasis on school leadership
programs and activities.
The sample population was principals or assistant principals at four KIPP LA schools
with two or more years experience at the same school, and the school must have been in
existence for two or more years. Four principals were selected to participate in an interview. Two
of the principals were the founding principals of their schools; the third principal had two years
experience as a principal even though he had been with the KIPP LA organization for over five
LEADERSHIP PRACTICES OF KIPP LA PRINCIPALS 67
years. The fourth participant had two roles as an interim principal in one of the schools and had
been an assistant principal for two years in another participating school. The participants were
identified by alphabet labels (A, B, C, D) to protect their real identity. Table 1 describes the
demographic profile of each principal who participated in an interview including the
characteristics of each school.
Table 1
Demographic Profile of Research Participants

Qualitative Interview:
Characteristics for
KIPP LA School
Leaders
Profile School
A Gender: Male
Ethnicity: Hispanic / Latino
Age: 30-40
Education: Masters’ Degree
Years as Principal: 2
Years in current position: 2
Years in current school: 5

Enrollment: 470
Free or reduced meals: 90.0%
Minority: 99.0%
School API Ranking: 918
Charter authorizer: LAUSD
Year chartered: 2003
B Gender: Female
Ethnicity: African American
Age: 30-40
Education: Masters’ Degree
Years as principal:1
Years in current position: 1

Enrollment: 140
Free or reduced meals: 100%
Minority: 98%
School API Ranking: N/A
Charter authorizer: LAUSD
Year chartered: 2013

LEADERSHIP PRACTICES OF KIPP LA PRINCIPALS 68
Table 1, continued
C Gender: Female
Ethnicity: White
Age: 30-40
Education: Masters’ degree
Years as Principal: 6
Years in current position: 6

Enrollment: 525
Free or reduced meals: 90%
Minority: 91.9%
School API Ranking: 970
Charter authorizer: LAUSD
Year chartered: 2008
D Gender: Male
Ethnicity: White
Age: 40-50
Education: Masters’ degree
Years as principal: 6
Years in current position: 6
Enrollment: 460
Free or reduced meals: 91%
Minority: 99%
School API Ranking: 991
Charter authorizer: LAUSD
Year chartered: 2010
Theoretical Framework
This study was analyzed through a hybrid of the meta-analytical work of Marzano,
Waters, and McNulty (2005) as outlined in “The 21 Responsibilities of the School Leader,”
Transformational Leadership Theory (Northouse, 2006) and the Instructional Leadership Theory
(Northouse, 2006). These foundational theories in educational leadership provided the
theoretical framework in which the data was analyzed following a prescribed path as
recommended by Creswell (2009). This theoretical framework provided a means used for
identifying and organizing the running themes found in the interview data.
The tenets of Marzano, Waters, and McNulty (2005), as outlined in “The 21
Responsibilities of the School Leader,” asserts that a school leader should lead by instilling
change, culture, communication, focus, knowledge of curriculum, instruction and assessment;
relationships, and resources. The school leader’s responsibilities in engaging in these tenets are
multi-faceted, complex, and inter-connected. As a change agent, the school leader must possess
an innate willingness to challenge the status quo.
The school leader engages in disruptive innovation to engage his/her staff in a way that
inspires innovation, progress, and lasting change. The school leader as a change agent also
LEADERSHIP PRACTICES OF KIPP LA PRINCIPALS 69
empowers his/her followers to take risks and make decisions. Those who take risks and engage
themselves in innovations are supported and protected in taking those risks to promote change.
Through the establishment of multiple channels of strong communication networks, the school
leader’s followers work collaboratively towards a common purpose. This common purpose is to
positively enhance student achievement. Communication channels are organized in such a way
as to develop an efficient means for teachers to collaborate as well as to encourage accessibility
to the school leader (Elmore, 2004; Fullan 2001; Leithwood & Riehl, 2003).
An effective principal also develops and maintains a school culture, which incorporates
the values, beliefs and feelings of the staff members. A school culture that places an emphasis
on learning and student achievement is evident in the behaviors of the faculty, staff, and
administrators at the school site (Hanson, 2001). Marzano et al. (2005) advocate that an
effective school leader strives to foster a school culture that promotes cohesion among staff;
stimulates a sense of well-being among staff; develops an understanding of purpose among staff;
and creates a shared vision for the school community. This necessitates that the school leader is
able to set clear goals and expectations (Marzano et al., 2005).
The school leader’s foci must include curricular knowledge, instruction, and assessment.
He is expected to have a firm knowledge of effective practices in curriculum and instruction as
well as the ability to serve as an instructional guide and coach for teachers. In summary,
effective principal leadership demands the involvement of the principal in the day-to-day
learning and teaching activities of the school (Marzano et al., 2005). Teachers are encouraged
and inspired to maximize their instructional efforts and potential when their school leader has
invested time and energy in building a relationship with them (Elmore, 2004). In schools where
LEADERSHIP PRACTICES OF KIPP LA PRINCIPALS 70
the leaders make this personal and professional investment in their teachers, the relationships
between the leaders and faculty are enhanced and strengthened.
Within the relationships between school leaders and teachers, instructional goals can be
monitored, and the school leader can make informed decisions concerning the allocation of
resources to support instruction. An effective leader ensures that available resources, including
time, money, personnel, and materials, are allocated to accomplish the school’s goals to improve
student achievement (Marzano et al., 2005). This may include reducing or eliminating
expenditures that are not appropriately aligned with the school’s goal. The school leader also
promotes collaboration and transparency with the allocation of resources. Through collaboration
and transparency, he provides the means to raise consciousness about the importance of
improving student achievement by inspiring teachers to transcend beyond their self-interest for
the greater good of the organization (Marks & Printy, 2003). This process is generally
undertaken by transformational leaders, a leadership theory which places emphasis on intrinsic
motivation and follower development (Northouse, 2006).
The relationship between the leaders and followers is critical to the transformational
leader’s purpose of achieving organizational goals. Burns (1978) stipulated how the
transformational leader engages with followers to create connections to raise the level of
motivation and morality in both the leader and the followers. These established connections and
increase in the level of motivation and morality provide fertile ground in which to nurture the
school’s instructional goals. In promoting these goals, the principal supports daily instructional
activities by conducting daily classroom observations, professional development for teachers and
staff, and supporting the socio-emotional needs of the teachers and students for the facilitation of
appropriate teaching and learning. The instructional leader also maintains high visibility on the
LEADERSHIP PRACTICES OF KIPP LA PRINCIPALS 71
school campus and is accessible to faculty, staff, and the school community. This high visibility
supports and promotes student learning (Marks & Printy, 2003).
In summary, the role of the KIPP LA administrators interviewed for this study was
viewed through the salient features of Marzano et al’s (2005) twenty-one responsibilities of the
school leader as well as the tenets of transformational and instructional leadership.
Findings for Research Question One:
Which instructional and administrative leadership practices and programs at KIPP LA
schools could be considered innovative or distinctive as well as promising for adoption by other
schools?
Description of Promising Practice: Empowerment
The school leaders at KIPP LA organization are empowered to hire their faculty and staff
members. According to Podgursky and Ballou (2001), the reform mindset that led to the
creation of charter schools is designed to offer greater autonomy and accountability for results at
the local school site. This requires changes in the charter schools’ formation as well as personnel
policies as part of their reform strategy. In line with the above mindset, the school leaders at
KIPP LA attributed their success to the empowerment and freedom that are in part due to the
unfettered powers to hire their teachers and staff. Principal D described his experience in that
regard as follows:
Obviously being able to hire our people and build on our own school culture, start with
one grade and build up from there; those were all things that are very helpful. I would
say that the overarching practice that I wanted to instill within my school is what I call
the “Powell Doctrine.” It’s something that I just came up with and put in place and got
our teachers bought into it. (Principal D)
LEADERSHIP PRACTICES OF KIPP LA PRINCIPALS 72
Principal D went on to explain that he coined the principle, “Powell Doctrine,” from the
actions and strategies of General Collin Powell, who once served as the United States Chief of
Joint Staff during the first Gulf War of 1991 when a coalition of countries led by the United
States fought against the Iraqi government’s invasion of Kuwait. According to Principal D,
General Powell, acting with the permission of the then Commander-in-Chief of the Armed forces
President George W. Bush, committed a very large number of soldiers to fight the war in order to
overwhelm the Iraqi military and also ensure expeditious execution of the war. He compared it to
the piecemeal approach employed during the Vietnam War when the United States leaders sent
smaller numbers of troops into the war theatre and waited for them to be overpowered or
defeated before sending in another batch. Principal D reasoned that if the same large amount of
resources utilized in fighting the first Iraqi War had been spent in Vietnam, the result would have
been similar, a resounding victory. The Vietnam War would not have lasted so long and many
American lives would have been spared.
Applying the war analogy to education, Principal D stated that his leadership approach
using the Powell Doctrine was to overwhelm the learning problems that his students brought
with them by investing resources to solve the problems right away. For example, he stated that as
part of their “Intake Assessment” given to new students, once they noticed that a student was
enrolling at a performance level below current grade, they began immediately to provide
additional intervention and remedial help through class instruction, after school and /or Saturday
school programs. More details on how Principal D and other principals applied the Powell
Doctrine or some variation of it were discussed under Research Question Two. Emphasizing his
autonomy to hire his staff, Principal A stated,
LEADERSHIP PRACTICES OF KIPP LA PRINCIPALS 73
I hire everybody for my school. We do have recruitment – a teacher recruitment person at
the district level, but they just bring in teachers, but we select the people. The biggest
thing we do well is we hire well. We go and find teachers that are great at their content
and really good at teaching. (Principal A)
The autonomy enjoyed by charter principals to directly hire most of their staff enables
them to recruit teachers who subscribe to the same morals, values and work ethic that enhance
teachers’ motivation and commitment and consequently lead to improved student achievement
(Malloy & Wohlstetter, 2003). Principal C stated that they always consider the mission of their
school to “Teach, Nurture and Inspire” - and look for candidates who could fulfill it. “So we are
really looking for people that really will do those three things,” she stated. Elaborating further,
she said, “We hire teachers with teaching experience, but we need to teach them what it means to
be a teacher here.”
Principal A stated that they have complete powers and authority to lead their schools in
the best possible way they desire without any interference. His described this authority as the
Power to Lead model:
We have an interesting model here at Prep. So every school is very different. We run the
model of Power to Lead. The Power to Lead model gives the Power to the school
leadership to be the instructional leader, to be the driving force to how the school should
look like. What is it that you want your school to look like? the material to be taught? In
my case, I have a strong believe that the Power to Lead goes into the classroom. The
content masters are the teachers. If you go to every single classroom, every single
classroom is very unique, very different. (Principal A)

