Abstract
Purpose. The purpose of this study was to discover transformational leadership practices of Title I school principals. Leithwood's (1996) educational model of transformational leadership was applied as the theoretical framework for this study to discover transformational leadership practices. Methods. A comprehensive review of the literature produced Leithwood's (1996) model of transformational leadership as the theoretical framework for this study. Leithwood's framework centered on 3 categories of transformational leadership practices: setting direction, developing people, and redesigning the organization. A qualitative design, the dynamic narrative approach (DNA; Hyatt, 2011), was selected for this study. To discover the transformational leadership practices of principals in Title I schools, principal participants responded to interview questions using the DNA method, which allowed for individual and group participation. The participants were Title I school principals from a large urban K-12 school district in California. Validity was established beginning with a review of the extant literature, followed by a review by a panel of expert researchers, who agreed that the methods and research questions would result in data that would inform the study. Consistency was increased through the process of interrater reliability. Findings. The study identified 12 principal practices that aligned with transformational leadership: 4 practices for setting direction, 4 practices for developing people, and 4 practices for redesigning the organization. While not major themes, 2 additional findings of interest also emerged. Conclusions. This research adds to the existing field of educational transformational leadership practices by identifying practices of Title I school principals that display transformational leadership. By providing specific practices that advance principal leadership, the research helps forward theory into practice. Recommendations. Continued research is needed to further operationalize Title I school principal transformational leadership with additional populations. The findings of this study offer Title I school principals research-based support for developing transformational leadership practices.