Date of Conferral

2021

Degree

Ph.D.

School

Education

Advisor

Kathleen M. Kingston

Abstract

Quality education is significant to the development of a country, but not all countries fare satisfactory in this regard. In Ghana, the rural K-12 public schools have persistent lower academic performance than the urban schools, despite the interventions of governments since Ghana’s independence. This study provides effective instructional leadership practices that support effective teaching and learning to enhance quality education in Ghana’s rural areas to bridge the performance gap between the urban and rural schools. This qualitative exploratory case study explored the instructional leadership practices that support student achievement in Ghana’s rural K-12 schools. The research questions investigated the instructional leadership practices administrators implement to support public K-12 schools in Ghana to enhance student achievement and the skills and abilities needed to implement them to improve student achievement. Hallinger and Murphy’s instructional management model, which manages instructional programs and promotes a positive school learning climate, was the conceptual framework that guided the study. Semi-structured interviews of 12 principals, supervisors, and teachers from rural and urban school districts and document reviews provided data for the study. The thematic analysis of data confirmed that the role of educators and practical application of instructional leadership practices are vital for quality school and student performance. Rural K-12 public schools will benefit from this study by applying effective instructional leadership practices that support instructional strategies to enhance student achievement. This will help students advance to higher education to acquire knowledge to work in and compete in the global market to impact their community, state, and society positively.

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