LEADERSHIP PRACTICES OF KIPP LA PRINCIPALS 74
Description of Promising Practice: Training of School Leaders
As previously mentioned, one of the key practices of KIPP organization is its emphasis
on a strong leadership training and development program. The organization prides itself on being
an incubator for future successful school leaders (Daley, Norman, Weingarten & Chavez, 2005),
hence the focus of this study on principal leadership at KIPP LA schools.
KIPP school leaders, some of them starting without any formal administrative
credentials, are required to attend a one-year intensive training through the Fisher Fellowship or
a two-year training through the Miles Family Fellowship (Macey, Decker, & Eckes, 2009). This
mandatory training works in concert with the development of a school plan and charter by the
prospective school leader. The principals interviewed for this study attended either the Fisher
Fellowship or the Miles Family Fellowship and spoke about the benefits of the training. Principal
B, who was the most recent graduate of the KIPP leadership fellowship among the principals
interviewed, spoke glowingly about the commitment of the members of her cohort to the
organization’s expectations and service to children:
I think one of the things is just being clear with the vision. People living what they're
saying, I think is important. What I mean by that is you definitely see a group of
hardworking people who are really dedicated to kids in the community that they're
serving. It's definitely, at least for my colleagues, not a paycheck but just something
they're really invested in. I think a lot of that has to do with we're really big on sharing
stories. (Principal B)
The KIPP organization’s leadership program, which is very popular and difficult to get
into, is designed to attract highly motivated, high-energy individuals who are eager to make a
difference. In 2004, only 10 out of 400 applicants were admitted to the program (Daley et al.,
LEADERSHIP PRACTICES OF KIPP LA PRINCIPALS 75
2005). Unlike the traditional approach in the state of California where most of the principals in
the public education system are required to possess an administrative services credential from
any accredited licensing institution before serving as principals, the school leaders at KIPP are
provided with more targeted training tailored to the needs of their specific student population.
Similar to the goals and aspirations of many charter school organizations, KIPP is committed to
serving students from socio-economically disadvantaged backgrounds. Consequently, training
fellowships, such as the Fisher and Miles Fellowship, that prepare potential school leaders on
how to work with their target populations were mandatory for the school leaders. The four
school leaders who participated in this study stated that each of them attended a six-week
leadership program.
A review of the training document of a six-week intensive summer institute for principals
organized by the Fisher Fellowship at the University of Chicago from June 16 though July 18,
2014 (KIPP School Leadership Programs, 2014) offers specific descriptions of the contents of
the training as well as the tools given to the school leaders to enable them serve their chosen
population. The training was categorized into five salient strands, namely:
• Leading for Equity
• Big Picture Thinking – Leadership, Organizational Alignment, and Culture
• Leading and Managing Others – Instructional Leadership and Performance
Management
• Driving Results and Creating Alignment – Instructional Leadership, Accountability,
Operations, and Data-Driven Decision-Making
• Tying It All Together – Leadership, Management, Instruction, and Culture.

LEADERSHIP PRACTICES OF KIPP LA PRINCIPALS 76
The themes and topics covered during the institute include:
1. Strategic Planning for Student Achievement - empowering leaders to use strategic
planning to increase student achievement
2. Emotionally Intelligent Leadership – participants are trained to explore their
personality preferences and the social-emotional intelligence competencies that are
attributed to leadership success and sustainability
3. Leading for Educational Equity – a leadership development experience that invites
KIPP leaders to reflect on and commit to taking action for educational equity in their
local school sites and communities. This training is grounded in research on complex
systems, adaptive leadership, change management, and design thinking.
4. The Role of Social Capital in Transforming Communities and Schools – teaching
participants to examine the adaptive challenges of school leadership and think about
strategies to develop the capacity of their schools to meet the social and academic
needs of their students through the development of systems, interventions,
partnerships and school culture
5. Building Accountability in Your Learning Teams – participants are introduced to
leadership guides and to the structure, expectations and dynamics of their individual
coaching sessions. They are also given an overview on how to best approach the
feedback they receive from their peers.
6. Leading Individuals – participants are taught the difference between a manager and a
leader, the definition of effective leadership, and an understanding of each
individual’s leadership style and its impact on the classroom, peers and school
LEADERSHIP PRACTICES OF KIPP LA PRINCIPALS 77
7. Organization Culture and Cultural Leadership – potential KIPP leaders are taught
how to analyze the cognitive, behavioral, social and physical underpinnings of
organization culture in order to understand the points at which it can be influenced;
the concept of culture from both a theoretical perspective and through the example of
real-world organizations
8. Negotiation and Conflict Management – participants experience the power of basic
negotiation principles in deepening their leadership impact. They engage in the
practice of using appropriate tools to generate possibilities for collaboration in
situations of conflict and differences
9. Instructional Vision – participants are offered the opportunity to walk through the
process of backwards planning from the vision to the long-term plan to the daily
activities that could move their schools towards that vision of creating positive
college-going cultures at KIPP schools
The research participants stated that they found the KIPP training institute very beneficial
and focused on the specific needs of their schools. They felt that the training offered them the
necessary tools to use in meeting the needs of their respective school community. Two of the
principals who also attended traditional universities in California for their administrative services
credential stated they learned much more from either the Fisher or Miles Fellowship program in
comparison to the type of training they received at the traditional universities. Principal A stated
that he could not have succeeded as a school leader without the knowledge and skills he acquired
and continued to gain from the annual summer institute offered to school leadership teams by the
KIPP organization.

LEADERSHIP PRACTICES OF KIPP LA PRINCIPALS 78
Description of Promising Practice: Professional Development for Faculty
Another innovative practice of KIPP LA school leaders was demonstrated in how the
leaders train and create professional development opportunities for their faculty. After receiving
extensive training from their parent organization, the KIPP Organization, school leaders are
expected to extend their knowledge and skills to the teachers - the foot soldiers directly
responsible for translating the training into student learning and achievement. The professional
development for KIPP LA faculty usually begins with a carefully planned work schedule that
provides for longer days of instructional activities as well as an annual employment calendar for
the faculty. According to all the principals, potential employees were informed during the hiring
process that commitment to on-going self and professional development was a critical
requirement for obtaining and maintaining a teaching position in any of their schools.
The teachers at KIPP LA schools work for 200 days during the school year and are
required to attend three weeks of sustained professional development each school year before
students return. They also continue with weekly professional development when school is in
session. The entire faculty at each KIPP school across the United States including the four
schools interviewed, is required to attend the annual KIPP School Summit (KSS) in Houston,
Texas. KSS is the annual gathering of the entire KIPP Team and Family to connect, learn, and
share with their colleagues and friends from across the country. This network-wide event offers
specialized learning experiences with high-quality presenters across a wide range of topics. KSS
ensures that teachers and staff can return to their classrooms and offices armed with best
practices and tools to foster excellence and better serve their students (KIPP Foundation, 2014,
August 1).
LEADERSHIP PRACTICES OF KIPP LA PRINCIPALS 79
After the KSS, teachers and faculty continue to participate in a variety of professional
development for two weeks. Additionally, they enroll their students in a different kind of
summer school program mostly aimed at immersing them in the school culture of success and
fostering an understanding of the importance of education in their lives. KIPP LA spends a great
deal of time on professional development before the traditional school year. Principal A stated,
“The teachers actually start back on, this upcoming year, July 28
th
. We actually go to KSS in
Houston, which is a weeklong summit where all the schools across the nation go to one-site and
share best practices. Then we come back for a week of professional development and then there
is two weeks of summer school.” The summer school is not the typical summer school, it
consists of culture building with the students on the schools’ mission and vision statements.
After summer school, KIPP LA schools have one week of professional development for their
teachers. Principal A commented, “It’s a long year, 185 days, that’s for our students. For our
teachers it’s actually 200 days, including the week in Houston.”
Confirming their longer school days for students and the workdays for teachers, Principal C
stated:
We do two weeks of summer school in the middle of August. This year we ran 183 days,
next year we are shifting to 185 days. Our teachers work a longer school year. Teachers
essentially start the end of July or beginning of August and they work. Even if we are not
in school, we are doing PD, we are doing training. So they work pretty much from the
end of July until the end of June. They really only have about three to four weeks off.
(Principal C)
The professional development opportunities may extend beyond three weeks in some
schools depending on the status of the teacher. Principal D stated that he brought in new teachers
LEADERSHIP PRACTICES OF KIPP LA PRINCIPALS 80
at his school for one-week onboarding training regardless of their teaching experience, “we focus
on not only boarding in terms of benefits and getting their laptops and everything, but we also
focus on getting to know your kind of stuff, building background knowledge on why and how we
do things and best practices.” Developing and maintaining positive collegial relationships is also
a focus to build the school culture.
Principal D elaborated, “…while folks are getting to know each other a lot better, then I
start hitting them very hard with some really challenging culturally relevant questions and
diversity training, whatever you want to call it, around connecting their own experiences
with why they are there at the school and understanding the impact of our work on our
larger student in our school community”. He further stated, “Then the other half is spent
between online curriculum instruction and student culture, behavior management.”

Evidence of KIPP LA schools providing faculty with multiple professional opportunities was
found throughout the interviews and document analysis conducted. In the document analysis,
the researcher reviewed and analyzed the calendar for faculty professional developments. Each
of the four principals interviewed also attested to the importance placed on faculty development
by KIPP as an organization, and at each school site within the KIPP LA region. The value
placed on developing faculty within KIPP LA also lends itself to the teacher apprenticeship
program that was implemented in all KIPP LA schools.
Description of Promising Practice: Teacher Apprenticeship
Hiring full time credentialed teachers for apprenticeship under master teachers before
they take charge of their own classrooms is a novel practice at KIPP LA schools. These teachers,
even though credentialed and qualified to lead classrooms as is the norm in many other school
systems, are hired at KIPP for one year of apprenticeship and earn full salaries in that capacity.
LEADERSHIP PRACTICES OF KIPP LA PRINCIPALS 81
Each of the principals interviewed likened this practice to the standard operating practice in the
medical field. They argued that research showed that the field of medicine produces highly
effective doctors because of the practice of subjecting doctors to apprenticeship training for an
additional three years beyond their medical school training. In some schools, an apprentice
teacher was assigned to two classrooms taught by master teachers. They assisted their master
teachers in a wide variety of instructional duties, particularly in the core subject areas. Their
primary responsibilities included reducing the number of student-adult ratio during small group
instruction, a dominant instructional strategy utilized at KIPP LA schools. The impact of small
group instruction was further addressed under Research Question 2. Principal D described a
typical apprentice teacher at his school as follows:
I could get someone that actually had two or three even four years experience and was
certified and credentialed because they are desperate to look for work because there were
layoffs. By having basically one and a half teachers per classroom, I can have four leads,
two apprentice teachers that means one apprentice teacher was shared between two
classrooms. (Principal D)
All the principals interviewed applauded the positive impact of the teacher-apprentice to their
instructional programs. They stated that most of the apprentice teachers ended up teaching in
their schools or within the KIPP organization thereby alleviating the challenges they usually
encounter with recruiting future teachers who would subscribe to KIPP LA schools’ vision and
mission.

