Abstract
This descriptive, nonexperimental quantitative study examined the relationship between staff–leadership working conditions and student achievement variables in Kentucky high schools. This research makes use of extant data from the Impact Kentucky Working Conditions Survey for the 2023-2024 school year. The researchers particularly studied the correlation between teacher perceptions of trust, fairness, and support from principals and student achievement in the Kentucky Summative Assessment (KSA). Teacher perceptions of working conditions were generally favorable, though trust and perceptions of school leadership emerged as weaker areas. Correlation analyses indicated only weak, nonsignificant associations between leadership working conditions and student achievement variables at the statewide level. These findings suggest that while leadership practices shape school climate, they do not exhibit measurable direct effects on standardized achievement variables. Instead, leadership influence may operate through indirect or long-term pathways, such as teacher morale, collaboration, and instructional quality. Implications for practice include strengthening trust, transparency, and fairness in school leadership, as well as supporting professional learning for principals. By examining the relationship between school leadership, teacher perceptions, and student achievement, this study provides evidence that may inform how educational leadership faculty design and deliver their coursework. Suggestions for future research include assembling and analyzing comparable data sets in other states as well as longitudinal designs and mixed method analytical models to uncover indirect and long-term effects on student variables.
Recommended Citation
Hub, Kevin and Smith, Trevor
(2026)
"Teacher Perceptions of School Leadership: Trust, Fairness, and Support as Predictors of Student Achievement,"
Journal of Excellence in College Teaching and Learning: Vol. 22, Article 4.
Available at:
https://encompass.eku.edu/kjectl/vol22/iss1/4
