Volume 2 - Issue 1 - DBU Journal of K-12 Educational Research - Page 13

Journal of K-12 Educational Research 11 relationship between urban superintendents’ leadership practices and the performance gap of Hispanic students as measured by STAAR index 3 data. This initial finding supports research by Chingos, Whitehurst, & Gallaher (2014) who believe there are so many causes of the student achievement gap and the factors lead- ing to the achievement gap cannot be separated using quantitative and methodological tools of modern science. These findings support the belief by some educators that the superintendent has a minimal impact on student achievement because the superin- tendent does not engage directly with teachers or students in the classroom (Kowalski, 2006). The 30 superintendents who returned the SLPS identified six instructional practices they believed were very important in influencing and increasing the academic achievement of Hispanic students. This finding supports the belief by some scholars who believe superintendents who are able to use the managerial levels at their disposal; such as, staff recruitment and selection, principal supervision and evaluation, articulation of clear goals, and distri- bution of financial resources can directly improve instruction for students (Björk, 1993; Bridges, 1982; Cuban, 1984; Fullan, 1991; Kowalski, 2006). The major findings of the open-ended responses revealed superintendents believed developing a clear vision and goals with high expectations, using data to progress monitor, providing targeted professional development, and hiring talented personnel who will use data to guide instruction were critical to Hispanic student success. This finding directly aligned with the Waters and Marzano (2006) research suggesting working collaborative - ly with the community to set goals, identifying non-negotiable goals, providing the necessary support, and resources impacts student achievement. One discrepancy of the findings from the current study in - volved the mention and work between the superintendent and the school board. Research by Waters and Marzano (2006) identified board alignment and support of district goals as a leadership practice that positively impacted student achievement. In both the interviews and the SLPS, there was minimal support for involv - ing the board and ensuring alignment of district goals. Two of the lowest scoring questions on the SLPS were questions related to analyzing factors with the school board and working directly with the school board to consider options and strategies. A school board that is aware of the data and the need to close the perfor- mance gap for Hispanic students could lead to more emphasis and district-wide support of high leverage leadership practices identified in this research. The most successful superintendent in closing the perfor- mance gap was directly involved in instructional decisions, professional development, and analyzing data. In addition, a primary role of an urban superintendent is to influence curriculum policy, diagnose educational needs, and recommend strategies to increase student achievement (Andero, 2000). The results of this study indicate superintendents must have a hands-on approach in curriculum decisions, analyzing the data, and have specific strategies implemented in the most struggling schools. Collaborating with all stakeholders to develop strategic plans, monitoring data, holding educators accountable, and hiring effective educators are a few common leadership practices used by superintendents. The expectation of today’s urban superinten - dents is to be able to provide direction, craft a vision (Carter & Cunningham, 1997), manage a variety of expectations (Jackson, 1995), while being able to meet state accountability standards of closing the performance gaps. There was no clear evidence to suggest specific leadership practices led to increases in Hispanic student achievement; how - ever, there were common leadership practices used by the most successful superintendents to impact the Hispanic performance gap. A meta-analysis conducted by Jeynes (2015) claims there is still a lack of consensus about what strategies and at what levels they must be implemented to reduce the performance gap. Based on the findings from the qualitative data, superintendents can implement specific instructional leadership practices throughout their district to positively impact Hispanic student achievement. Conclusions There has been specific leadership practices identified that urban superintendents can implement to close the performance gap for Hispanic students. A compilation of both the quantitative and qualitative findings indicate urban superintendents should do the following: • be directly involved in instructional decisions, profes- sional development, and analyzing data; • implement an early childhood literacy program with the goal that all students will be reading on grade level by the end of 3rd grade;