The Preferred Leadership Style of South Carolina, Title I, Middle School Principals: Is There a Relationship to Student Achievement ?

This study examined the self-perceived leadership style preferred by Title I middle school principals and its association to student achievement as measured by the South Carolina, Palmetto Assessment of State Standards (PASS) tests. Research studying effective schools strongly supports the concept that school principals are the key to a school's success or failure. This study was conducted in South Carolina school district middle schools with grade configuration of sixth to eight grade. Twelve schools were selected based on Title I status, or the school's poverty rate, and included only schools in which the principal had served in the same school for three or more years. The researcher contacted South Carolina superintendents were contacted to seek support for participation. Once permission was granted, the researcher contacted each school's principal to seek their agreement to participate in the study. Follow-up emails were made to each school to ensure that they received the surveys and to determine whether they had questions. Data were gathered from principals via voluntary completion of the Bass and Avolio's Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire Form 5X (Short Form). The data was analyzed using descriptive statistics. The survey results suggested that the self-perceived leadership style of South Carolina, Title I, middle school principals was transformational leadership style and there was no relationship between leadership styles and student achievement as measured by the PASS tests.