Instructional Leadership as a Model for Leadership in Multi-Grade Schools

The chapter aims to examine leadership styles used by multi-grade principals and explore the skills needed by principals in multi-grade schools. The study was guided by the following research questions: (1) What are the leadership styles of multi-grade principals? and (2) What skills are needed for school leadership in multi-grade contexts? The chapter adopted a qualitative design, using interviews and “shadowing” as data collection instruments. The participants were six multi-grade teaching principals. Data obtained from the various sources were analyzed using the thematic analysis method. The findings revealed the prevalence of instructional leadership style among participants with the principal being both the academic leader and the instructional leader. In addition, participants emphasized the importance of collaborative leadership that relies on teamwork among teachers and community members in these small schools to ensure that the vision and the mission of the school is realized.