An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis to Examine the Influence of Principal Servant Leadership on New Teacher Engagement in Urban Public Schools: From the Teacher's Perspective

Principals in urban public schools are tasked with addressing many challenges and this often leaves very little time to explore the influence of leadership style on the engagement of new teachers. Daily professional demands often prevent principals from researching and implementing a leadership style that would reduce the significant number of new teachers who exit the profession between years one and five. While principals have a primary goal to increase academic achievement of their students; in urban public schools it is equally as important for these leaders to focus on the engagement of new teachers who will remain in their schools and provide the necessary instruction to increase student achievement. This interpretative phenomenological analysis explored the lived experiences of 8 teachers employed in urban public schools in the city of Baltimore to examine how principal servant leadership practices impacted new teacher engagement. The literature which explored the impact of principal leadership and student engagement in urban public schools was exhaustive. However, additional investigation was needed to close the gaps in the literature which examined the impact of principal servant leadership and new teacher engagement in urban public schools. As such, the findings obtained from the study participants were defined in five themes: 1) reaching back and responsibility, 2) rise above, 3) respect me as a person first, 4) relationships matter and 5) reality check. Each of the eight participants identified principal leadership style as the primary factor which influenced their decisions around remaining engaged in their current school, in their school district or in the profession. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]