Purpose: The increasing complexity of principals' roles, including focusing both on learning outcomes and equity issues, requires having the flexibility to view novel problems through multiple lenses. In this article, we draw on institutional theory and social network research to understand the factors enabling and constraining the cognitive…

Purpose: This paper aims to describe the levels and type of contingency faced by school principals in Chile and the way certain aspects of the Chilean school system result in a greater or lesser presence of these contingencies. Design/methodology/approach: The results reported here are based on the application of a structured questionnaire to 381…

"A cage-buster can't settle for ambiguity, banalities, or imprecision," writes well-known educator and author Rick Hess. "These things provide dark corners where all manners of ineptitude and excuse-making can hide." Hess suggests that leaders need to clearly define the problems they're trying to solve and open…

The role of the district superintendent as an instructional leader in systemic change is paramount to the degree and sustainability of change. Through the use of an electronic survey incorporating closed- and open-ended questions, the study examined the characteristics, habits of mind or dispositions, and leadership skills or styles used by an…

The purpose of this study was to determine the decision-making and problem-solving approaches most frequently used by school superintendents in two mid-western states when confronted with district dilemmas. The research replicated a study conducted by Polka, Litchka, Caizi, Denig and Mete (2011) in five Mid-Atlantic states. The survey used in both…

The construction and opening of a new school adds a new dimension to the principal's role. The purpose of this study was to describe the duties and responsibilities of a principal opening a newly constructed school, during the year preceding the opening of the school, and during the first year of occupancy in that school. The study was enriched by…

The purpose of this exploratory qualitative study was to determine what successful managers do to create healthy work environments in a healthcare organization. Managers using exemplary behaviors were selected and interviewed based on employee satisfaction surveys, and focus groups were conducted with employees who worked for them. Effective…

The thesis of this discussion is that if administrative and professorial roles are different, the excellent professor may prove an unsatisfactory administrator in most cases. (Author)

A descriptive-correlational study was conducted to explore and describe interpersonal conflict management styles, identify psychological type preferences, and examine the relationships between conflict management styles and psychological type preferences as well as selected demographic characteristics of the Cooperative Extension Service's North…

Although the participation of administrators in problem-solving consultation teams is frequently mentioned in the literature as an important factor in the effectiveness of those teams, there has been little research into the impact of administrators on such teams. The impact of administrator participation on problem-solving consultation teams…

This exploratory study investigated the leadership styles of selected administrators in Tennessee's public schools. Styles of leadership were viewed against a backdrop of current brain research, and the subjects' underlying patterns of cognitive processing were identified by means of a self-report measurement of brain dominance--the Herrmann Brain…

This study aims to explore leadership characteristics and contribute evidence to the validity of Jungian personality typology by investigating the relationship between principals' personality types and their reported problem-solving strategies. To test the hypothesis that the manner in which the principals report that they would solve a problem…

This monograph is intended to help parents, students, and lay persons understand more clearly the expectations, responsibilities, and day-to-day activities of the school principal. Most of the references made in the publication are to secondary principals, but many of the role expectations apply to elementary principals as well. The author…

Thirty-nine principals, classified according to the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, filled out quesionnaires based on Vroom's leadership behavior model and Mintzberg's 10 manageral subroles. Because the findings correlate effectiveness with time allotted to disturbance handling and entrepreneurial roles, three recent decision-science techniques are…