Abstract

The study investigated the best practices of the instructional leadership needed to improve academic achievement in a sample of public schools in the Sultanate of Oman. The study sample consisted of two schools with high academic achievement. To achieve the objectives of the study, the research followed the descriptive approach. The study came out with several results; the most important are that among the best practices of instructional leadership that support academic achievement, defining the school's mission is through the participation of all stakeholders in the educational process in building goals, managing the educational program which is intensifying supervisory visits to the teacher, analyzing results, and continuous follow-up of students' progress and in terms of promoting a positive learning environment which is related to maintaining educational time, motivating teachers and students in different ways, and attention to professional development for teachers. The study has also identified some gaps in instructional leadership practices such as weak relationship between the educational leader with the process of curriculum coordination and development, and in the process of analyzing the internal and external environment of the school. In addition, there is a gap in adopting the teamwork and the scarcity of using scientific and action research for the problems facing the instructional leadership.