"Servant Leadership: Perceptions and Practices of Parochial School Administrators in the K-12 Setting "

This study addressed the dichotomy between administrators' perceptions of themselves as servant leaders and their implementation of servant leadership practices in parochial schools. Although servant leadership aligns with parochial school values, simply adopting the terminology without true implementation can undermine school effectiveness. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to examine whether differences exist between administrators' perceptions of their servant leadership and teachers' perceptions of how administrators implement servant leadership practices. The study employed a phenomenological case study approach using the Servant Leadership Questionnaire (SLQ) and administrator interviews. Three administrators and ten teachers from two Christian K-12 schools in South Texas participated. Data analysis compared administrator self-assessments and teacher assessments across seven dimensions of servant leadership, along with thematic analysis of interviews. The findings revealed significant perception gaps between administrators and teachers. Three themes emerged among effective servant leaders: prioritizing relationship-building, maintaining a learning mindset, and making mission-driven decisions. The study concluded that neither experience nor self-identification as a servant leader guaranteed effective implementation. These findings provide valuable insights for improving leadership development in parochial schools through better alignment of leadership philosophy with practice, benefiting administrators, teachers, and overall school effectiveness.