Campus Location
Dallas Campus (Online)
Date of Award
10-2025
ORCID
https://orcid.org/0009-0009-5527-9479
Document Type
Dissertation
Department
Organizational Leadership
Degree Name
Doctor of Education
Committee Chair or Primary Advisor
Douglas DeWitt
Second Committee Member or Secondary Advisor
Michael Papadimitriou
Third Committee Member or Committee Reader
Christie Bledsoe
Abstract
Schools that maintain stable leadership report increased student achievement outcomes. The problem is that over 21% of U.S. principals leave their positions in the first year in high-poverty contexts. Principals leave their roles due to high job demands, inadequate support, and limited professional development, leading to decreased performance and poor school culture. The problem examined in this study was the lack of evidence on whether coaching principal supervisors contributed to improved student achievement outcomes. The study aimed to determine whether coaching principal supervisors through a regional service center was associated with higher student achievement in low-performing elementary and middle schools. A quantitative causal-comparative research design examined the relationship between principal supervisor coaching and student achievement on the State of Texas Assessment of Academic Readiness reading and mathematics tests. Data were collected from existing campus performance records from the Texas Education Agency public records. Research involved comparing the reading and math performance between schools whose principal supervisors participated in coaching and those whose supervisors did not. Group differences were analyzed by overall school and subgroups, including urban, rural, elementary, and middle schools. Results suggested no statistically significant differences in reading and math achievement between campuses with coached principal supervisors and those without. Results indicated that while principal supervisor coaching may support leadership capacity, there was no significant increase in student test scores within the study’s timeframe. The results contribute to research and practice by showing evidence that principal supervisor coaching is a potential long-term strategy to increase leadership stability and principal retention, but did not show immediate academic gains. They showed the importance of possible sustained, multiyear coaching initiatives, specific support for diverse school environments, and the continuation of leadership development.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.
Recommended Citation
Nottingham, Margo L., "Beyond Leadership Turnover: Examining the Relationship Between Principal Supervisor Coaching and Student Academic Performance" (2025). Digital Commons @ ACU, Electronic Theses and Dissertations. Paper 950.
https://digitalcommons.acu.edu/etd/950