Teacher attrition is an educational and economic concern. School administrators are the leaders of their school community. Administrator leadership behavior can influence teacher's career decisions. The problem was that public schools in Illinois have low teacher retention. The purpose of this basic qualitative study was to explore the…

The quantitative study examined the connection between principal leadership practices and the morale of elementary, middle, and high school teachers in rural Southern Illinois. These rural districts serve students in grades Pre-K through twelve. This cross-sectional survey design identifies the most prevalent practices in the study's population…

The primary purpose of this study was to survey Illinois public school board members to examine the association between local public school board member beliefs and behaviors and student academic achievement. Relatively little research exists linking school board member behaviors and beliefs to school district student academic achievement data.…

This article is one of the few empirical studies exploring the "dark side" of ethical leadership. Using Oplatka's Irresponsible Leadership as an unethical leadership framework, the qualitative study explores how teachers conceptualize and experience unethical administrative leadership at their respective schools in the United States.…

Change process research often discusses barriers that impede organizational change (e.g., Banta, 1997; Cavacuiti and Locke, 2013; Mutchler, 1990; Stewart et al., 2012); however, no empirical research has addressed how behaviors established in leadership models counteract these barriers. This study explored these two interconnected constructs of…

The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of the professional development training provided by the National Institute for School Leadership (NISL) on leadership behavior in schools. In order to achieve this overall objective, the following research questions framed this mixed methods study: 1. To what degree did the National Institute…

A review of two recent federal court cases concerning school principals who experienced adverse job actions after they engaged in speech about fiscal misconduct by other employees indicates that the courts found that the principal's speech was made as part of his or her job duties and was not protected by the First Amendment.

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to explore variation across principals in terms of the number and types of strategies they engage in to find teachers to fill the vacancies in their schools. The practices that the authors consider to be strategic are aligned with the district's goals and objectives for teacher recruitment.…

The study investigated destructive leadership behaviors (DLBs) and their influence on K-12 workplace attitudes (subordinate consideration for leaving their job, job satisfaction, and levels of stress). Quantitative survey method was used to gather data from experienced professional educators. Analyses of data show that the practice of DLB exists…

The Broad Foundation Superintendents Academy is the most prominent and most controversial training institute for school chiefs. The Academy is the flagship program of the Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation, the smallest of a triumvirate of corporate foundations that are at the heart of the billionaire campaign to remake public education in the image…

This study examines Illinois school superintendents' perceived importance of the Illinois school superintendent content area standards and performance indicators. This study is significant because it provides an opportunity for rigorous reflection in identifying Illinois school superintendents' perceived importance of superintendent behaviors that…

As Internet-based communications and interactions by and between students and school staff become more prevalent, an appreciation of school rules for student behavior is important. Students carry electronic devices, sending and receiving communications inside and outside school, so two key questions exist regarding search and seizure of such…

New small autonomous schools initiatives are relatively recent educational change strategies that in some urban districts aim to remake how district central offices function as institutions. In this article, the author draws on theories of organizational innovation and learning to reveal how central office administrators participate in these…

Through case studies of 10 elementary schools in Chicago, this article examines principal leadership in low-performing schools. The data include 331 interviews with teachers, administrators, external partners, and others over a 2-year period. Using transformational leadership as a lens, we found that principals in schools that moved off probation…