Purpose: Trust among teachers in schools is significantly related to student achievement and trust in school leaders is an important influence on such trust. The purpose of this study is to identify leadership practices which teachers interpret as signs of trustworthiness on the part of their principals. Design/methodology/approach: Evidence for…

Purpose: The purpose of this research is twofold: to test a theory of academic optimism in Taiwan elementary schools and to expand the theory by adding new variables, collective responsibility and enabling school structure, to the model. Design/methodology/approach: Structural equation modeling was used to test, refine, and expand an…

Purpose: An increasing number of schools and districts across the US are requiring teachers to collaborate for the purpose of data-driven decision making. Research suggests that both data use and teacher collaboration are important ingredients in the school improvement process. Existing studies also reveal the complexities of teacher collaboration…

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to test the validity of using collective trust as a social indicator of instructional capacity. Design/methodology/approach: A hypothesized model was advanced for the empirical investigation. Collective trust was specified as a latent construct with observable indicators being principal trust in faculty (PTF),…

Purpose: The paper aims to investigate the mediating effect of teacher empowerment on the relationship between teachers' perception of their school support and their intrinsic and extrinsic job satisfaction. Design/methodology/approach: Data were collected from a sample of 2,565 teachers affiliated with 153 Israeli elementary schools. A path…

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to explore the implementation of response to intervention (RTI) in elementary schools. RTI is a systematic and comprehensive teaching and learning process intended to identify and prevent student academic failure through differentiated or intensified instruction. Design/methodology/approach: Using an…

Purpose: This study aims to examine the relations between teachers' perception of parental involvement and teacher satisfaction. It further aims to investigate how this relationship may be moderated by interpersonal personality traits. Design/methodology/approach: A questionnaire was conducted; participants were 572 classroom teachers who teach at…

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to contribute to the literature on the many dimensions of the principal's positionality by using a unique research approach to link the experiences of the policy implementing principal to embodiment. Design/methodology/approach: The researchers employed a form of critical policy analysis that utilized…

Purpose: In light of limited sustainability of past collaborative-learning-centered initiatives over time, the purpose of this paper is to explore the determinants considered by both teachers and principals to influence the sustainability of a collective-learning-from-success (CLS) initiative in 12 urban elementary schools.…

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to explore the relationship between academic optimism (AO) and elementary reading achievement (RA). Design/methodology/approach: Using correlation and hierarchical linear regression, the authors examined school-level effects of AO on fifth grade reading achievement in 29 elementary schools in Alabama.…

Purpose: Teacher attrition is a significant international concern facing administrators. Although a considerable amount of literature exists related to the causes of job dissatisfaction and teachers leaving the profession, relatively few theoretical models test the complex interrelationships between these variables. The goal of this paper is to…

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to review strategies to build capacity for school improvement in Australia. The focus is on public schools and strategies adopted for the system as a whole. Design/methodology/approach: This paper traces developments from a national perspective and makes a case for the key contemporary policy shift that has…

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to evaluate two recent examples of the New Zealand Ministry of Education's approach to reducing the persistent disparities in achievement between students of different social and ethnic groups. The first example is cluster-based school improvement, and the second is the development of national standards for…

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationships among academic optimism, community engagement, and student achievement in urban elementary schools across one district. Design/methodology/approach: Data were collected from all 35 urban elementary schools across one district in Virginia, USA. Correlation, multiple regression, and…

Purpose: This study aims to draw on elements of diffusion theory to understand leadership reform. Many diffusion studies examine the spread of an innovation across social units but the objective is to examine diffusion of a collective leadership model within school units. Specifically, the strength of reform diffusion is tested to account for…