The purpose of the study was to discover and describe principal influence on student achievement in high minority, poverty, and performance (HMPP) K-8 schools. HMPP Schools are defined in the study as urban public schools in which the majority of enrolled students are members of a minority population, eligible for free or reduced lunch, and achieving at a proficiency level in Reading and Mathematics on the 4th grade Wisconsin Knowledge and Concepts Exam. The research question addressed through comparative case study of three schools was: How do principals favorably influence student achievement in HMPP K-8 schools? Four related questions guided the study. (1) What are staff perceptions of school influence on student achievement in HMPP K-8 schools? (2) What are staff perceptions of principal influence on student achievement in HMPP K-8 schools? (3) What are staff perceptions of the importance and status of effective school attributes in HMPP K-8 schools? (4) What are staff perceptions of principal influence on effective school attributes in HMPP K-8 schools?

The study employed a multi-site comparative case study design and the qualitative methodologies of document analysis, field observation, survey, interview, and focus groups. The study also reviewed related research and theory about the evolution of the principalship, school culture, effective schools, effective instruction, and principal influence on student achievement.

Study findings describe broad principal influence on student achievement in HMPP K-8 schools through the cultivation of professional community. The prominent categories in which principals attended to professional community were: staff development, academic focus, communication of values, and clear and enforced rules. Study findings further describe consistency between positive assessments of school climate by staff, students, and parents; staff perceptions of school and principal influence on student achievement; staff perceptions of the importance and status of attributes of effective schools; and staff perceptions of principal influence on attributes of effective schools.