Effect of school leadership on student academic achievement: school level path variables

The aim of this study is to examine the effect of school leadership on student academic achievement through Pitner's Model B, including mediator variables between leadership and student achievement. For this purpose, the scales of school leadership, teacher collaboration, classroom instruction, and parental involvement were applied to teachers working in secondary schools. The population consists of 1925 students and 616 teachers from 30 secondary schools in Turkiye in the 2020-2021 academic year. We got data from teachers to determine the level of school leadership, teacher collaboration, classroom instruction, and parental involvement. Additionally, the results of the 2021 High School Entrance System exam was used for students' academic achievement scores. The relationships between the variables in the study were examined based on two-level structural equation modelling. The results of the research showed that the school leadership behaviours of the school principal have an indirect effect on student achievement through the variables of teacher collaboration, classroom instruction, and parental involvement. Moreover, the findings indicated that principals have a very important role in increasing student achievement by improving variables in rational, organisational, and family pathways.