SERVANT LEADERSHIP AND TEACHER RETENTION AT INDEPENDENT SCHOOLS: EXAMINING THE ROLE OF THE HEAD OF SCHOOL

ABSTRACT SERVANT LEADERSHIP AND TEACHER RETENTION AT INDEPENDENT SCHOOLS: EXAMINING THE ROLE OF THE HEAD OF SCHOOL Dennis G. Chapman Abigail Gray My study asks whether teachers in independent schools’ intent to stay or leave at their school is related to the servant leadership characteristics of their head of school (HOS). There are few studies on Servant Leadership, particularly its influence on teacher retention in Independent Schools. The Servant Leadership model has much appeal on face validity; however, the research is thin. Therefore, I studied Servant Leadership's attributes found in research on Transformational Leadership (Bass & Avolio, 1993) and Emotionally Intelligent Leadership (Goleman & McKee et al., 2000). This study examines how these leadership constructs may apply and contribute to the literature on Servant Leadership. I used a mixed-methods approach to this study. I first shared a survey with all faculty members affiliated with the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS). Then, I requested 60-minute interviews with a subset of survey respondents to explore this concept more. Through this mixed-methods approach, I first analyzed quantitative data to understand if there is a relationship between the leadership characteristics associated with servant leadership and teachers' intent to stay at their independent schools. I used qualitative analysis to explore, in a deeper way, if the leadership characteristics of the head of school influence teachers’ intent to stay at their independent school. I found that the servant leadership attributes of the head of school influence teachers' desire to remain at their schools. For those looking to leave their school, compensation is important; however, for those looking to stay at their school, it is less important than the servant leadership attributes of their head of school. Further, if these attributes lead them to experience a sense of purpose in their work.