American College of Education (ACE) is incredibly proud of our graduates and how their impactful research contributes to various fields. Ed.D. in Leadership graduate Dr. Rebeca Arias’ dissertation focused on the instructional leadership practices that support reading achievement among high school students in Central Florida. Below is a summary of Arias’ study, and we invite readers to explore the full version.
Reading proficiency is critical to student success, yet many high school students continue to struggle with reading. In Central Florida, educators and school leaders face ongoing challenges in improving literacy outcomes. While researchers have extensively studied reading instruction and student achievement, less is known about the instructional leadership practices that support reading achievement at the high school level.
To better understand this relationship, Arias conducted semi-structured interviews with 15 instructional leaders from two Central Florida high schools. The qualitative exploratory case study examined instructional leaders’ perceptions of the practices used to improve reading achievement and how leaders can support teachers in implementing effective reading instruction. Arias sought to answer:
- Research Question 1: What are the perceptions of instructional leaders regarding current practices in improving reading achievement among high school students?
- Research Question 2: How do instructional leaders perceive they can best promote instructional practices to improve reading achievement among high school students?
Improving High School Reading Achievement Through Instructional Leadership
Reading achievement remains a challenge for many high schools. While educators have long focused on curriculum, instructional strategies and interventions to improve literacy outcomes, leadership is another factor that can influence student success.
Instructional leaders help shape the conditions that support effective teaching and learning. Beyond managing school operations, they work with teachers to strengthen instructional practices, support professional learning and maintain a focus on student achievement.
For schools working to improve literacy outcomes, leadership can play an important role in establishing priorities, fostering collaboration and ensuring educators have the support needed to meet students’ reading needs. Understanding how instructional leaders approach these responsibilities may provide valuable insight into efforts to improve reading achievement at the high school level.
What Previous Research Reveals About Leadership and Literacy
Before conducting new research, Arias reviewed existing studies on instructional leadership, reading achievement and school improvement, and identified themes and gaps in the literature.
Instructional Leadership and Student Achievement
Instructional leadership is often associated with stronger student outcomes. At its core, it focuses on teaching and learning, with school leaders taking an active role in supporting instructional quality and academic achievement.
Effective instructional leadership includes establishing a clear vision, supporting curriculum implementation, monitoring instructional practices and maintaining a consistent focus on student learning. These responsibilities help create alignment across a school and keep improvement efforts centered on student success.
Leadership also helps create alignment across a school. When administrators and teachers are working toward the same goals, it becomes easier to implement instructional improvements and maintain a consistent focus on student learning.
Professional Learning and Teacher Support
Teachers need opportunities to continue developing their skills throughout their careers. Professional learning can help educators strengthen instructional practices, adapt to changing student needs and stay current with effective teaching strategies.
Rather than relying on one-time training sessions, effective professional learning is often ongoing and connected to daily classroom experiences. Coaching, mentoring and constructive feedback can provide practical support as teachers refine their instruction and implement new approaches.
School leaders play an important role in creating an environment where continuous learning is encouraged. By providing support, fostering trust and creating opportunities for collaboration, leaders can help teachers grow professionally while strengthening instruction across the school.
Collaboration, Data Use and School Improvement
Collaboration is an important part of school improvement. Professional learning communities (PLCs) give educators opportunities to examine student performance, share instructional strategies and work together to solve challenges that can affect learning.
Data can also help guide instructional decisions. By reviewing student performance information, educators can identify learning gaps, monitor progress and determine where additional support may be needed.
When teachers and school leaders regularly collaborate around student data, they can make more informed decisions about instruction and interventions while maintaining a shared focus on student success.
Reading Instruction and Comprehension
Reading comprehension remains a challenge for many high school students. Because reading skills affect learning across subject areas, literacy instruction often extends beyond English language arts classrooms.
Effective reading instruction can include explicit reading strategies, guided practice and instructional support that help students engage with increasingly complex texts. These approaches can strengthen comprehension while helping students build the skills needed for academic success.
