Finding the magic : leadership and school climate

Abstract

This study examines the role of leadership in the development of positive school climate, with particular reference to the role of the principal as a leader in the school. The research began with a look at the literature on both school climate and leadership styles. It then looks at school climate and leadership through the lens of an historical case study of Grandview School- a school that had an incredibly positive school climate. For the case study, fifteen former students, five teachers, and the principal were interviewed. The basic premise was that there was a style of leadership that, when adopted and followed, would invariably lead to a good school climate. In the case of Grandview School, that did not prove to be the case. The relationship between leadership and school climate is complex and cannot be reduced to a formula or prescription. There is no magic checklist for the kind of leadership that leads to positive school climate. There are, instead, qualities of leadership that, when developed, allow a person to become that kind of leader.