Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to present the author's commentary on the special issue of "Journal of Educational Administration" entitled "Systemwide Reform: Examining Districts under Pressure". Design/methodology/approach: In framing her reflections, the author has looked across the five articles in the special issue,…

The underlying theoretical argument in this article views municipal school superintendents in the Nordic context as middle managers in organizational theory terminology. Empirical support for this discussion emerges from national data collected among Norwegian school superintendents in 2009. Findings show that the actual work and leadership…

The importance of effective school leadership is well known. The inevitable changing of school leaders raises concerns over the successfulness of the succession process. Directly linked to leader succession is socialization; therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine the processes and practices of school systems that control the…

This paper offers a review of selected leadership research, with a focus on the evolution of educational leadership research and the theories, methods, and perceptions that have guided this research. The analysis shows how there has been a shift from a person-focused, rational, simplistic view of leadership to a process-focused, more complex…

Contends that school administrators should take a careful look at business management techniques, with an eye to using them in the schools. (Author/JM)

This article presents a brief discussion of issues related to the relationship between administrative theory and the practice of educational administration. In particular, the discussion focuses on four questions: 1) Are administrative theories particular or general? 2) Is theory a guide to action for administrators? 3) What is the place of theory…

This paper describes a study of managerial behavior in educational organizations that focused on managerial attention as an organizational coupling mechanism. Structured observation was used to collect minute-by-minute time allocation protocols for five first-line education program managers over 20 working days, and these protocols were analyzed…

Critical theory (CT), according to the author, is concerned with a critique of the modern rationality that underlies both scientific and industrial projects that subjugate the individuality of the person. He sees CT as an analytical and reflective process that stands next to the reach for empirical verification of the reality of the world and the…

The author presents a model for the evaluation of administrative performance that includes three interrelated systems (the macroorganizational, the microorganizational, and the administrative evaluation systems). He describes the competency/performance approach to administrator evaluation and enumerates variables conditioning administrative…

Using a perspective that emphasizes schools' internal structure and external context, the author examines theory and research on loose coupling in schools, society's institutionalization and legitimation of schools, and structured observations of educational administrators' work. (Author/RW)

Advocates a critical constructivist approach to educational administration. Establishes the need for research accounts exploring the administrator's legitimation role. Describes a mediation model providing access to the invisible ways that dominant social constructions are accomplished and sustained through management of meaning. Discusses…

Purpose: The objective of this article is to provide an analysis of articles in "Education Administration Quarterly (EAQ)" over the 25-year period 1979-2003. Approach: The approach is document analysis. Findings: Information is presented on four key themes: (a) types of articles published; (b) methodologies employed; (c) topic areas emphasized;…

Chester Barnard (1886-1961) was an executive and an early organizational theorist. His theory of organizational behavior and executive functions, set forth primarily in "The Functions of the Executive" (1938), comprises both structural concepts, related to how an organization is structured, and dynamic concepts, related to individuals'…

Not only are both administrative leadership and teacher autonomy possible in the organizational structure of a school, they are requisite for a healthy and dynamic school climate. (MJB)

Describes the status of college media centers and examines the results of a survey of media centers that investigated the effects of budget cuts resulting in downsizing and reorganization. The role of the director, the reporting relationship among academic units, and response to technological change are discussed. (LRW)