Supporting literacy instruction across a school often requires more than classroom-level efforts alone. School leaders can help by providing teachers with the resources, professional learning and instructional support needed to strengthen reading outcomes for students.
Gathering Perspectives From Instructional Leaders
Arias used a qualitative exploratory case study to examine instructional leaders’ perceptions of the practices used to improve reading achievement among high school students.
The study included 15 instructional leaders from two high schools in Central Florida. Participants included school administrators, instructional coaches and teacher leaders who regularly worked with teachers to support instruction and student learning.
Data was collected through semi-structured interviews, giving participants an opportunity to share their experiences, perspectives and approaches to supporting reading achievement.
The interview-based design allowed Arias to explore how instructional leaders described the practices, behaviors and supports they believe contribute to stronger reading achievement.
Analyzing the Interview Responses
After the interviews were completed, Arias transcribed and analyzed the responses using Creswell’s spiral data analysis model. This involved organizing the data, reviewing interview responses, and identifying recurring patterns and themes.
Through coding and thematic analysis, Arias examined participants’ perspectives on instructional leadership and reading achievement. As common ideas emerged, they were grouped into broader themes that helped answer the study’s research questions.
To strengthen the credibility of the findings, participants were given opportunities to review interpretations of their responses through a process known as member checking. Additional measures were used to support the study’s trustworthiness and ensure the findings accurately reflected participants’ perspectives.
Key Findings on Leadership and Reading Achievement
Interviews with instructional leaders revealed several practices they believe can help improve reading achievement at the high school level:
- Student engagement
- Professional learning
- Reading strategies
- Monitoring and evaluating instruction
- Collaborative practices
- Using data to inform reading instruction
- Support systems
A consistent message emerged throughout the interviews: Improving reading achievement isn’t the responsibility of a single teacher or department. Participants described it as a schoolwide effort that depends on strong leadership, ongoing support for teachers and a shared commitment to literacy.
Professional learning was viewed as a critical part of that work. Instructional leaders stressed the importance of helping teachers strengthen their understanding of reading instruction, particularly because many high school educators teach content areas rather than reading itself. Ongoing training, coaching and feedback were all described as ways to support teachers as they refine their instructional practices.
Participants described monitoring and evaluation of instruction via classroom observations, instructional feedback and coaching as valuable ways to strengthen teaching practices and support reading achievement. Leaders also emphasized the importance of using reading data when reviewing instruction, helping teachers identify areas where students may be struggling and make adjustments that better support learning.
PLCs were viewed as another important part of improving reading achievement. Leaders described PLCs as opportunities for teachers to review student data, discuss progress, share instructional strategies and plan lessons together. Rather than working in isolation, educators were seen as most effective when they collaborated to address students’ literacy needs.
The interviews also highlighted the importance of using data to guide decisions. Participants described student performance data as a tool for identifying learning gaps, monitoring progress, and determining when instructional changes or additional interventions may be needed. Support systems such as multi-tiered systems of support frameworks were viewed as especially important for ensuring struggling readers receive targeted assistance.
When asked how schools can promote stronger reading outcomes, instructional leaders emphasized engaging students in meaningful ways and incorporating reading strategies across content areas. Participants discussed approaches such as collaborative learning, technology integration and helping students interact more actively with texts. Rather than limiting literacy instruction to English language arts classrooms, they viewed reading development as a shared responsibility across the school.
Study Limitations and Recommendations
The study offers important perspectives from instructional leaders, though several limitations should be considered. The study focused on 15 instructional leaders from two Central Florida high schools, which may limit how broadly the findings apply to other regions or educational settings. Because the research centered on high school reading achievement, the results may not fully translate to elementary or middle school environments.
Arias recommended expanding the research by exploring instructional leadership practices in additional high schools and districts to determine whether similar patterns emerge. Additionally, school leaders and districts can use the findings to inform literacy initiatives and share evidence-based practices that support reading achievement.
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