Predicting the gap: perceptual congruence between American principals and their teachers’ ratings of leadership effectiveness Peter T Goff & Ellen Goldring & Leonard Bickman Received: 12 August 2013 / Accepted: 23 September 2014 / Published online: 4 October 2014 # Springer Science+Business Media New York 2014 Abstract The aim of this study is to determine the extent to which principals’ self- ratings of leadership effectiveness coincide with their teachers’ perceptions of their leadership effectiveness. Furthermore, we explore several characteristics of teachers and principals in an attempt to identify the factors that may predict congruence in perceptions of leadership. This study draws from survey data of 76 principals and over 2100 teachers who completed parallel forms of a 72-item Learning-Centered Leader- ship survey (VAL-ED © ) in the USA. Teacher and principal characteristics are incorporated into a multivariate regression analysis. Although there is zero difference in the overall sample, teachers and principals within any given school seldom share the same perspective. Principals’ self-efficacy was a strong predictor of principals rating themselves higher than the teachers. Interestingly, the more time a teacher spent with a principal, the less congruence they shared. This research has identified rather large disparities in perceptions of leadership between teachers and their principals. Such a gap suggests that teachers have information and perspectives on school leadership distinct from the principals’ information and perspectives. This research provides evidence that structured teacher feedback may provide a useful avenue for principals seeking additional perspectives on their leadership effectiveness. Keywords Leadership evaluation . Feedback . Instructional leadership . Congruence Educ Asse Eval Acc (2014) 26:333–359 DOI 10.1007/s11092-014-9202-5 P. T. Goff(*) Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 270L Education Bldg, 1000 Bascom Mall, Madison, WI 53706, USA e-mail: pgoff@wisc.edu E. Goldring Department of Leadership, Policy and Organizations, Vanderbilt University, 230 Appleton Place, Nashville, TN 37203, USA e-mail: ellen.goldring@vanderbilt.edu L. Bickman Psychology, Psychiatry and Public Policy, Vanderbilt University, 230 Appleton Place, Nashville, TN 37203-5721, USA e-mail: leonard.bickman@vanderbilt.edu