LEADERSHIP PRACTICES OF KIPP LA PRINCIPALS 82
Findings for Research Question Two
What are the specific leadership responsibilities of KIPP LA principals and their impact
on student achievement?
The principals at KIPP LA schools are charged with specific responsibilities that have a
direct impact on student achievement. Before establishing or assuming leadership positions at
their respective schools, the principals were already aware of their future student demographic
and also mindful of the passion that compelled them to work with historically underserved
children. They believed that their students could learn in a culture and climate that utilized
appropriate tools and dedicated personnel. Based on these beliefs, the school leaders were
committed to working collaboratively with their teachers and staff to instill change along with
the culture of learning in all the stakeholder groups, teachers, student and parents. They were
also committed to providing direct services to students, instructional supervision, monitoring and
coaching as ways of making sure that they were making adequate progress toward their desired
outcomes. Finally, the school leaders invested their funds in supporting their chosen instructional
structures and cultivated viable family-school connections as part of their culture.
School Structure That Supports Small Group Instruction and Proactive Intervention
One dominant instructional strategy utilized in all the schools was small group
instruction. They believed and research supported their claim that working with students,
particularly the struggling students, in a small group setting facilitates effective diagnosis of the
students’ needs and also boosts their confidence as learners. The school leaders stated that their
desire to educate historically underserved students, including English Learners and students from
lower socio-economic backgrounds, influenced their choice of small group instructional strategy.
According to an experimental/comparison study on how English Language Learners (ELL) learn
LEADERSHIP PRACTICES OF KIPP LA PRINCIPALS 83
English at the primary grade level conducted at six elementary schools serving high number of
ELL students, students who received instruction in a small group setting significantly out
performed their peers (Leavitt, & Tanase, 2010).
Each of the principals drew from their practical experiences as former classroom teachers
to establish structures that support small group instruction. They trained their teachers on how to
form small learning groups as well as how to teach to the needs of those students. The principals
utilized their school budgets to purchase and place certificated personnel in ways that facilitated
the use of small group instruction in class formation and delivery of instruction. Principal D
described his rationale and approach to small group instruction as follows:
What that meant is that I didn't want to look back and ever say that I wish I could have
done more or if only I would have done this and that our students would have been
successful and on the path to and through college. That means making sure that in all
their instructional time, the core instructions, the reading, writing and math they are only
in groups of six to eight students.
That was difficult to do given the fact that we have our class size range from 28 to
30. So we've got 30 kids in the classroom, how are you going to get to six or eight, small
group instruction? My reason for wanting small group instruction is that when I was a
principal in New York we were able to have two teachers in each classroom, K through 2.
By having two teachers in the classroom, we were very successful in meeting the needs
of our low performing students. It was helpful that we had a much higher per pupil
expenditures in New York. (Principal D)
Principal A believed that small group instruction, particularly in math and English Language
Arts goes a long way to effectively prepare students for success not only in those two subjects
LEADERSHIP PRACTICES OF KIPP LA PRINCIPALS 84
but across other content areas. He used the additional apprentice teachers at his school to provide
extra support to struggling students in groups of five – six students, five times per week. The
intervention included pre-teaching and re-teaching of essential skills or concepts to eligible
students.
The choice of small instructional groupings also aligned well with the schools’ culture of
offering proactive intervention to deserving students. Instead of waiting until the end of each
school year to offer remedial support or intervention as is regularly done in many schools, KIPP
LA schools usually begin intervention as soon as a student enrolls with academic deficits. As
stated earlier, upon enrollment, incoming students are subjected to rigorous diagnostic
assessments and if determined to be lagging behind are immediately given support in the areas of
need. Every faculty member is involved in different ways to provide direct academic support to
those students.
School Structure That Supports Constructive Feedback
The habit of offering constructive feedback to staff members is one of the leadership
practices evident at KIPP LA schools. The school leaders believed that every staff member is
vital to their schools’ overall goal of improving student learning. In addition to having a list of
job duties and responsibilities for each position, the principals also had sets of expectations that
clearly delineate what effective performance looks like for every classified and certificated
position on campus. That meant that every staff member from the custodians and cafeteria staff
up to the principal was given regularly feedback on his or her performance. The employees were
also encouraged to offer constructive feedback to their superiors and leaders without fear of any
negative repercussion or retaliation.
LEADERSHIP PRACTICES OF KIPP LA PRINCIPALS 85
Principal D believed that the freedom to give and receive constructive feedback among
the rank and file was the purest form of collaboration. He believed that genuine collaboration is
a solution to many problems. While giving feedback might not be a novel idea; what made it a
promising concept among the KIPP LA schools was the person and job position of the people
who gave and received feedback, as well as how and when it was given. Within KIPP LA
schools, as mentioned above, everyone is free to give and receive feedback. Feedback is usually
given in a non-adversarial setting with the mindset to learn and improve the organizational goal.
It was always framed with the expectation that the outcome will help student achievement. For
an example, an administrator might ask a teacher whether or not he had considered using a
particular instructional strategy and the impact of the outcome on the learning of his students.
Feedbacks is usually given on a weekly basis or as soon as anyone had an idea to share.
There are no labor unions with the often accompanying union-induced rancorous apprehension
and need to schedule formal conferences before a school leader could address certain concerns
with any employee. This facilitates timely and regular collaboration and feedback among the
staff members. Principal D stated the following about his school’s culture of giving feedback:
I think also one of the things that help us is our culture - we have a feedback culture.
Regardless of your position, we can always receive and give feedback, positive or
constructive to anybody. You can give and receive from a custodian up to the principal,
whoever. We train teachers on how to give feedback to each other so that they feel
equipped to do that properly so they know how to use I statements. (Principal D)
The principals attribute the reciprocity of exchanging feedback among the employees as a
leadership practice that created an environment of respect and rapport, which enhanced
workplace morale and collegiality among the staff.
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School Structure That Facilitates Creation of Curriculum and Assessment by Teachers
The school leaders at KIPP LA schools train and prepare their teachers on how to create
their own curriculum and assessments based on the California State framework and standards.
The principals stated that the longer school year and instructional day for the faculty provided
the opportunity for them to guide teachers on curriculum design as well as planning time for
teachers to collaborate and share best practices. One common thread among all the school
leaders was that their curriculum design began with a review of the State curricular framework
and standards to determine what should be taught at each grade level. This was followed with an
analysis and diagnosis of students’ academic strengths and weaknesses in each subject.
Subsequently, school leaders and teachers consult among themselves and with the other 144
schools within the KIPP organization network to explore other curricular materials that have
been successful in addressing the identified needs of KIPP LA students. Finally, they proceeded
to acquire materials and tailored their use of these to students’ needs in their respective
classrooms.
Unlike most traditional public school districts where curricular materials are adopted
centrally and schools are compelled to use them, the school leaders and teachers at KIPP LA
schools are free to use whatever instructional materials they consider most suitable for serving
the needs of their students. While they usually employed specific criteria for selecting their
curriculum, they were not tied to any textbooks adopted by a central office. Principal C
explained her school’s faculty flexibility in choosing their curriculum as follows:
For English Language Arts we use the work of Lucy Calkins, so we use Reader’s/
Writer’s Workshop. But in terms of ELA Standards, it’s just things that we develop, our
team has developed over time. We’ve been able to create resources and long term plans.
LEADERSHIP PRACTICES OF KIPP LA PRINCIPALS 87
So it’s not like we are picking up a curriculum out of a box. It’s more like teacher created
materials. The same goes with math, math especially, pretty much everything. In ELA,
an example would be our first grade, so we have a pretty comprehensive phonics plan
that our teachers have developed and we might use some resources from Imagine It, but it
is more to supplement/compliment. Then we go on and improve upon them and then
create our own. In terms of Math, there are resources that we have developed over time.
We have developed at each grade level. (Principal C)
Principal A echoed similar capacity for his teachers to create their own curriculum.
However, he added that even though every classroom might look different in terms of the lessons
being reflective of the specific needs of the students, the teaching strategies used by the teachers
and feedback given to teachers are normed. He emphasized that teachers had clear expectations
of the acceptable norms - using effective pedagogical strategies, properly diagnosing and
understanding the needs of each student as well as the learning benchmarks for each student.
Principal A shared the following insights about his school’s instructional program:
The content masters are the teachers. If you go to every single classroom, every single
classroom is very unique, very different. However, we establish the norms in the
development of teachers. The expectations for the lessons, lesson objectives, assessments
and classroom management are normed. But teachers create all the content and the
curriculum. So I can tell you that we use Saxon Math and Open Court, but we don’t. The
teachers create every single curriculum in our school. What is normed is how we give
feedback, what are good teaching strategies, and understating that every student starts at
Point A and we need to get them to Point Z. How you get them there, that is up to your
LEADERSHIP PRACTICES OF KIPP LA PRINCIPALS 88
own creativity and in partnership with the administration, but the expectation is to get
them to Point Z. (Principal A)
Principal A also spoke about the purpose of their student assessments. According to him,
most of their formative assessments were either designed or generated by teachers. According to
all the principals, the purpose of their formative assessment was to inform future instruction by
identifying opportunities for student growth, not necessarily to ensure that every student is
performing at an advanced level. They trained teachers to track student performance from the
past assessments to the latest with the intention of identifying who is progressing or regressing
and in what areas. Then, students who were not making adequate progress were targeted for
immediate intervention. The monitoring of student progress (or lack of progress) addressed in the
next paragraph was a joint endeavor of both the school leaders and teachers at KIPP LA schools.
School Structure That Facilitates Effective Instructional Supervision, Monitoring and
Coaching
The schools leaders at KIPP LA are not limited to conducting training or holding
instructional supervision with their teachers, they are also involved in providing direct
instruction to students. Additionally, they maintain a leadership culture that requires them to visit
classrooms everyday and meet with teachers on a weekly basis to discuss their instruction,
student performance, discipline, as well as parental engagement. At KIPP LA elementary
schools, each administrator is assigned a certain number of grade levels to supervise and meet
with for instructional dialogue. At the middle school level, an administrator is assigned to a
grade level and one or two subject area departments. Every week, an administrator must meet
with a group of teachers to discuss curricular matters, pedagogy, and parental engagement. In
most of those administrator-teacher meetings, every topic of the conversation revolves around
LEADERSHIP PRACTICES OF KIPP LA PRINCIPALS 89
student work samples, which teachers were required to bring to the meeting. Principal D
described his “data dialogue” as he called it, as follows:
I met with our teachers to know exactly where they were, and if I saw that certain kids
were struggling I was able to work with teachers to see how we can bring the kids to
work on fluency and reading; how we will be able to groom the kids to work on
comprehension. For certain kids that needed even more, myself and two other
administrators, we tutor students for about an hour a day to make sure that the kids who
needed it the most again got everything we can actually put it to them to succeed.
(Principal D)
He also had specific expectations of what he hoped to see during classroom visits and the type of
follow up meeting he could have with teachers after a visit:
If I'm to walk into your classroom during that reading this is what I should see, well
defined and there is nothing subjective about it, either I see it or I don't so that I can have
good conversations about feedback without it feeling personal because we already have
this criteria established. For the kind of reading I want it to be conference based, I want
the kids to be reading most of the time, and I want it to be an overarching question that
the kids have to come back to that's inferential or critical. (Principal D)
Principal A stated that his practice of teaching intervention classes daily in English Language
Arts and Social Studies compelled him to plan his data driven lessons by becoming familiar with
the curriculum and effective pedagogy to deliver to those students. He monitored the
performance of his intervention groups closely because he knew that teachers were also watching
his preparation and delivery. He considered his time teaching students as the most rewarding
aspect of his daily routine, “To actually work with students for 90 minutes in two 45-minute
LEADERSHIP PRACTICES OF KIPP LA PRINCIPALS 90
sessions everyday brings me closer to the kids and the classroom; to walk in the shoes of our
students and teachers and helped me to become better informed about the needs.”
The principals believed that instructional leadership begins with monitoring classroom
activities by students and teachers. They visited classrooms to look for standards-based
instructional tasks, the activities students were engaged in, as well as the delivery by teachers.
The school leaders were committed to ensuring that students were taught and educated with
rigorous and engaging lessons. They took copious notes, which they used to conduct mandatory
post observation dialogue with teachers, and then gathered as much data as they could. Before
meeting with teachers after each visit, the principals reviewed classroom data on students and
prepared guiding questions for meaningful dialogue. As they met with teachers at debriefing
after class visits, they sought clear understanding of the teacher’s rationale for his instructional
moves from the angle of a helper with the resources to assist, not as an evaluator or expert who
had all the answers. Principal B said, “we just want our teachers to trust us as collaborators
because we are all in this journey together.” She paraphrased Stephen Covey as saying that
collaboration without trust is a mere cooperation.
I observe and meet with teachers once a week. I have five teachers that I'm coaching, so
once a week, I meet with them. They schedule that time with me, the class they want me to
see. What I'm looking for is based off of the goals that the teachers set at the beginning of the
year. Then we follow up after that. Then, I usually see them for an hour and then, they have a
post-follow up feedback. (Principal B)
The principals stated that the weekly dialogue with teachers and regular visits to the classroom
kept them abreast with the instructional activities that could easily be swallowed by operational
matters if not scheduled ahead of time.
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School/Family Connection
School and family connection is at the heart of the KIPP organization and also constitutes
the essence of its creation and continual existence. KIPP LA schools that participated in this
study clearly exemplify the KIPP organization’s commitment to educate the historically
underserved groups starting with their choice of locations – all the KIPP LA schools are located
in the southeast and south central Los Angeles urban areas. These two areas represent a
population ranked among the lowest median household income and socio-economic status (SES)
in Los Angeles (Zip Atlas, 2013, January 1). The population’s SES is also commensurate with
the percentage of students performing below grade levels as measured by the California
Standardized Test (CST) (California Department of Education, STAR Test Results, 2013). The
schools value partnership with parents and describe it as one of their core values that is integral
to the success of their students. The principals considered the partnership as a functional doctrine
that was continually nurtured and sustained even beyond their students’ K-12 career. They
tracked their students’ educational careers after they had graduated and continued to offer
support to the parents of their former students as needed. This type of care aligns with the
organization’s mission, “to teach academic skills, foster the intellectual habits, and cultivate the
character traits needed for our students to thrive in high school, college, and life” (KIPP LA,
2014).
At KIPP LA schools, working with parents usually begins before students’ formal
enrollment. All the schools admitted students through a lottery process, which is part of the state
of California’s open enrollment policy granted to charter school operators. As soon as the
principals become aware of their potential new students, they began to meet with their parents.
The principals visit the homes of all the incoming kindergarten students as well as other new
LEADERSHIP PRACTICES OF KIPP LA PRINCIPALS 92
students. They also involved their teachers in the home visits during their summer school session
by creating a schedule that allows teachers to visit the homes of their future and continuing
students. Principal C described the bonding experience as follows:
Parental involvement is an absolute core component to the work that we do and at all
KIPP schools. Once we complete our lottery and know which students are attending our
school; we start doing home visits. We visit the homes of all our incoming students. So,
year one, I visited all the homes of our incoming Kindergarten students. Because we truly
believe that the relationships we make with the families is core to the work that we do.
During our summer school, the teachers only have half day for one of the weeks so
teachers can go and do home visits for their families as well. Because, you know, to sit in
someone’s living room you get to know them differently as if you were just to meet them
professionally. Having those relationships are key. We have very involved parents, very
actively present on our campus. (Principal C)
While schools are in session, the home-school relationship is sustained through frequent
contacts with the families. The interaction between parents and their children’s teachers and the
school continues in a seamless fashion because the school leaders believed that sustainable
education must go beyond regular classroom instruction and include guidance to students on how
to make better choices for their future. The following is how Principal C explained her faculty
interaction with families during the school year:
We have to work with parents as partners. They know their children better than anybody,
and they are core to it. The parent relationship is something we value. Our teachers have
cell phones and are available until 8:00 pm. So students can call, parents can call and talk
about the day. (Principal C)
LEADERSHIP PRACTICES OF KIPP LA PRINCIPALS 93
Principal D stated that he usually spends up to 40 percent of his time working directly
with parents. Similar to his colleagues, he considered parent involvement vital to his school’s
success and invested significant amount of time preparing incoming families and students for a
rewarding and meaningful experience at his school. He compared his interaction with his current
parents with the dismal relationship he had with parents when he was a principal in a traditional
public school. He said that his relationship with parents at that time was limited to contacting the
parents only when their children were trouble and needed to face disciplinary action, including
possible suspension or expulsion. Conversely, as a school leader at KIPP LA, he underwent a
complete transformation and spent most of his time with parents mostly on instructional matters,
including educating them on how to extend children’s learning beyond the walls of the school
campus. He described his time with parents as follows:
All of our new parents, including parents of the students on the waiting list or incoming
kindergarten kids, have an orientation session with me in the spring and they start in
March to get an early start. From March through June, I’m leading anywhere from 12 to
15 orientation sessions that are an hour and a half long, it’s a lot of time. Incoming kids,
it’s a lot of time and effort, but those meetings set the right tone in terms of defining our
school culture and expectations. While the parents are with me, the kids are being tested.
We have all the kids tested so we know exactly what they are coming to us with.
(Principal D)
The principals were committed to making regular contacts as well as maintaining communication
with the parents and guardians of their students. They believe that initial contact with parents
during the intake orientation set the tone for future productive relationship with parents.

