Efforts to reform educational administration programs depend on the ability of faculty members to develop shared purpose and understanding. This paper describes the experiences of nine faculty members in a department of educational administration in a large midwestern university, who, in seeking to transform their preparation program, transformed…

This paper presents findings of a study that described the work of four exemplary district-level administrators for curriculum and instruction (curriculum directors). Data on the four curriculum directors in a northwestern state were derived through structured and unstructured interviews, participant observation, and document analysis. The work of…

Among the primary social pressures on schools to change are the demands for individualization, relevance, accountability, educational technology, and humanizing relationships. These five pressures challenge the educational administrator and offer categories in which to plan professional development activities. The adaptive school is an avenue for…

This document examines the abolition of the Chinese Ministry of Education (MOE) and the establishment of the Chinese State Education Commission (SEC) in June 18, 1985. First, an organizational analysis of the history and organization, the administrative tools, and the functions and dysfunction of the former MOE is presented. Second, a discussion…

The development of modern planning theories and strategies, as applied to higher education, has been both contentious and inconsistent. Planning originated as a management function and responsibility, but by the 1960s, analysts, statisticians, and strategists were providing the rationales for the major planning decisions. The inflexibility of…

This paper presents the results of a research study conducted in fall 1999 to examine the challenges facing higher educational institutions in migrating to distance learning. The study consisted of five case studies conducted at higher educational institutions in Pennsylvania. At each institution the researchers interviewed the president and other…

This paper analyzes the stages of educational development beginning in the 1950s and 1960s, when mass economies began to emerge, immediately after World War II. This essay covers the last 40 years that have been characterized by rapid change and the most fascinating acceleration in the history of humanity. During those four decades, education…

A system of classifying educational change, focusing on change perspectives rather than on change strategies, is provided in an attempt to increase understanding of issues relating to change efforts in educational settings. The term "perspectives" is used to mean orientations for interpreting, while the term "strategies" is used for methodologies…

The purposes of this paper are to describe a data-based organizational renewal effort in a school district, explain the application and utility of the collaborative process used, and discuss the implications of such activities for building-level delivery of educational services, particularly in the area of decision-making. Although the project was…

The scheme briefly delineated here is an attempt to solve three important personnel problems in school district administration. How does one (1) evaluate administrators in a decentralized system; (2) clarify and reconcile personal and organizational goals to achieve accountability; and (3) provide detailed feedback on the consequences of…

The cohort concept has recently been reconsidered in response to pressures for reform in school-leadership preparation programs. A cohort is defined as a group of students who engage in a program of studies together. Surveys sent to 37 institutions across the United States that use cohort models in their administrator-preparation courses elicited…

There has been for over a century a movement for the humanization of work. The movement's two branches--a European one emphasizing worker alienation and structural change and a North American one emphasizing job enrichment--have converged somewhat as the concept of "quality of work life" (QWL) has emerged in the 1970's. Business concepts…

In 1992, Heartland Community College (HCC), in Illinois, was granted candidacy status for accreditation by the North Central Association (NCA). In 1994, the college decided to seek full accreditation to ensure its place in the local community, ensure federal funding, and to show that it had grown since candidacy and was ready to fulfill…

Economic decline is indicated by productivity per man-hour of work, per capita real personal income, and real gross national product. Unless new technology overcomes the force of a stable population and develops new sources of raw materials and of energy, economic decline seems a likely possibility. Creative management is a process of planning,…

This report focuses on the instructional leadership role of the school superintendent and recommends an operational model superintendents should follow to produce an effective academic environment for elementary and secondary students. Americans' concern about quality of education can be addressed by informative study of successful management of…