ORCID

https://orcid.org/0009-0004-5197-6908

Date of Award

2026

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Education (Ed.D.)

Department

Administrative and Instructional Leadership

First Advisor

Jenny Yang

Second Advisor

James R. Campbell

Third Advisor

Stephen Kotok

Abstract

This quantitative, correlational study examined how teachers’ and families’ perceptions of principals’ servant-leadership behaviors relate to student outcomes in New York City (NYC) public high schools. Guided by Greenleaf’s (1977) servant leadership theory, the study examined whether leadership grounded in purpose, empathy, and collaboration is associated with improved academic outcomes. Data were drawn from the 2022 NYC School Survey Reports for 122 schools across the five boroughs of NYC school district. Composite indices representing teacher- and family-perceived servant leadership served as predictors of three school level outcomes: 4-year graduation rate, Algebra I Regents proficiency, and English Language Arts (ELA) Regents proficiency. Multiple regression analyses showed that family-perceived servant leadership significantly predicted graduation rate, whereas teachers perceived servant leadership was not significant. Neither predictor was significant for Algebra I or ELA proficiency. These findings are consistent with the interpretation that servant leadership practices foster improvement in long-term learning outcomes rather than in immediate test performance. The study contributes empirical evidence to the limited quantitative literature on servant leadership in K–12 education. The finding underscores the importance of integrating relational, service-oriented skills into principal evaluation and leadership standards.

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