LEADERSHIP PRACTICES OF KIPP LA PRINCIPALS 94
Findings for Research Question Three
What specific challenges have the principals faced in the implementation of their
programs and practices and how were these challenges addressed?
The principals at KIIP LA schools, as expected, endure several challenges and setbacks
as they strive to serve their students and families. The salient challenges they encounter are
manifested in terms of staffing, budgetary constraints, operational issues (including limited
facility and food services), and limited experience in school leadership.
Staffing
The expected commitment to the unique educational philosophy and time investment
required for employment at KIPP LA schools often makes it difficult to find quality staff
members that subscribe to the organization’s ideals and aspirations. As already mentioned in
various sections, KIPP LA schools pride themselves in working with students perceived as too
difficult to educate. As the principals stated, most of their students were usually two or three
years behind in their education career before enrolling at their schools. Thus, it takes a special
crop of educators who are committed to working extra hard with longer school days and school
year to meet the enormous needs of the students and their families. The school leaders stated that
the annual salaries and benefits of their teachers are more than ten percent lower than that of the
neighboring public school districts, including the Los Angeles Unified School District, that serve
students with the same or similar demographic. This makes it difficult to recruit teachers willing
to work much more for much less. Even though the principals knew that they are constrained
with the inability to offer teachers the prevailing salaries paid by traditional school districts, they
were determined to hire the best, and that quest further compounded their challenges. Principal A
described his challenge and the kinds of candidates he seeks as follows:
LEADERSHIP PRACTICES OF KIPP LA PRINCIPALS 95
The challenge is getting the right people in place. The key to our success is hiring correct
people. I look for teachers who are content savvy; they should know their grade level,
possess sound pedagogical practices and willing to work hard with our kids and their
families. I know we have a long school year and long work hours and it is difficult to find
such a complete package. (Principal A)
Two of the school leaders stated they had begun to solve their staffing problems by
partnering with the Teacher Education departments at local universities, including University of
California Los Angeles, Loyola Marymount University, and University of Southern California.
Through these institutions, they were able to obtain student teachers who later earned teaching
assignments at the charter schools.
Budgetary Constraints
The principals at KIPP LA schools cited the low per pupil funding in California as one of
the restraints affecting their services to students. According to the National Education Research
Ranking and Estimates report on K- 12 per pupil funding, California ranks thirty-first in the
nation at $1,684 per student (NEA Research, 2014, March 1). The principals said that their
preference to maintain a lower teacher-to-student ratio was affected by the economic recession,
which forced them to lay off some teachers and resulted in increased class size. Principal C
stated that she had to make hard choices between giving teachers what they need to do their job
and increasing the class size. She also said that budget cuts had an adverse affect on her ability to
obtain the desired number of teachers to support their small group instructional model, an
integral component of their pedagogy. In her response to the daily challenges she faced as the
school leader, Principal C stated:
LEADERSHIP PRACTICES OF KIPP LA PRINCIPALS 96
I think that limited funds and resources and maximizing what we have were a big challenge.
As you know, California has always had tight educational funding and the recession took us
to a new low. I’ve always tried to prioritize in terms of giving the teachers what they need to
be successful. So they don’t feel that pinch. However, it has been very difficult. We have
decreased our staff size because of the budget cuts. (Principal C)
Principal D spoke about spending enormous amount of time he ought to devote to instruction in
fundraising. He stated that his was compelled by his “Powell Doctrine” to give his students all
they needed because he was aware of the significant achievement gap and deficits in the
educational career of his students. However, lack of adequate funding left him with limited
options besides engaging in endless fundraising to fund the learning needs of students.
Operational Concerns
The principals of KIPP LA schools were saddled with operational issues including
limited facility space, managing food vendors and other providers. All four schools in this study
started their schools as co-locating schools. This means that each school was given a few rooms
in an existing Los Angeles Unified School District school in which to establish their own school.
In other words, they started as a school within a school. In such an arrangement, the District
school was considered the host as well as the landlord while the charter school was treated as a
tenant with limited rights. Even though the State of California Proposition 39 legislation
specified how a campus facility would be allocated to each school under the “Shared Use
Agreement,” the school leaders stated that they were always treated as a stepchild by the LAUSD
schools.
Among other things, they complained about not receiving adequate access to all the
spaces offered to them on paper. They also complained about encountering extreme difficulties
LEADERSHIP PRACTICES OF KIPP LA PRINCIPALS 97
and lack of cooperation from the LAUSD principals to effectively utilize all the space offered to
them. For example, they stated that they were denied access to the use of schoolyard, student and
adult restrooms, multi-purpose room or auditorium, library, parking lot, cafeteria and kitchen.
They complained that they did not have enough rooms to conduct classes for itinerant services
such as Language and Speech, Physical Therapy, Occupational Therapy and/or to pull eligible
students out for small group instruction. In most cases, they conducted those classes at the picnic
tables on the schoolyard. The school leaders stated that the only spaces they could reliably count
on were their classrooms and main office that they had exclusive use of. They stated that in most
cases the LAUSD central office was either non-responsive or too slow to respond to their
complaints. Faced with such on-going challenges, the school leaders spent significant amounts
of time devising ways to resolve conflicts with their host schools including searching for funds to
make alternative arrangements to meet the needs of their students. Principal D described his
experience as follows:
I have to still fundraise like crazy. I have to meet with funders, I have to meet with tons
of folks that come to our school and deal with the issues of facilities. We've had
numerous issues with our food service vendor and just with other vendors where at times
I had to step in and just act like a crazy man to get things done. Like I shouldn't have to
be dealing with this, this is very simple and straight forward, like you should have food
delivered on time, you should have the proper account of food, that's ridiculous.
I think the challenge of being on the same campus with another school was difficult. We
are continually reminded everyday by the LAUSD folks that we are second-class citizens.
It is appalling, but that is how they made us feel.
LEADERSHIP PRACTICES OF KIPP LA PRINCIPALS 98
We couldn’t park at the parking lot, our teachers had to park on the street that
meant that their cars got broken into a lot more. We encountered lots of a lot more
violence simply because we chose to do things differently. A lot of the teachers at the
school hated that we were there and they would not say hello to us and they would even
sabotage some things that we were doing which was not nice. We had lots of challenges;
including Internet bandwidth just getting someone from LAUSD to come out and do
some work is a huge problem. All we needed was someone from Internet Technology
Division to just flip the switch, all they had to do was come and flip the switch. It took us
over a year and a half to get that switch flipped. We had to then pay extra money to get
an outside company to come in and do the work. Even at that, you still have to go through
LAUSD bureaucracy. (Principal D)
Additionally, the co-location situation generated labor-union induced issues and morale
crises created by the teachers of LAUSD host schools who continually cast aspersions at charter
school teachers for not being members of a labor union. They treated them as traitors and
considered their actions disgraceful to the teaching profession. The school leaders had to contend
with spending their meager time to attend to the emotional needs of their teachers as they fended
off hostilities from their colleagues at the District schools. Moreover, some of the schools had to
deal with the difficulties of running split campus due to insufficient space at one school location
to accommodate the charter schools’ growing enrollment. Some of the school leaders had to
travel from one campus to another to visit different grade levels housed at different campus.
Limited Experience in School Leadership
The school leaders at KIPP LA dealt with the challenges of managing people. Even
though all the principals achieved proven success as classroom teachers and had firm knowledge
LEADERSHIP PRACTICES OF KIPP LA PRINCIPALS 99
of the content standards at all grade levels, three of them did not have the privilege of serving in
any administrative leadership capacity before becoming principals. In addition to the fact that
they all had become school leaders at a very young age, they admitted lacking the prerequisite
experience to manage and supervisor teachers. Principal A stated that although he had been very
effective in dealing with children and had received accolades for outstanding classroom
management skills, he quickly realized that dealing with adults required a different skill set.
Principal B likened her experience supervising adults as completely different from “teaching 10
year-olds how to read and write. Sometimes, it entails becoming a mom to adults, even those
older than me.” They both stated that they quickly released that content knowledge and
knowledge of pedagogy were not sufficient and engaged the services of experienced principals
within the KIPP organization to mentor them.
Findings for Research Question Four
What evidence exists that these programs and practices have led to improved student
achievement?
By all indications, the KIPP LA schools selected for this study have made remarkable
achievements in meeting the needs of their students as measured by high student achievement
rate and high parent participation rate as well as other benchmarks set by each school.
High Student Achievement
The high student achievement by the KIPP LA schools in this study was the main reason
for selecting them for examination of their promising practices – the focus of this study. A
comparison of the California State Test (CST) results of KIPP LA schools and the neighboring
public schools, including schools in Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD), other local
LEADERSHIP PRACTICES OF KIPP LA PRINCIPALS 100
school districts, and the entire state of California reveals the following student performance
scores:

