Dinham, S. (2005). Principal Leadership for Outstanding Educational Outcomes. Journal Of Educational Administration, 43(4), 338-356.
The purpose of this qualitative study was to ascertain the role of Principals in creating high student outcomes in grades 7 to 10 in government schools in New South Wales, Australia. The study was a part of the Australian Research Council funded, An Exceptional Schooling Outcomes Project (AESOP), in collaboration with the University of New England, the University of Western Sydney and the New South Wales Department of Education and Training (NSW DET). The study was done because of the need to determine the extent to which principal leadership directly leads to positive school outcomes.
The measure for high student outcomes consisted of the three domains:
the full development of student talents, the attainment of high knowledge and skills standards via curriculum, and social justice
of The Adelaide Declaration on National Goals for [Australian] Schools in the Twenty-first Century. Four research questions were formulated: what activities and behaviors lead to high school performance? Are there relationships between high academic outcomes, self identity, and social status? Which institutional factors limit or expand educational success? Are (and if so, how are) high educational outcomes sharable with other schools?