Principals' direct interaction with individual students: A missing piece in principal leadership research

Over the last three decades, school leadership research exploring principals’ effects on student learning outcomes clearly indicates that principal leadership is the second most significant in-school factor shaping student learning outcomes (see Bryk, Sebring, Allensworth, Luppescu, & Easton, 2010; Heck & Hallinger, 2009; Leithwood & Louis, 2012; Robinson, Lloyd, & Rowe, 2008; Scheernes, 2012). Prior studies also suggest that principals’ effects on student learning are indirect (Hallinger & Heck, 1996) suggesting that principals affect student learning outcomes by influencing teaching practices such as instruction, curriculum development, and collaboration. The indirect model of principals’ effects on student learning has not only been empirically demonstrated by accumulated studies, but it also makes sense conceptually, given that principals rarely teach students in classroom settings.