The document discusses the influence of different leadership styles of principals on student academic achievement. It describes the autocratic, laissez-faire, and democratic leadership styles. The autocratic style negatively impacts achievement because it is harshly detested by teachers and students. The laissez-faire style has little influence as tasks are left to teachers without follow up. In contrast, the democratic style positively influences achievement as it motivates teachers through support, teamwork and participation in decision making.

1. Influence of
Leadership Styles
of Principals in
Schools

2. Leadership is the process of influencing
people to act for the accomplishment of
specified objectives.
A leader is a person who motivates a
group of people to achieve its tasks
and maintain team unity throughout
the process.

3. Educational leaders play important role
with the intention to make teaching and
learning more effective and to give
quality education to students. Most
educational experts consider
administrators as the driving force and
main source of the organizational
development and academic growth of
students.

4. Establishing a positive relationship
between principals and their teachers is
a very important strategy in educational
leadership.
Teachers’ view of principals’ leadership
practices may have a direct impact on
their performance and help improve
students’ achievement.

5. Leadership practice of school principals not only
affects teachers’ performance but also influences
students’ achievements. The impact of principals
on students’ achievements is not as direct and
obvious as that of teachers; nonetheless,
principals affect student’s achievement through
their teachers by motivating teachers to be
effective educators. Reaching a high level of
achievement for students is a result of a positive
interaction between teachers and principals.

6. Creating a positive leader-teacher
relationship and interaction is an essential
quality of educational leadership that
principals can implement to motivate teachers
to improve the effectiveness of their teaching
practice.
In fact, school principals are solely
responsible for acquiring necessary leadership
competences to drive changes in their
school’s performance.

7. The way teachers view principals’
leadership practices may determine the
nature of the relationship between teachers
and principals. In fact, teachers’ perceptions
of principals’ leadership behaviors can
provide a valid source of feedback
principals can use to improve their
leadership effectiveness.

8. Furthermore, teachers’ perceptions of
principals’ leadership behaviors
contribute effectively to the process of
selecting and recruiting principals for
school leadership positions.
Principals’ lack of essential leadership
skills is one problem many school
systems face.

9. Leadership Styles
Autocratic Leadership Style
Laissez-faire Leadership Style
Democratic Leadership Style

10. In most cases, what the
principal does is
management. It is concerned
with the running of the
school system.

11. Autocratic Leadership Style
Autocratic principal leadership style negatively
influences academic achievement because they adopt
harsh leadership style which are widely detested by the
teachers and students alike. It implies that the more
autocratic styles are used, the poorer it influences
academic achievement. Principals who use strict control
measures are likely to face students and teachers
resistance and an increase indiscipline because the
teacher and student tend to protest against dictatorial
measures used. Students hate harsh administrators who
make their academic record decline tremendously.

12. Leadership style of a principal really
depends on the leaders assumptions
about human being, human nature and
human learning. These assumptions
consciously and unconsciously are the
main foundation for decision making
and choosing a leadership style.

13. It makes them lose morale and they neglect their
duty or even think of part-timing in other schools
which increases the labor turnover. Autocratic
leaders use force to get things done, this leads to
low performance. They are too strict and they exert
unnecessary authority which discourages teacher’s
performance. They use a commanding language to
ensure results. The autocratic leadership style
cannot work in a school environment because it is
too strict to ensure effectiveness. Likewise,
teachers do not want commanding authority.

14. Laissez-Faire Leadership Style
There is no significant influence of laissez-faire
leadership styles on students’ academic achievement.
Principals who use this style tend to fail to follow up
on those they have delegated tasks to and
consequently performance declines. They leave
everything to the mercy of their teachers or partners,
some of who may lack the necessary skills and
competence to execute the work. Others may simply
not like to work unless they are supervised.

15. The groups were unproductive if their supervisors
avoided exercising control over their subordinates.
This indicates that laissez-faire leadership style
allows neglect and lack of follow up on activities,
which may water down concerns towards
effective academic achievements. Laissez-faire
leadership style is not the best style to use in a
school organization because complete delegation
without follow up mechanisms may create
achievement problems, which are likely to affect
the schools’ effectiveness.

16. Laissez faire leadership is associated with
the highest rates of truancy and with the
slowest modifications in performance
which leads to unproductive attitudes and
disempowerment of subordinates. This
style may work well when trying to build
team harmony, increase morale, and
improve communication or repairing
broken trust among staff.

17. Democratic Leadership Style
Democratic leadership style influences
students’ academic achievement positively.
Democratic leadership styles affected
students’ academic achievement and general
school performance positively, because it
motivated teachers to work with principals to
achieve school objectives. Principals allowed
teachers to take initiatives so as to improve
student academic achievement

18. Through supporting and encouraging team
work, good cooperation, good remuneration
of all staff, motivation of staff and students.
For a democratic oriented principal to
perform better there must be good
management who are eager to implement
strategies that would lead to a good
academic achievements and also a
collaborative arrangement in decision
making across all level in the school should
be made available.

19. ARE YOU
READY
TO BE A
LEADER?
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