Leadership Practices and Students Academic Achievement in Secondary Schools of Illu Aba Bora Zone

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between school leadership practice and students’ academic achievement in terms of leaders’ the five exemplary leadership practices. It also attempted to assess the extent to which leadership is effectively practiced and the difference on the leadership practice in the secondary schools of Ilu Aba Bora Zone. The study employed a correlation design and Quantitative method. Among 14 weredas in the zone, 7 were selected by simple random sampling technique and from woredas (7) target secondary schools were selected randomly. Data for the study were collected through questionnaires. Questionnaires were prepared and administered to 106 teachers selected by using simple random sampling techniques and 74 school leaders. The Leadership Practice Inventory (LPI) was employed to collect quantitative data. To check the relation of leadership practice and student academic achievement grade ten national exams obtained from zone education office. The data collected were analyzed by using descriptive statics a percentage, means, standard deviation and inferential statics, an independent sample t-test, one way ANOVA and Person correlation were employed to analyze quantitative data used by computing the data. The findings of this study revealed that the aggregated five leadership practices of both leaders (M=3.63, SD=0.855) and teachers (M =3.43, SD=0.862) agreed that leadership practices to support students’ academic achievement. The result also shows statistically there is no significant difference exists between perceptions of school leaders and teachers regarding the five leadership practice and poor performance of students’ academic achievement. Results also showed that the combined leadership practices have positive relationship between leadership practice and students’ academic achievement (r=.297, n=7, P> 0.05). The result also suggests that there is a moderate insignificant association between leadership practice and students’ academic achievement. The result also shows there is significant difference exists among the sample schools on leadership practices. Furthermore, lacks of training, lack of experience, unavailability of educational resources are among the major factors that hinder school leadership practice. Generally, from the findings of the study, it was concluded that leadership practices have indirect and moderate relationship with students’ achievement. It also school leaders are not effectively playing their leadership roles to improve student achievement due to limitations of capacity and other resource constraints found in the school. Therefore, it was recommended that Zone Education Offices and the Regional Education Bureau should build the leadership capacities of the school leaders by providing necessary leadership training and technical, material and professional support to secondary schools. School leaders should also be strongly committed to having instructional leadership roles and use more of the combination of the five exemplary leadership practices to improve students’ academic achievement.