The context for this study is the determination of possible relationships between principals’ servant leadership characteristics and student achievement in reading and mathematics. This study is focused in Southwest Virginia schools; more specifically the K-12 schools of Region VII, which consist of 19 districts. All of the schools in these districts share very similar demographic and socioeconomic student populations. The problem is that these schools score very different on the Virginia Standards of Learning assessments in reading and mathematics despite similarities in most domains of demographics and socioeconomic status. There are many possible reasons for this disparity; however this researcher seeks to examine the servant leadership behaviors of the school principal for possible relationships.
Although servant leadership, as defined by Robert Greenleaf in 1970, is a newer development in leadership studies, the long term effect of servant leadership on the organization needs to be studied. The servant leadership theory requires further testing of more “empirical” rather than “anecdotal” evidence. This study seeks to add to the overall body of research regarding principal leadership behaviors and student achievement and, more specifically, principal servant leadership characteristics and student achievement.