Effect of Middle Leadership Practices and Alignment of Pedagogical Practices in Academic Achievement in Language and Mathematics Subjects in Chilean High Schools

Abstract

Leadership in schools has been recognized as a relevant factor in achieving good school performance (Day, Gu and Sammon, 2016; Hallinger, 2011), and strategic value in schools (Rhodes, Brundrett and Nevill, 2008). Although there is an extensive literature on school leadership, much of the studies have focused on the figure of the principal and management teams (Supovitz, Sirinides and Henry, 2010) and not enough on other agents such as those teachers who without leaving their jobs in the classroom, they lead their peers. This phenomenon, known as middle leadership (Bennett, Woods, Wise, and Newton, 2007; Busher, 2005a), represents the force that drives change and improvement in schools (Heng and Marsh, 2009). Despite its importance, the literature that addresses its study is insufficient and mainly descriptive, with little empirical evidence on the effects of its practices on the academic achievement of students in different subjects (Highfield, 2012). The present research constitutes a non-experimental correlational / explanatory study whose objective is to evaluate the effect of middle leadership practices in the academic achievements in Language and Mathematics of second-year secondary level students mediated by the alignment of pedagogical practices of the teachers that make up an apartment in 41 urban establishments in the Metropolitan Region. Through a validated instrument, teaching questionnaires and academic results of the Educational Quality Measurement System (SIMCE), the practices of the heads of the Department of Language and Mathematics in 402 teachers were analyzed, in search of performance predictors through linear regression. The results reveal that middle leadership practices and alignment practices are significantly associated with the academic achievement of students in Language and Mathematics. However, there is a greater effect on the achievement of the Language area when the alignment mediates middle leadership practices. In this subject, the study shows the importance of the Focus on Teaching and Learning as a predictive factor and the negative effect of Collegiate Work. The study findings make visible the importance of middle leaders in schools, particularly in vulnerable contexts, emerging new expectations and influence opportunities for the new teaching career in Chile.