Figure 1. 2013 KIPP LA Academic Performance Index by Surrounding Area
The above data indicates that KIPP LA schools have been outperforming LAUSD schools
by 134 API points. It is important to note that during the formative years of their existence, three
out of the four schools co-located at LAUSD campus served essentially students with the same
or similar demographics. The data above shows that KIPP LA schools also outperformed the
entire state of California public schools by 93 points.
Principal A used student performance on standardized tests (the CST), attendance data,
and parent surveys as the major benchmarks for monitoring progress and opportunities for
growth. Having worked as a teacher at the same school before becoming the principal, he
credited most of the school’s success to the excellent training and mentorship he received from
his predecessors. He said that the professional development and coaching sessions offered by
previous school leaders made a huge impact in the classrooms and described his school’s rising
CST scores as follows:
When I started working here; I began as a teacher. We were at 770 API during my first
year. Each year we rose to 810, 870 and so on. A.M. was the person I succeeded; we
LEADERSHIP PRACTICES OF KIPP LA PRINCIPALS 101
were at 916 in 2011, then the year (2012) I took over we were at 924, and then last year
(2013), we were at 918. We’ve seen tremendous growth and have sustained being at the
900 level for a period of three years.
The student attendance was outstanding and remarkable for a middle school.
Approximately 98.3% of the students had a perfect attendance record (no tardies or absences)
and that was a rare accomplishment for an urban middle school. The principal stated that he
valued student attendance more than the test scores and viewed it as a clear demonstration by
students and their parents that they loved the school, the activities and programs of the school as
articulated in its mission and vision. He took exceptional pride in the fact that his attendance was
better than neighboring elementary schools as stated below:
It’s actually surprising, we’re a middle school and we lead the region and we beat out
elementary schools. Which is surprising because middle schools never lead. We have
about 98.3% of students with a perfect attendance. So what we do differently is to invest
in personnel, and maintain one-on-one contact with our families. We have a system,
Illuminate, that calls when a student is absent - automatically computer calls and informs
the parents the student is absent. We actually have a person make a second call. Just a
person calling and saying, “Hi, why is the student absent?” and we call until we reach a
parent or someone on the phone and we ask, “Why is this student absent? What’s going
on with them? When can we expect them back?” The constant messages that we need
them in school. That’s where they learn.
The evidence from the other principals shows that their school practices have led to
improved student achievements using the same or similar benchmarks. Principal B, an assistant
principal at School A, shared a similar level of accomplishments about School B where she was
LEADERSHIP PRACTICES OF KIPP LA PRINCIPALS 102
assigned as the Interim principal during the interview. Principal C reported that since her school
began to participate in the California Standards Test (CST) in 2
nd
grade, they have maintained an
Academic Performance Index (API) of 960 and have continued to sustain it over the years. She
described her school accomplishments as well as the community’s perception of their impact as
follows:
For academic indicators, we’ve achieved at really remarkable levels. Since we started
testing in 2
nd
grade with an API, we’ve been at 960. Not only did we achieve remarkable
growth in one year, but we’ve been able to prove it year in, year out. The reputation we
have in the community, the amount of families that are applying is very encouraging. The
wait list that we have shows that the community and the families want their children to be
at our school. The joy and appreciation of families, staff retention, all those things speak
to it. This is a box of letters, I’m reading them and it shows the depth of love,
commitment and honor of having being embedded as a part of this community. (Principal
C)
In addition to achieving at 900 API scores and sustaining it for each successive year and
culminating in 991 API ranking in 2013, Principal D accentuated his school’s accomplishment in
meeting the needs of specific groups of students. Analysis of the school’s data showed that all
their English Learners (EL) and special education students scored either proficient or advanced
on the CST. The performance of the students in the general education setting indicated that 95%
of the students were Proficient or above in ELA at School D and 98% of the students are
proficient or advanced in Mathematics (KIPP Foundation, 2014).

LEADERSHIP PRACTICES OF KIPP LA PRINCIPALS 103
High Parent Participation Rate
As stated in various sections of this study, KIPP LA schools subscribe to the larger
organizational goal of the KIPP network of schools, which emphasizes vibrant parent
engagement. This goal includes conducting annual parent surveys to gauge satisfaction level.
Principal A stated that they had continually enjoyed a more than 98% parent satisfaction rate
since their inception. School B, enjoyed a 96% parent participation rate during its first year of
existence. The indicators of success and the impact on stakeholder groups at School D include
achieving a number two overall ranking in parent satisfaction out of 125 KIPP schools, number
three overall in teacher satisfaction, and the fourth overall position in handling operational issues
among all the 125 schools within the KIPP organization network of schools.
Summary
This section explains in summary form what the chapter has identified, and also prepares
the reader for the final chapter to follow. The overall findings in this study suggest that there are
unique, promising leadership practices and programs employed by KIPP LA schools that are
worthy of emulation as well as necessary for consideration for inclusion in the compendium of
existing body of knowledge for current and aspiring school leaders. The data obtained from the
school leaders’ responses to the four research questions are succinctly stated below:
Research question one asks, which instructional and administrative leadership practices
and programs at KIPP LA schools could be considered innovative or distinctive as well as
promising for adoption by other schools? Perhaps the most important practice is “Power to
Lead,” which vests discretional powers and absolute authority on the principal as the school
leader to hire their faculty and staff without significant interference from traditional public
school bureaucracy. The school leaders receive operational and pedagogical training tailored to
LEADERSHIP PRACTICES OF KIPP LA PRINCIPALS 104
the target population they chose to educate. Because of the above factors, the school leaders are
empowered to use their authority and training to provide appropriate professional development to
their staff and also hire extra fully credentialed teachers with the sole purpose of supporting the
regular classroom teacher as apprentice-teachers.
Research question two asks, what are the specific leadership responsibilities of KIPP LA
principals and their impact on student achievement? The principals at KIPP LA schools perform
a variety of responsibilities with well-established frequency and routine that are known by all the
stakeholder groups. They oversee a school culture that facilitates active use of small group
instruction as one of the instructional delivery strategies. They are proactive in identifying the
needs of students and providing on-going intervention as soon as needs arise; they cultivate a
culture that encourages constructive feedback from the rank and file. The principals are active in
leading professional development sessions, facilitating the creation of curriculum and formative
assessments by teachers and visiting classroom to monitor instruction and following through
with coaching and weekly feedback session with teachers. They also work directly with students
by teaching the intervention classes in their areas of expertise. Moreover, the principals
emphasize vibrant school and family connections by personally visiting the homes of their
incoming and continuing students and creating work schedules that allow teachers to also make
home visits.
Research question three asks, what specific challenges have the principals faced in the
implementation of their programs and practices and how were these challenges addressed?
Unlike the concern in some traditional public schools where principals have limited discretion
regarding who to hire or terminate, the KIPP LA school leaders often have difficulty finding the
“right” candidate to teach at their schools. Due to the high standards and commitment to work
LEADERSHIP PRACTICES OF KIPP LA PRINCIPALS 105
with students considered too difficult to educate, the principals stated that it is often difficult to
recruit teachers that have a similar drive and passion to work at their schools. Budgetary
constraints also compel principals to devote ample amounts of time on fundraising at the expense
of concentrating on instruction. Limited facility space to operate their own school forces most of
them to co-locate at LAUSD campuses with its attending problems, including lack of adequate
classrooms, yard space, parking and the slow pace of attending to maintenance needs at their
LAUSD host schools. They also indicated that even though they considered themselves great
teachers, some of them found out they were limited in the prerequisite experiences needed to
manage adults as school leaders – a different skill set from dealing with students in the
classrooms.
Research question four asks, what evidence exists that these programs and practices have
led to improved student achievement? Student performance in the schools studied showed that
they outperformed the traditional public schools in their neighborhood by over 134 API points,
as measured by the California Standardized Test. The schools’ student attendance rates were also
higher. Moreover, the parent satisfaction rates in all the schools stood at above 96% on the
average. All the schools reported always having a large number of students on the waiting list.
Chapter 5 will provide a summary of the entire study including the conclusions and
implications for future studies. Specifically, it will include a review of the literature and
theoretical framework for the study, and a synthesis of the key findings in light of the research
questions examined.

LEADERSHIP PRACTICES OF KIPP LA PRINCIPALS 106
CHAPTER FIVE: DISCUSSION
Introduction
Public K-12 education in the United States is continually going through transformation as
the needs and challenges of serving different demographics of student population evolve. One of
the prevailing challenges in the K-12 public school system is the inadequate or substandard
educational services given to historically underserved students, including recent immigrants to
the United States who do not speak English as their first language (National Assessment of
Educational Progress, 2009). This specific challenge, among others, has led to the emergence of
the charter school system, such as the Knowledge Is Power Program, Los Angeles (KIPP LA).
The charter school organization believes that significant gaps exist in student performance along
socio-economic and racial lines (Sirin, 2005). Pursuant to this belief, charter schools promise to
fulfill three salient needs: 1. To offer effective educational options to children and families who
have been historically underserved. 2. To create the possibilities of institutional partnership to
increase their stakes in the educational outcomes of their children, and 3. To provide significant
flexibility that is currently lacking in traditional public schools because of the ways the current
school system is organized (Payne & Knowles, 2009).
This chapter will provide a summary of the components of the entire study, including a
statement of the problem, purpose of the study, and research questions. It will also include a
review of the literature, theoretical framework, methodology, as well as a synthesis of the key
findings as they relate to the research questions. The chapter will conclude with research
implications and recommendations for future studies.

LEADERSHIP PRACTICES OF KIPP LA PRINCIPALS 107
Statement of the Problem
Knowledge of the specific roles and impact of different personnel charged with educating
American K 12 students is often lost in the politics of education. Because of the controversy
surrounding the creation and acceptance of the charter school system as an alternative to the
traditional public school system, the impact of charter schools, particularly the role of the school
leaders, has not attracted significant research. Much of the extant research on charter schools has
been conducted on teachers’ instructional behaviors (Malloy & Wohlstetter, 2003). An
investigation into the administrative and instructional leadership practices of successful charter
school principals will provide information as to how the leaders at KIPP LA meet the needs of
their employees, manage their human resources, and lead training and organizational
development (Marzano et al., 2005).
Further investigation will examine how the KIPP LA administration makes decisions and
allocates resources within Marzano et al.’s (2005) school leader’s meta-analysis. The specific
leadership practices of the principals in terms of recruitment of personnel, training, management,
instructional practices including professional development, curricular adoption, planning and
implementation of effective strategies in the classroom, scheduling of the curricular programs, as
well as evaluation of instruction and teachers will be explored.
Purpose of the study
This study investigated how KIPP LA principals employ promising leadership practices
to manage their resources, train their staff, and make management and instructional decisions
that lead to improved student achievement in urban areas.

