Better school leaders, better results: the interaction between leadership effectiveness and employee engagement in relation to student results

Continuous development is essential for school leaders to consistently generate a positive impact within school. Furthermore, employee engagement, in the educational sector, improves student results. Despite these recognized factors for improvement, limited empirical evidence exists regarding the interplay of these three variables. Therefore, this research paper examines how school leaders can distinguish themselves in their roles and identify the essential competencies required to become extraordinary leaders. Additionally, this study investigates the correlation between leadership effectiveness and employee engagement, focusing on its mediating role in impacting student results. The study draws on extensive research conducted by Zenger and Folkman (2009, 2018) and builds upon the data studies performed by Academica University of Applied Sciences on the State of the Dutch school leader (2014, 2015, 2019), utilizing the latest and more comprehensive data from 2022. To assess the interaction effect of the variables over time, empirical data has been collected through a 360-degree feedback assessment from a sample of 2060 Dutch school leaders, with almost 40.000 respondents. This study assesses the profile of Dutch school leaders through comparative analyses, highlighting functional differences and the performance of male and female leaders. It also investigates generational variations in feedback scores on competencies among Dutch school leaders. Additionally, a case study involving 120 primary education school leaders, with 2639 respondents, has been done to conduct a more extensive examination, to study the mediation effect of employee engagement, incorporating student results. The study provides evidence supporting that effective leaders positively influence employee engagement, and schools led by more effective leaders exhibit significantly improved final student results. Recommendations for further research include exploring the indirect effect of leadership effectiveness through employee engagement, utilizing larger sample sizes, and exploring alternative cultures to examine the relationships among the core variables within diverse contexts.