Confirming a Middle Grades Leadership Model and Instrument.

IntroductionThe replication of research studies is fundamental to developing a body of knowledge that supports theoretical constructs and effectively informs practice. However, as Hough (2003) noted in his examination of middle grades research, "One finding we stumbled upon serendipitously (or fortuitously) was that virtually no middle level education studies were replications of prior efforts" (p. 6). As illuminated by the Hough study, principal leadership is an area of middle grades literature in need of replication studies. Researchers and middle grades proponents have touted the importance of the principal in supporting student learning (Jackson & Davis, 2000; Leithwood, Louis, Anderson, & Wahlstrom, 2004; Marzano, Waters, & McNulty, 2005; National Association of Secondary School Principals, 2006). Leithwood and colleagues (2004) suggested, "Leadership is second only to classroom instruction among all school-related factors that contribute to what students learn in school" (p. 5). Replicating studies of middle grades principal leadership is difficult because of the dearth of studies that specifically examine middle grades principalship (Brown & Anfara, 2002; Sweetland & Hoy, 2000). Particularly lacking are studies focusing on leadership practices that middle grades advocates purport as supportive of effective middle grades teaching, learning, and organizational structures (Brown & Anfara, 2002; Valentine, Clark, Hackmannn, & Petzko, 2002; Valentine, Clark, Hackmann, & Petzko, 2004). While general principal leadership research and models of effective practice are foundational to effective principal leadership, this body of literature often fails to account for the uniqueness of school context. General school leadership literature asserts school context is important (Hoy & Miskel, 2001; Moos, Krejsler, & Kofod, 2008), particularly as it relates to school climate and culture (Deal & Peterson, 1999; Hoy & Hannum, 1997; Sweetland & Hoy, 2000). Models of general school leadership, however, provide little guidance in the contextual difference in leadership at various levels of school configuration. Brown and Anfara (2002) and Anfara, Roney, Smarkola, DuCette, and Gross (2006) proposed a model of leadership- Developmentally Responsive Middle Level Leadership (DRMLL)-that addresses principal leadership in the middle grades. This model incorporated student, teacher, and organizational components to meet the contextual uniqueness of schools that serve young adolescents, ages 10-14. The initial research that formed the foundation for DRMLL led to the design of an instrument, the Middle Level Leadership Questionnaire (MLLQ). Anfara and associates (2006) developed the instrument to examine principal practice at the middle grades level. To date, validation studies of DRMLL as a model and MLLQ as an assessment instrument have not been conducted. The purpose of this study was to validate the MLLQ as an instrument of middle grades principal practices and thus support DRMLL as a model of middle grades leadership.Foundations of Middle Grades LeadershipThe underlying assumption of DRMLL is that effective leadership in the middle grades supports the tenets, structures, and practices that advocates suggest positively affect the learning of young adolescents (Anfara, Andrews, Hough, Mertens, Mizelle, & White, 2003; Brown & Anfara, 2002; Caskey, Andrews, Bishop, Capraro, Roe, & Weiss, 2010; Clark & Clark, 2002; Hough, 2003). According to middle grades education advocates, effective principals should support the general tenets of middle grades education through democratic involvement of the school and community by developing relationships; providing a safe and healthy environment; and ensuring that curriculum and instruction are rigorous, relevant, challenging, integrative, and exploratory (Anfara et al., 2003; Carnegie Council on Adolescent Development, 1989; Jackson & Davis, 2000; National Forum to Accelerate Middle-Grades Reform, 2004; National Middle School Association, 1995, 2010). …