LEADERSHIP PRACTICES OF KIPP LA PRINCIPALS 108
Research Questions
1. Which instructional and administrative leadership practices and programs at KIPP
L.A. schools could be considered innovative or distinctive as well as promising for
adoption by other schools?
2. What are the specific leadership responsibilities of KIPP LA principals and their
impact on student achievement?
3. What specific challenges have the principals faced in the implementation of their
programs and practices and how were these challenges addressed?
4. What evidence exists that these programs and practices have led to improved student
achievement?
Review of Literature
The relevant literature reviewed for this study provided an overview of the emergence of
the charter school system, definitions of different types of leadership employed by administrators
as well as a synthesis of the role of a principal and his/her school on student achievement. The
role of the principal was viewed through the lens of meta-analytical studies on principal
leadership, which constitutes the theoretical framework for this study.
This study examined the existing literature on school leadership and how various
leadership theories or approaches may impact school leadership. In reviewing leadership
approaches, such as the traditional perspective, transformational leadership, servant leadership
and instructional leadership, it was perceived that school leadership, similar to leadership itself,
has continued to evolve and adapt to the latest theories and prevalent educational reforms of the
21
st
century. One certainty supported by a large body of research is that leadership is vital to the
success of any organization, including schools (Marzano, Waters, & McNulty, 2005).
LEADERSHIP PRACTICES OF KIPP LA PRINCIPALS 109
As part of the literature review, special focus was placed on instructional leadership, the
role of a principal, and how the principal leadership role impacts student achievement with an
emphasis on the charter school system. On-going educational reforms in the United States have
led to the creation of charter schools - autonomous, publicly funded institutions that operate
under the authority of a charter granted by another agency (Fusarelli, 2002). The literature
reveals that instructional leadership is the aspect of school leadership that has the most
significant impact on student achievement. The research supports the assertion that a principal
plays the most significant role in student achievement, second only to classroom instruction
(Marzano et al., 2005).
Additionally, research recommends explicit principal behaviors that facilitate such
impacts. The goal of this study is to engage in a practical investigation of the leadership practices
of selected charter school principals to determine what can be found in light of the professed
goals of charter school mandates to offer innovative teaching and learning opportunities to a
specific population of students. Dressler (2001) suggests that if we believe that charter schools
provide opportunities for a fundamental change in ways of educating children, it makes sense for
such change to include ideas of what principals do and how they are prepared. This study intends
to conduct that investigation in order to add to the existing body of research on charter school
leadership. In chapter three, the research methods, design, research questions, instrumentation,
sample and population, data collection and analysis were described.
Theoretical Framework
The theoretical framework for this research will be based on leadership theories.
Specifically, transformational leadership theory and instructional leadership as well as a
condensed version of the twenty-one leadership responsibilities (Marzano et al., 2005) will serve
LEADERSHIP PRACTICES OF KIPP LA PRINCIPALS 110
as the theoretical basis for understanding this research. The goal of this study is to investigate the
leadership practices of charter school principals at KIPP LA schools. The investigation will focus
on how the school leaders utilize any and all aspects of these two leadership theories discussed in
the prior section and implement the processes and programs inherent in each model to improve
student achievement.
The theory of action assumes that if the charter school leaders in this study are exposed to
sound leadership theories that are specific to the field of education – transformational and
instructional leadership - and implement key components of the twenty-one leadership
responsibilities in an integrated fashion, there is a significant chance that their leadership will
lead to improved student achievement (Marzano et al., 2005). Mindful of other variables
responsible for student achievement, this study focuses on only the principals’ leadership actions
and their impact on student achievement. However, the expectation that effective leadership will
have positive effects on other variables responsible for improved student achievement will be
factored in while investigating the leadership roles of the principal leaders in this study.
Methodology
This case study utilized primarily a qualitative research design. Merriam (2009) defines a
case study as a detailed description and analysis of a single phenomenon. The phenomenon in
question could be a program, an organization or a school, which offers the researcher the
opportunity to explore or seek to uncover new knowledge by concentrating on a single
phenomenon that is specific. The specificity is determined by the ability of the researcher to
generate finite data by working with a limited number of people within a stated time period
(Merriam, 2009). Furthermore, the qualitative research design is most suitable for an event or
case occurring in a natural setting and observed from the vantage point of the participants
LEADERSHIP PRACTICES OF KIPP LA PRINCIPALS 111
involved in the phenomenon (Gail, Gail, & Borg, 2003). To ensure reliability and accuracy, the
researcher reviewed applicable documents obtained from each school and compared them with
the interview data through the process of triangulation. Merriam (2009) defines triangulation as
the technique of using multiple sources of data to compare and cross-check information.
Because this study was aimed at investigating the leadership practices and programs, the
specific responsibilities of the school leaders and the impact on student achievement as well as
challenges associated with KIPP LA schools, it made sense to employ qualitative research design
to ensure a detailed description of the occurrences at the schools –the natural setting where the
practices were being implemented.
Purposeful criterion sampling was used to identify charter schools that are implementing
promising leadership programs while serving historically underserved communities in Los
Angeles, California (Patton, 2002). The criteria sampling of these charter schools offered the
researcher the opportunity to limit the selection to charter schools that have shown remarkable
success in student achievement, particularly when compared with traditional neighborhood
public schools with similar demographics. The selected schools have demonstrated consistent
and sustained improvement in student learning.
The sample population was principals or assistant principals at four KIPP LA schools
with two or more years’ experience at the same school, and the school must have been in
existence for two or more years. Four principals were selected to participate in an interview. Two
of the principals were the founding principals of their schools; the third had two years experience
as a principal even though he had been with the KIPP LA organization for over five years. The
fourth participant had two positions as an interim principal in one of the schools and had been an
LEADERSHIP PRACTICES OF KIPP LA PRINCIPALS 112
assistant principal for two years in another participating school. The participants were identified
by alphabet labels (A, B, C, D) to protect their real identity.
Findings
I was prompted to investigate how KIPP LA was successful at serving historically
underserved populations such as students from low-income socio-economic backgrounds,
students with special needs, and English Language Learners. I commenced this study with the
following questions in mind 1) Which instructional and administrative leadership practices and
programs at KIPP LA schools could be considered innovative or distinctive as well as promising
for adoption by other schools? 2) What are the specific leadership responsibilities of KIPP LA
principals and their impact on student achievement? 3) What specific challenges have the
principals faced in the implementation of their programs and practices and how were these
challenges addressed? 4) What evidence exists that these programs and practices have led to
improved student achievement? These questions were primarily answered during the data
collection and analysis phases of this study. However, further understanding was gained from
constructing, interpreting, and reflecting on the emerging themes within this study.
In Chapter 4, I articulated the answers to my research questions. A consistent theme
throughout the study was empowerment. The overwhelming finding was that KIPP LA
principals are empowered to select their own teachers for their schools. In selecting their own
teachers, principals are able to hire faculty members who have the content expertise, teaching
skills, and burning desire to educate their specific school’s underserved student populations.
This allows for principals to customize their teacher selection process to the needs of their
school, instead of using an assembly line process for teacher recruitment and selection. Often in
traditional school district selection processes, emphasis is placed on teachers’ knowledge of
LEADERSHIP PRACTICES OF KIPP LA PRINCIPALS 113
specific instructional strategies. Dufour and Marzano (2011) stress that there is no such template
of what specific teaching strategies will promote learning for all students. This point is furthered
by Dufour and Marzano’s (2011) argument that there is no single criterion for what good
teaching actually looks like. Good teaching cannot be reduced to a checklist of do’s and don’ts
or a short list of teacher skills. Each school is and every student needs differ. Hence, a
differentiated teacher selection process is promoted by allowing principals to develop and
implement their own procedures, customized to the learning needs of their particular student
populations. Given my experience as a public school principal, I have only had limited
autonomy in hiring teachers for my school site. They are first hired at the District level, and I can
only select from the list provided by the District. This has continued to make it difficult to find
the exact match for the demography of the students we serve.
Unlike the norm at traditional schools, the KIPP LA principals also have the autonomy to
select teachers whom they believe will positively contribute to the school’s professional learning
community. The four KIPP LA principals whom I interviewed all mentioned the advantages of
being able to hire their own teachers. Principal A, C, and D expressed that one area where they
excel is in “hiring well.” Instead of applying a one-size-fits-all approach, these principals were
empowered to hire teachers whom they believed had the essential skills and content knowledge
necessary to implement the school’s professional learning goals tailored to their student
populations’ needs.
An area of KIPP LA innovation that I had not heard of in the traditional school district
system is the hiring of apprenticeship teachers. The apprenticeship teachers are assigned to a
master teacher and serve for at least a year as a credentialed, apprenticeship teacher. Each
apprenticeship teacher is assigned to support two classroom teachers per day with small group
LEADERSHIP PRACTICES OF KIPP LA PRINCIPALS 114
instruction. Often while the classroom teacher is teaching a whole group lesson or the students
are in a computer assisted learning group on laptops, the apprenticeship teacher is working with a
small group. Each of the four principals I interviewed argued that having another teacher in the
classroom has proven beneficial in implementing small group instruction in KIPP LA
classrooms.
The KIPP teacher apprenticeship model that the KIPP LA principals described reminded
me of the apprenticeship model utilized in the field of medicine. For decades, medical doctors
have served three to four years of a medical apprenticeship, learning from first-hand experiences
with the support of a supervising medical doctor on how to attend to patients. I believe that this
has contributed to the success of numerous medical doctors in successful treatment and service to
patients. So, it makes sense to me to use it in education. From my experience, being a student
teacher in the traditional school district system is not enough.
Upon approved completion of student teaching, teachers are released with credentials and
are qualified to apply for positions to independently teach their own classes. Often, new teachers
are not supported when faced with the challenges common to new teachers such as presentation
and delivery of instruction, classroom management, supervision and monitoring of student
performance. Consequently, many new teachers leave the teaching profession due to lack of
guidance and support. Conversely, the KIPP teacher apprenticeship model provides the support,
teaching experience, and participation in professional learning communities essential to their
success and continuation in the teaching profession.
All the KIPP LA principals whom I interviewed mentioned the Power to Lead as central
to how their schools are innovative. The Power to Lead vests the power in KIPP principals to
function as effective academic and organizational leaders with the freedom to innovate, make
LEADERSHIP PRACTICES OF KIPP LA PRINCIPALS 115
staffing changes, and swiftly move funds to allow maximum effectiveness in helping students
learn (KIPP LA, 2013). In both the document review and the interviews, the utilization of this
model was discovered in the KIPP LA schools presented in this study. With further document
reviews, the Power to Lead was revealed as one of the Five Pillars of KIPP Charter School
Organization described in chapter one. Overwhelmingly, the principals singled out this
particular pillar as an essential reason for accepting a leadership position at their various schools
as well as a major reason for their effectiveness as school leaders.
As mentioned above, the principals described Power to Lead as a model that is central to
their innovative practices and school leadership in general. They stated that it gives them the
freedom to run their schools with the teachers, curriculum, and instructional strategies they
choose. Principal D noted that the Power to Lead offered him the ability to overcome the
learning challenges that students from low socio-economic backgrounds, students with special
needs, and English Language Learners face in traditional school districts as “receptacles of
information.” In the Pedagogy of the Oppressed (Freire, 1970), the phrase “banking concept of
education” is used to describe the method that treats education as an act of depositing whereby
students are the depositories and the teacher is the depositor. Under this model, prevalent in
many traditional schools, students are usually treated as empty vessels or receptacles of
information who lack the cognitive capacity to engage in “problem-posing education,” which
requires the students to inquire, think, communicate, and challenge any perceived reality or
subject. On the contrary, the school leaders interviewed for this study utilize small-group
instruction to create a climate that compels students to become active participants in the learning
process by challenging the subject matter and constructing their own meaning in an environment
that offers such freedom of expression and process of inquiry. The principals were flexible and at
LEADERSHIP PRACTICES OF KIPP LA PRINCIPALS 116
liberty to use their funds to support small group instruction by providing students with the
intervention, services, curriculum and personnel necessary to meet their needs.
In reviewing the KIPP principals’ training and on-boarding documents, I found that the
