Data on students graduating with marginal skills and students not completing high schools have led researchers to question the established curriculum, standards, and practices of school systems. Information on underachieving students' performance has led to the exploration of methods that better meet these students' needs. Yet despite such efforts and the visibility of positive results, high drop out rates persist and minimally skilled students continue to graduate from schools. Unfortunately, accompanying the calls for reform in school systems is an underlying assumption that the leadership needed to execute these changes will somehow emerge. As the reforms are implemented, the leadership skills of school administrators guiding these changes have received attention from researchers.
Consensus exists on the critical role leaders play.
In the context of this paper, characteristics are the personal qualities that contribute to a person's leadership practices. This paper examines the influence of these personal characteristics on educational leadership. The paper begins with a brief review of some key leadership concepts. Next, there is a discussion of the characteristics found to be unique or common in effective educational leaders. Finally, this synthesis concludes with a discussion of the implications of leaders' characteristics on implementing or initiating change within an educational system.