Principals’ instructional leadership practices in improving learner achievement: Case studies of five secondary schools in the Umbumbulu area

The article presents perspectives from five secondary schools principals whose leadership practices focused on improving the quality of teaching in the classroom. This was a qualitative study that was conducted in the Umbumbulu area, in the south of Durban, South Africa. In the past fifteen to twenty years, more attention in South Africa has been given to the role that school leadership can play in improving the teaching and learning situation. Literature has increasingly demonstrated that when school principals focus on effective teaching and instructional leadership practices, improved learner achievement is achieved. The five secondary schools were conveniently and purposively sampled for their proximity and their special characteristics. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with principals, HODs and teachers. The findings show that management practices had a positive influence on learner achievement. While the findings indicated that all five principals collaborated with staff members in charting their respective schools’ future, learners achievement in matric was not consistent.