This study examined the leadership style of high school principals and its effectiveness as perceive by teachers of a Mid-South school district. Particularly, this study explored the correlations between principal leadership style to teacher job satisfaction and overall school morale. Collectively, 60 teachers participated in the study across one Mid-South school district. The results were collected through online surveys and individual structured interviews. Descriptive statistics, independent samples t test, one-way ANOVAs, and multiple regressions were used to analyze significance. The relationship between administrative leadership style and teacher perceived job satisfaction was strong and significant. The relationship between principal support and positive school morale was moderate and significant. Lastly, the relationship between years of teaching experience and reported job satisfaction showed no significance.

The purpose of this quantitative correlational study was to determine if teacher job satisfaction is enhanced when principals value and exhibit behaviors informed by the 13 core competencies. Principals and teachers from 70 elementary, middle, and high schools in the southeast United States participated in the study. The Leadership Behavior Inventory was used to collect information regarding principal behavior, as perceived by principals and teachers. The Purdue Teacher Opinionaire was used to collect information from teachers regarding job satisfaction. Results indicated that principals valued the 13 core competencies and frequently used them in the administration of their schools, as perceived by teachers and principals. Leadership behavior, informed by the 13 core competencies, and teacher job satisfaction were significantly correlated. These findings support that leader behavior impacts teacher job satisfaction. Principals who perceive the 13 core competencies to be important and who exhibit behavior informed by the competencies, are likely to have teachers who experience greater satisfaction than teachers under the auspices of principals not subscribing to the core competencies. .

This quantitative study addressed the idea that a middle school principal could possibly impact teacher effectiveness in the classroom through the relationship of the teacher- perceived leadership style of the principal to teacher job satisfaction and efficacy. The sample consisted of 142 certified teachers from 8 public middle schools in an East Tennessee school district. Teachers completed the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire, (Bass & Avolio, 2004) and the Job Satisfaction Survey, (Spector, 1994). Findings from this study suggest that the middle school teachers' perceptions of their principal's leadership did not have a statistically significant relationship to teacher job satisfaction. A new insight from this study suggests that principals should find ways to lead beyond teacher perceptions to address the needs of teachers in order to promote and encourage higher levels of teacher job satisfaction. Furthermore, findings from this study suggest that the middle school teachers' perceptions of their principal's leadership style had a statistically significant relationship to teacher efficacy. Findings from the exploratory question at the end of the surveys further validated this study by indicating teachers perceived their need for principal leadership to help them become more effective in the classroom by incorporating elements of both transformational and transactional leadership. This research may assist in developing leadership style training for principals desiring to indirectly influence academic achievement by influencing teacher job satisfaction and efficacy within their schools.