Examining the moderating effect of instructionally focused leadership on teacher effectiveness and student learning

The question of whether a particular school and its teachers have a substantial effect on student achievement is central to efforts to hold school personnel accountable for improving student outcomes. The purposes of this study are extend the discussion of teacher and leadership effects by examining whether (1) the effectiveness of successive teachers affects student outcomes; (2) differences between schools’ in terms of their instructionally-focused leadership moderate teacher effectiveness; and (3) teacher classroom effectiveness moderates the relationship between individuals’ social class and their achievement. Our findings provide support for the view that school leadership and teacher effectiveness are related to differences in student outcomes in several ways consistent with the proposed conceptual model.