Chapter 7: Positive Leadership: Examining Principals’ Support of Quebec Students’ Academic Perseverance and Achievement

The influence of school principals’ leadership on student learning has been extensively studied (Endrizzi & Thibert, 2012; Hallinger & Heck, 1998, 2010; Leithwood et al., 2004; Louis, 2015; Marzano et al., 2016; Robinson, 2007). In Quebec (Canada), the advent of results-based management in 2008 brought to the forefront the accountability of school principals in encouraging among students a sense of academic perseverance and achievement. In collaboration with the Fédération québécoise des directions d’établissement d’enseignement (Quebec federation of school administrations), a research team comprised of six elementary and high school principals, a research coordinator, and the principal investigator examined the common leadership practices among 10 primary school and 10 secondary school principals that, in recent years, have been conducive to increased perseverance and academic achievement of students.