In November 2015, the National Policy Board for Educational Administration--a coalition of nine professional associations--adopted the Professional Standards for Educational Leaders (PSEL), a set of guidelines for the training, certification, hiring, evaluation, and supervision of school principals and superintendents. While it draws heavily from…

In this article, the authors examine the components of leadership for learning employing research on highly productive schools and school districts and high-performing principals and superintendents, using a three-dimensional model of productivity. The knowledge base of leadership for learning is captured under eight major dimensions: vision for…

Because the first educational reform waves were centered at state and school levels, superintendents have been left out of the picture. Excluding the superintendency from overall improvement designs or demeaning its contribution could unravel many change efforts. Superintendents must commit to a well-crafted educational agenda and redefine their…

Investigates the nature of administrative control in 12 instructionally effective school districts in California. Nine control functions are assumed to affect student outcomes by influencing curriculum and instruction. Findings from interviews with superintendents revealed more district-level control of principal behavior and site activity than…

Superintendents in 12 instructionally effective California school districts were interviewed and documents were analyzed for coordination of instructional activities management. Results suggest that these superintendents are more active "instructional managers" than expected. A uniform picture of instructional coordination is not…

Examines the nature of administrative control of school principals in 12 especially effective districts in California. Supervision and evaluation of site level administrators were rational and meaningful processes in these districts. The supervision and evaluation functions appeared to form important linkage mechanisms between schools and…

Examines control mechanisms that superintendents used to shape and direct suburban high school principals' work. Includes four hierarchical controls (supervision, input, behavior, and output) and two nonhierarchical controls (section/socialization and environmental), along with school social status and district size. The control mechanisms were…

The influence of supervision as an administrative control mechanism used by superintendents to direct the work of high school principals and the nature of administrative control in schools was studied for 12 principals. Supervision, measured by superintendent visits, was generally perceived as light, and principals felt they were afforded…

There have been few studies on restructuring's effect on central office administrators. By analyzing 74 chief executive officers' perceptions about how restructuring is shaping the superintendency in Kentucky, this study helps address this gap. Three themes emerged: an enhanced superintendent role in developing community; redefinition of…

Recently, the National Center for Educational Leadership surveyed 35 Kentucky superintendents about changing roles since passage of the 1990 Kentucky Education Reform Act. Results showed that superintendents were learning to lead from the background, enhancing all stakeholders' participation, and working hard to manage reform requirements. Many…

An analysis of ratings by 104 teachers of the instructional management behaviors of 10 elementary school principals in a district where the superintendent has implemented policies to promote instructional leadership. (MLF)

This paper is part of a larger report entitled "The Reform of American Public Education in the 1980s; Themes and Cases." A discussion on the reform of school administration, specifically the forces leading to the reform of school administration in the 1980s is presented. The first part of the report documents the forces that led to demands for…

This article reports an exploratory study of 12 instructionally effective school districts which were identified on the basis of high student achievement. Seventeen characteristic themes were identified and are discussed, including curricular and instructional characteristics and organizational dynamics. (JL)

This paper presents the insights of superintendents about the school restructuring process in Kentucky and its likely effects. Data were derived from a focus group held with 24 members of the Kentucky Educational Development Corporation (KEDC), and from a survey of 48 superintendents, of which 35 responded. A majority of respondents expressed…

Little research has investigated the effects of school restructuring on the roles of central office administrators, particularly the superintendent. This paper presents findings of a study that examined the perceptions of superintendents in Kentucky, whose State Legislature passed a statewide systemic reform initiative, the Kentucky Education…