KIPP LA principals all received either one-year intensive training through the Fisher Fellowship
or a two-year training through the Miles Family Fellowship (Macey, Decker, & Eckes, 2009).
During this training and on-boarding process, the principals learned what their responsibilities
would be to impact student learning at their prospective charter schools. This led me to the
answer for my research question two: What are the specific leadership responsibilities of KIPP
LA principals and their impact on student achievement? One of the primary responsibilities of
the KIPP LA principals was to establish and maintain a school culture that facilitates active use
of small group instruction as one of the instructional delivery strategies. In the exploration of
these responsibilities as connected to intended students learning outcomes, I learned of the
significance of each of the KIPP LA principal’s proactivity in identifying the specific needs of
their students and providing on-going intervention as soon as needs arise.
In identifying student needs, these KIPP LA principals appeared to be in pursuit of
attaining the KIPP organizational instructional goals of joy, ratio, and rigor. Small group
instruction is a vehicle in which all of these goals may be obtained. In small group instruction,
there is no magic number or ratio. Small group instruction in KIPP LA schools typically consists
of anywhere from 3 to 8 students per group. In my experience as a principal, I recognized that
the teachers who seemed the best able to answer questions regarding their students’ individual
learning needs were those who incorporated small group instruction into their daily classroom
routines. The principals interviewed for this study made similar observations. The principals
were very candid about the value they placed on small group instruction.
LEADERSHIP PRACTICES OF KIPP LA PRINCIPALS 117
The principals stated that a major focus of their professional learning communities was
small group instruction. During small group instruction, students were given clear expectations
and specific instructional strategies as determined by the teachers with approval from the
principals. The principals believed that their teachers had a working knowledge of what each
student needed based on their observations during small group instruction and the informal
assessments conducted. Principal A conveyed, “Setting aside time each day for rigorous
independent practice provides opportunities for our teachers to work deeply with
individual/small groups.” Instead of merely being “receptacles of information,” students are
supported with resources and challenged to engage in structured, collaborative learning projects.
The assessments to determine the curricular areas and skills focused on during
independent practice and small group/individual instruction were created in the professional
learning communities by the teacher, with the support and approval of the principals. The KIPP
LA principals ensured that professional development occurred in their professional learning
communities on a regular basis. The principals were active in leading professional development
sessions. They conducted learning walks and visited classrooms to observe instruction and offer
support with content in their areas of expertise. Additionally, all the KIPP LA principals I
interviewed discussed how they coached and worked individually with teachers. For example,
Principal B stated that she observes and meets with teachers once a week. She also mentors five
teachers and meets with them on a weekly basis. During their meetings, she spends at least one
hour discussing the implementation of the goals that the teachers set at the beginning of the year.
Beyond their fervent desire to improve the learning of students from low socio-economic
backgrounds, what struck me the most is the degree to which the principals emphasized vibrant
school and family connections by personally visiting the homes of their incoming and continuing
LEADERSHIP PRACTICES OF KIPP LA PRINCIPALS 118
students and creating work schedules that allow teachers to also make home visits. Principal B
discussed with me how she met all the families of her incoming kindergarten students and
expressed how critical she felt those visits were.
I connected this to my own experiences and strong belief that successful schools are
usually an extension of the home and family, a second home for the students and their families.
The KIPP LA principals’ core value of the importance of family involvement and numerous
home visits reminded me of Jonathan Kozol’s visits and time with families in the Mott Haven
section of the South Bronx. Jonathan Kozol took scrupulous notes of his experiences in the
impoverished homes of these families and authored a book based on his notes and other
qualitative data that he collected during his time in Mott Haven. In the same book, Ordinary
Resurrections: Children in the Years of Hope (Kozol, 2012), Kozol expressed, “The feeling that
these kids don't give up as easily as people think. No matter how we treat them, no matter how
many times we knock them down, no matter how we shortchange them, no matter how we
isolate them, no matter how we try to hide them from the rest of society, they keep getting up
again, and they refuse to die.” The impression I had of the KIPP LA principals I interviewed was
that they had a strong desire to be a contributing factor to ensuring that impoverished children
are not short-changed educationally. This is evidenced by their California State Test scores,
which I mentioned in chapter four, see Figure 1.
Instinctively, I knew that charter schools were not all empowering. This begged the
question, which I asked in my research question three, what specific challenges have the
principals faced in the implementation of their programs and practices and how were these
challenges addressed? KIPP LA school leaders conveyed that although they felt that they hired
well, they often had difficulty discovering the “right” candidates to teach at their schools. Due to
LEADERSHIP PRACTICES OF KIPP LA PRINCIPALS 119
the challenges and requirements, such as longer hours for teachers, a longer work year, high
teaching expectations, and other demands that each principal placed on their teacher candidates,
they had to really work hard to locate teachers who could fit into the KIPP LA model.
According to KIPP founder Mike Feinberg, “On any given day, in any given hour, in any
given classroom, teaching and learning is extremely difficult. Everyone thinks that they know
how to do it well, especially with lots of experience under their belt. But being in front of a
group of children and imparting knowledge from your brain and heart into the brain and heart of
a five-, 10- or 15-year-old is an extremely difficult art and science. To do it at a high level is the
most difficult part.”
Feinberg argues that the critical piece to a great school with great teachers is the KIPP
school principal. The KIPP school principal recruits, develops, motivates, and retains great
teachers. The KIPP LA principals described a second challenge as budgetary constraints. These
budgetary constraints compel principals to take time away from supporting instruction to raise
funds, coordinate food service, and numerous other facilities management duties. The principals
seemed genuinely disappointed that they were pulled away from supporting instruction and in so
many directions. They opined that inadequate K-12 per pupil funding in California presents an
obstacle to how much they can do to meet the ever-increasing needs of their students.
A third challenge expressed was facility issues because most of the KIPP LA principals
interviewed shared facility space with an LAUSD school during the formative years of their
schools’ existence. This challenge created several difficulties such as lack of parking, limited
yard space for students, maintenance problems, and safety issues for faculty. Faculty and staff at
each of the KIPP LA school sites had difficulty finding parking as the parking was often reserved
exclusively for LAUSD faculty and staff in spite of the California Proposition 39 law that
LEADERSHIP PRACTICES OF KIPP LA PRINCIPALS 120
mandates equitable allocation of the facility in proportion to the student population at both the
LAUSD school and the co-locating KIPP LA school. This has caused KIPP LA faculty and staff
to often park on city streets. The principals stated that many of their faculty and staff’s vehicles
had been either vandalized or broken into.
I have often wondered what makes the KIPP LA schools so successful in meeting the
learning needs of impoverished, historically under-served students in the inner city, which is why
I chose this subject for my study. I found the evidence in interview after interview and in each
document analysis as to what makes KIPP LA schools successful and have described the how,
what, and why in chapter four, as well as in these findings. Throughout the interviews and
document reviews, evidence abound that support this assertion about each school’s success.
Research question four asks, what evidence exists that these programs and practices have
led to improved student achievement? Student performance in the schools studied showed that
they outperformed the traditional LAUSD neighborhood public schools by over 134 API points,
as measured by the California Standardized Test (CST). The following represents the Academic
Performance Index (API) of each of the KIPP LA schools and median API scores of similar
schools on the last CST administration in 2013:
Table 2
2013 KIPP LA Academic Performance Index and Medium API of Similar Schools
KIPP LA Schools API Scores Median API of Similar Schools
School A 918 766
School C 970 811
School D 991 N/A
School A – 918; C – 970; and School D – 991. It is important to note that School A is a
middle school while School C and D are elementary schools. The schools’ student attendance
rates were also higher, as discussed in chapter 4. Moreover, the parent satisfaction rates in all the
LEADERSHIP PRACTICES OF KIPP LA PRINCIPALS 121
schools stood at above 96% on average, and all the schools reported that there was always a large
number of students on the waiting list.
Implications
The results of this study will offer useful guidance to principals and other school leaders
on the types of instructional leadership that translate into improved student learning. The KIPP
LA schools investigated for this research pride themselves on working with historically
underserved students who are often perceived as difficult to educate. Most of their students start
at KIPP LA functioning two or three grade levels behind. However once enrolled, the students
receive extensive academic support that begins with proper identification of their individual
needs as well as the provision of on-going intervention and remedial support resulting in
significant learning achievement over the subsequent years.
Chief among the useful information for school leaders and traditional school district
leaders is the importance of giving principals the freedom to hire and recruit the most suitable
faculty for their schools. When and if principals are given the latitude to hire the best people for
the jobs, they are more inclined to recruit staff members that subscribe to their schools’ mission
and vision. Consequently, the potential recruits willingly commit to assist the school leadership
to accomplish their goals and objectives. Another significant knowledge gained from this study
is the necessity for future school leaders to recognize the type of student population they would
like to work with and then take appropriate steps to gain more insights into their specific needs
and culture and then access the essential pedagogical and leadership training necessary for
serving their clientele. Children depending on their culture and environmental exposure have
different needs. Any one aspiring to lead a group of students should devote ample time to this
pursuit before they can educate them effectively. The findings from the research show that the
LEADERSHIP PRACTICES OF KIPP LA PRINCIPALS 122
KIPP LA principals understand the needs of the communities they work with and take the
necessary steps to work satisfactorily with all stakeholder groups.
In triangulating the data, I was able to verify the validity of my interviews, document
analysis and interpretations for this study. I found that the findings match the practices each of
the school leaders described and the explanations they offered. Even though most of the
leadership practices employed by the school leaders appear to be ordinary and common, the
difference was seen in the extraordinary ways in which the practices were implemented. For
example, it is not unique or unusual for principals or school personnel to visit the homes of the
students, but the devotion shown by KIPP LA schools leaders in visiting the homes of all
incoming kindergarten students and/or having orientation sessions with all parents of all the
future students is novel and extra-ordinary. Additionally, the assessment tools (interviews and
document reviews) used for this study produced stable and consistent results. All the school
leaders were asked the same questions and were asked to produce the same sets of documents,
and the entire data were analyzed the same way to ensure internal and consistent reliability.
Recommendation for Future Research
This case study was designed to investigate the promising leadership practices of KIPP
LA school leaders to find how such practices impact student achievement. The analysis of the
data proves that the actions of the principals translate into improved student achievement.
Consequently, this researcher recommends further research on the following practices:
1. The Power to Lead is one of the key leadership concepts employed by KIPP LA
principals to conduct and manage the affairs of their schools. This concept requires
further research and investigation to discover how it works as well as how it could be
replicated and adopted by other schools beyond the KIPP organization.
LEADERSHIP PRACTICES OF KIPP LA PRINCIPALS 123
2. A study on how KIPP LA school leaders manage their time and work with parents to
earn the outstanding amount of parent engagement and participation which contributes to
an unusually high percentage of satisfactory ratings in comparison to traditional public
schools.
3. A study on the teacher apprenticeship model utilized at KIPP LA schools and how such a
model could work and possibly be adopted in the traditional K-12 public school system
and other charter schools.
4. A study on the KIPP LA professional development summer institute and how it works
with the possibility of replication and adoption in the K-12 public school system and
other charter schools.
Conclusions
The investigation into the leadership practices of KIPP LA school leaders, the focus of
this study, sets out to answer four research questions, namely to find out the practices of the
school leaders that are worthy of emulation, the daily and regular routines of the principals, the
challenges they encounter in the performance of their duties and the specific evidence that proves
their success. Evidence from the interviews and document reviews and analysis supports the
findings that the actions of KIPP LA principals lead to improved student achievement as
demonstrated by a variety of student outcomes including standardized test scores and parent
satisfaction rates. In providing high quality educational services including prompt and rigorous
interventions, students living in poverty and students with special needs are provided with full
access and ample opportunities to engage in the curriculum, develop academic skills and college
readiness in order to become successful in their future educational pursuits and contribute to the
intellectual capital of our nation. This study has rekindled this researcher’s hope that there is still
LEADERSHIP PRACTICES OF KIPP LA PRINCIPALS 124
room for success for many children who are perceived to be difficult to educate in the current K-
12 traditional public school system. The efforts of KIPP LA school leadership have demonstrated
that with adequate support coupled with professional and moral dedication by educators, less
privileged children do achieve academic success and excel in school.

