Although distributed leadership and inquiry-based working are relevant topics to primary education, there has been little discussion about how team members perceive these practices as meaningful in their day-to-day work. Following on from prior quantitative studies, the present study conducted a case study in which semi-structured interviews were…

This case was specifically written for practicing school leaders, as well as educational leadership preparation programs, to help create a nuanced conversation about how to decenter whiteness in the practices and policies of rural schools in the United States. The work is challenging, particularly given how race is baked into social institutions…

This exciting book explores the concept of transformative leadership and how leaders can create learning environments that are academically excellent, equitable, inclusive, and socially just. Grounded in research and real examples, Dr. Carolyn Shields presents an approach to leadership that is engaged, authentic, courageous, and effective in…

This book brings together for the first time research informing leadership practice in special education from preschool through transition into post-secondary settings. It provides comprehensive coverage of 1) disability policy 2) leadership knowledge, 3) school reform, and 4) effective educational leadership practices. Broader in scope than…

In the ongoing debate of the efficacy of top-down versus bottom-up strategies to improve school districts, top-down is clearly losing. Many district leaders are reluctant to champion improvement for fear of being labeled with the epithet "top-down leader," the unkindest cut of all. In this article, the author presents the change…

A corporate leader argues that higher education leaders must be prepared to manage change, and suggests focusing on results, communicating straight and openly, and delegating responsibility. An institutionwide communication program and greater efficiency are key elements in management change. (MSE)

The interplay of power, political behavior, and ethics has been the subject of many books and articles about business organizations, but little has been published about using power and political skills in ethical ways to lead whole-system change in school districts. This book does. Readers will learn about the context for change in school…

When schools fail to improve, it is because educators do not think innovatively. What they do is largely a reflection of what they grew up with or what they were taught. Rather than do new things, they focus on working harder at the things that have produced limited success. That used to be the case at Holloway High School in Murfreesboro,…

Changing student demographics, legislation improving standards and access, and increasing community expectations are creating instability in the nation's education system. Also, public confidence in schools' effectiveness has eroded. This treatise draws on sociology, corporate studies, and effective schools research to understand how education…

A national survey of Australian universities investigated the size and composition of their governing bodies, number of meetings held annually, and any anticipated changes in their membership or structure. Membership included ex-officio members, academic staff, general staff, students, parliamentarians, state government appointments, alumni, and…

Formal teacher leadership roles--such as coach and coordinator--have become a standard component of education reform efforts intended to support teachers' instructional improvement efforts. Yet the culture of schools is widely understood to favor autonomy and egalitarianism, suggesting that classroom teachers may be resistant to peer leadership.…

This article offers six principles of feminist thinking: (1) the power of naming; (2) invisibility of women's work; (3) circular progress; (4) what constitutes knowledge and knowing; (5) feminist values of equality, inclusion, and diffusion of power; and (6) the personal as political. The principles are applied to human resource management in…

Describes the different systems of formal governance in the U.K.'s old universities and in the public sector, the pressures on the system which led to the shift from elite to mass education, and consequent concerns about maintaining high academic standards while at the same time expanding access. Differences in management and governance between…

Evolution of the relationship between academic and administrative functions in Swedish universities is traced over 30 years. Attention is given to a shift toward administrative power during a period of university democratization, and partial restoration of academic leadership in the 1990s. Two distinct patterns of administrative structure are…

Examines relationships which exist internationally between contexts, methods, and impact on institutions of external quality assessments in higher education. Argues that debates about quality assessment are frequently debates about power and change. Case studies of the University of Aalborg (Denmark), Uppsala University (Sweden), and Monash…