Abstract:
The purpose of this study was to assess the current status of instructional leadership
effectiveness and to investigate some of the factors that affect its provision in Preparatory
Schools of East Hararge Zone. The study was conducted in 5 Preparatory Schools selected
from 20 wordeas by using a combination of stratified and random sampling techniques. Ten
school leaders, 104 teachers and 5 supervision staff were used as the subjects of the study to
obtain the necessary data. Questionnaire, document analysis and unstructured interview were
the instruments used for data collection. The data collected through the questionnaire were
analyzed using percentage, Pearson’s correlation coefficient and t-test statistical analyses
procedures. Findings from the data analysis revealed that most school leaders are not
effective neither in each dimension nor in their overall instructional leadership role. of the
personal characteristics treated, only experience as department, a leader and number of credit
hours taken in educational fields appeared to have significant relationship with instructional
leadership effectiveness (ILE). Organizational characteristics, availability of instructional
resource, professional norm that greatly value leaders’ participation in curricular and
instructional issues, and larger teaching staff size contributed positively to ILE, whereas
greater role diversity lowered their ILE. Generally, expectations of higher officials on
activities other than instructional leadership or matters that are secondary to ILE as well as
high degree of financial and supply delivery problems and delay of substitutes and deployment
of teachers have significantly influenced ILE in the negative direction. Following the findings
and conclusion drawn, recommendation are made. that REB in collaboration with zone and
district education department should define the instructional leadership roles of leaders
clearly in terms of the five dimensions, provide trainings in the area, revise and improve the
selection and appointment criteria of leadership positions, reduce and improve the
organizational and district/zone/ factors debilitating instructional leadership role of the
leader