McREL Balanced Leadership Program: instructional climate of the schools did not change, no impact of the program on student achievement

This study uses a randomized design to assess the impact of the Balanced Leadership program on principal leadership, instructional climate, principal efficacy, staff turnover, and student achievement in a sample of rural northern Michigan schools. 

Participating principals report feeling more efficacious, using more effective leadership practices, and having a better instructional climate than control group principals. 

However, teacher reports indicate that the instructional climate of the schools did not change and there was no impact of the program on student achievement. 

There was an impact of the program on staff turnover, with principals and teachers in treatment schools significantly more likely to remain in the same school over the 3 years of the study than staff in control schools.