PRINCIPALS PERCEPTIONS OF FACTORS AFFECTING STUDENT-ACHIEVEMENT

This paper summarizes an original piece of research which was undertak en in the fall of 1991. The research involved surveying fifty school p rincipals, twenty-five in the New York City School System, and another twenty-five from small school districts which are located in the subu rbs of New York City. In the survey, the administrators were asked to rank, in order of importance, the effect of twenty-five different fact ors which are generally regarded to have an effect on students' academ ic achievement. The responses were then analyzed and rankings were int roduced in order to make comparisons between the results obtained from these two distinct groups of administrators. Areas of agreement and d isagreement are discussed and some tentative conclusions are drawn.