LEADERSHIP PRACTICES OF KIPP LA PRINCIPALS 125
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LEADERSHIP PRACTICES OF KIPP LA PRINCIPALS 134
Appendix A
PRINCIPAL INTERVIEW GUIDE
Research Questions Interview Questions
1. Which instructional and
administrative leadership
practices and programs at
KIPP LA schools could be
considered innovative or
distinctive as well as
promising for adoption?

Description of Leadership Practices, Goals, and Implementation
Details

1. Please, briefly describe the instructional programs or
practices relating to school leadership at your school.
2. What is the goal of each program?
3. Please explain the history of any programs relating to school
leadership at your school.
(Probe: When, how/why did it get started, who were the people
initially involved in developing the practice?)
4. Can you tell me a little about your role as the principal with
respect to the program relating to school leadership?
5. Who have been the main people involved with the planning
and implementation of the program relating to school
leadership?
6. In your opinion, what factors have contributed to the
successful implementation of the program relating to school
leadership?
(probe: How much planning or collaboration time on a monthly
basis was needed and/or funds needed to sustain the
implementation of any of the programs?)
7. Have any of the programs led to school improvement and
higher student achievement? (Probe: How does the program
impact student learning?)
8. What do you see as the next steps for ensuring the
sustainability of each of the programs?

LEADERSHIP PRACTICES OF KIPP LA PRINCIPALS 135
2. What are the specific
leadership responsibilities
of KIPP LA principals and
their impact on student
achievement?

Leadership Responsibilities

9. What are your primary responsibilities as a school principal?
(Probe: Could you please, describe your day-to-day
responsibilities as a principal?)
10. What leadership and/or personal traits do you utilize while
performing your duties? (Probe: What kind of knowledge, skill
set, and personality traits are necessary for the performance of
your duties?)
11. What materials and equipment are needed to carry out the
programs? (Probe: How did you procure them?)
Recommended Resources for Additional Information
12. Are there any books that have been helpful to you in
implementing the program relating to school leadership?
13. Are there any articles that have been helpful to you in
implementing the program relating to school leadership?
14. Are there any technological resources that have been helpful
to you in learning about the program relating to school
leadership?
15. Are there any sources of technical assistance that have been
helpful to you in implementing the program relating to school
leadership?
3. What specific
challenges have the
principals faced in the
implementation of their
programs and practices
and how were these
changes addressed?

Lessons and Challenges

16. What lessons have you learned by implementing the
program relating to school leadership?
17. What are the challenges of implementing the program
relating to school leadership?
(Probes: Challenges for students, staff, administrators, and
parents)
18. Please, explain how you addressed the challenges and the
outcome of your actions?
19. Is there any additional information you wish to share about
LEADERSHIP PRACTICES OF KIPP LA PRINCIPALS 136
your school’s leadership practices?
4. What evidence exists
that these programs and
practices have led to
improved student
achievement?

Evidence

20. How do you know the programs relating to school
leadership are making a difference? [What is the evidence of
impact?]

LEADERSHIP PRACTICES OF KIPP LA PRINCIPALS 137
Appendix B
DATA SOURCES AND ANALYSIS PLAN
Research Questions Instruments Participants Analysis
1. Which instructional and
administrative leadership
practices and programs at KIPP
LA schools could be considered
innovative or distinctive as well
as promising for adoption?

Interviews,
document review
Principals Open-ended, semi-
structured
interviews,
documents
2. What are the specific
leadership responsibilities of
KIPP LA principals and their
impact on student achievement?

Interviews,
document review
Principals Open-ended, semi-
structured
interviews,
documents
3. What specific challenges have
the principals faced in the
implementation of their
programs and practices and how
were these changes addressed?

Interviews Principals Open-ended, semi-
structured
interviews
4. What evidence exists that
these programs and practices
have led to improved student
achievement?

Document review Principals Document review

LEADERSHIP PRACTICES OF KIPP LA PRINCIPALS 138
Appendix C
CONSENT FORM

INFORMATION/FACTS SHEET FOR EXEMPT NON-MEDICAL RESEARCH

A Case Study of Promising Leadership Practices Employed by Principals of Knowledge Is
Power Program, Los Angeles (KIPP LA) Charter Schools To Improve Student Achievement

You are invited to participate in a research study conducted by principal investigator,
Christopher Ikeanyi, MA, and faculty adviser, Pedro Garcia, Ed.D at the University of
Southern California because you are a principal with the KIPP LA Charter schools
organization. Your participation is voluntary. You should read the information below and then
ask questions about anything you do not understand before deciding whether to participate.
Please, take as much time as possible to read this consent form. You may also decide to discuss
your participation with your family and friends. If you decide to participate, you will be asked to
sign this form. You will also be given a copy of this form after signing.
To be eligible to participate, you must be a principal at KIPP LA charter school organization or
serve as a staff member in a management or administrative position within the KIPP LA charter
school organization. Your participation is voluntary. Your relationship with your school or
organization will not be affected, whether or not you participate in this study.

PURPOSE OF THE STUDY
The purpose of this study is to investigate how KIPP LA principals employ promising leadership
practices to make management and instructional decisions that lead to improved student
achievement. It will also examine specific responsibilities of KIPP principals and their impact on
student achievement.

PARTICIPANT INVOLVEMENT/STUDY PROCEDURES
If you are a principal or someone who performs management and administrative duties at your
school site, you will be asked to participate in an open-ended interview. The interview is
expected to last approximately 60 minutes and will be audiotaped with your permission. You
will be asked a series of open-ended questions for a period of 60 minutes about your roles and
responsibilities as a school leader. You will also be asked about the impact of your
responsibilities on student achievement. The location for the interviews will be arranged to suit
your convenience. At any time during the interview process, you reserve the right to withdraw
your participation.

POTENTIAL RISKS AND DISCOMFORTS
There are no anticipated risks involved.

LEADERSHIP PRACTICES OF KIPP LA PRINCIPALS 139
PONTENTIAL BENEFITS TO PARTICIPANTS AND/OR SOCIETY
The results of this study will contribute to the existing body of knowledge on instructional
leadership behaviors and promising practices of charter school principals and their impact on the
achievement of students who live mostly in urban areas. School principals serving historically
disadvantaged population will benefit from understanding instructional leadership behaviors and
promising leadership practices that can improve and sustain performance outcomes for
disadvantaged students ((Jacobson, 2010). The results will have implications for instructional
leadership training and professional development for principals serving disadvantaged students.

CONFIDENTIALITY
Any identifiable information obtained in connection with this study will remain confidential.
Interview data will be coded with a false name (pseudonym). Identifiable information will be
maintained separately from interview responses. The audiotapes will be destroyed once they
have been transcribed. Your name, address, employee ID number or other identifiable
information will not be linked to survey responses.

The data will be stored in locked office and/or in password protected computers. All identifiable
information will be destroyed upon completion of the research study. Any remaining data will be
maintained indefinitely and may be used in future research studies. If you do not want the data
used in future studies, you should not participate in this study.

The members of the research team and the University of Southern California’s Human Subjects
Protection Program (HSPP) may access the data. The HSPP reviews and monitors research
studies to protect the rights and welfare of research subjects.

When the results of the research are published or discussed in conferences, no identifiable
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INVESTIGATOR CONTACT INFORMATION
Principal Investigator, Christopher Ikeanyi, via email at Ikeanyi@usc.edu or phone at (909) 917-
6705.

IRB CONTACT INFORMATION
If you have any questions, concerns, or complaints about your rights as a research participant or
the research in general and are unable to contact the research team, or if you want to talk to
someone independent of the research team, please contact the University Park Institutional
Review Board (UPIRB), 3720 South Flower Street #301, Los Angeles, CA 90089-0702, (213)
821-5272 or upirb@usc.edu

LEADERSHIP PRACTICES OF KIPP LA PRINCIPALS 140

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I have read the information provided above. I have been given a chance to ask questions. My
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Abstract (if available)

Abstract The purpose of this case study is to investigate how Knowledge Is Power Program, Los Angeles (KIPP LA) principals employed promising leadership practices to manage their resources, train their staff, and make management and instructional decisions that led to improved student achievement in urban areas. The following research questions were addressed in the study: 1.) Which instructional and administrative leadership practices and programs at KIPP LA schools could be considered innovative or distinctive as well as promising for adoption by other schools? 2.) What are the specific leadership responsibilities of KIPP LA principals and their impact on student achievement? 3.) What specific challenges have the principals faced in the implementation of their programs and practices and how were these challenges addressed? 4.) What evidence exists that these programs and practices have led to improved student achievement? This study utilized a qualitative approach through personal interviews with four principals at KIPP LA schools and document reviews of the schools’ practices and performances to complete the research. Through the process of triangulation of data, the results indicated that the principals of KIPP LA were empowered to hire teachers whom they believed had the essential skills, content knowledge, and educational philosophy that compelled them to implement the schools’ learning goals tailored to the needs of their student population. The KIPP teacher apprenticeship model provided the support, teaching experience, and participation in professional learning communities essential to their success and continuation in the teaching profession. Beyond their fervent desire to improve the learning of students from low socio-economic backgrounds, the degree to which the principals emphasized vibrant school and family connections by personally visiting the homes of their incoming and continuing students as well as creating work schedules that allowed teachers to also make home visits was significant and worthy of emulation.

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University of Southern California Dissertations and Theses

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Asset Metadata

Creator Ikeanyi, Christopher C. (author)

Core Title A case study of promising leadership practices employed by principals of Knowledge Is Power Program Los Angeles (KIPP LA) charter school to improve student achievement

School Rossier School of Education

Degree Doctor of Education

Degree Program Education (Leadership)

Publication Date 02/18/2015

Defense Date 02/02/2015

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

Tag charter schools,leadership practices,OAI-PMH Harvest,principals,promising,student achievement

Format application/pdf (imt)

Language English

Contributor Electronically uploaded by the author (provenance)

Advisor García, Pedro Enrique (committee chair), Castruita, Rudy Max (committee member), Posada, Jose (committee member)

Creator Email cikea1@lausd.net,ikeanyi@usc.edu

Permanent Link (DOI) https://doi.org/10.25549/usctheses-c3-534606

Unique identifier UC11298846

Identifier etd-IkeanyiChr-3193.pdf (filename),usctheses-c3-534606 (legacy record id)

Legacy Identifier etd-IkeanyiChr-3193.pdf

Dmrecord 534606

Document Type Dissertation

Format application/pdf (imt)

Rights Ikeanyi, Christopher C.

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