This paper presents an analysis of the ecological and psychological transitions women undergo as they consider leaving the classroom for an administrative position. The report focuses on the perceptions and aspirations of women teachers who have decided to pursue positional leadership and who anticipate a career move within 2 years. For the study,…

This research examines how department heads in (British) secondary schools perceive their management roles and their access to the real decision-making power that occurs outside departmental confines, but within schools. In structured interviews, 30 department heads from 21 schools were encouraged to reflect on opportunities for collegial…

Literature that examines reasons for the underrepresentation of women in educational administration is reviewed in this paper. Some explanations include the circular phenomenon, in which the lack of female role models contributes to fewer women applicants, discrimination, an increase in the number of males entering the teaching field, and social…

This book illustrates how principals can simultaneously act as efficient managers and effective leaders. Through a mixture of "knowing about" and "knowing how," the book offers new strategies to help principals integrate the technical management role with the symbolic leadership role. Chapter 1 illustrates the tension between the two approaches in…

This paper presents findings of a 4-year study that examined the dynamics of educational change in 11 elementary and secondary schools that were adopting global education into their curricula. Data were obtained from informal observations, interviews with principals, and interviews with and surveys of teachers. Findings identified three kinds of…

An educational administrator program designed to diversify responsibility, integrate the theory-practice relationship, and develop leadership is described in this report. The first section discusses three theoretical perspectives, which are characterized by shared leadership, a collective purpose, conflict, and the constituency of the whole. The…

A study explored the differences between educational administrators with or without a doctorate degree. Members of a seminar for beginning practicing administrators interviewed 19 pairs of educational administrators in equivalent positions--one with a doctorate and one without. Utilizing Leithwood's "principal effectiveness" taxonomy, significant…

This study explored the nature of staff roles and relationships in four New Zealand kindergartens during the process of change that ocurred when a new staff member was taking up a position. The study attempted to identify features of early childhood settings in which relationships among staff were working well and settings in which they were not.…

A fact-finding exercise used in a study of principals' problem-solving behaviors is analyzed in this paper. Forty-two subjects with varying degrees of administrative experience participated in fact-finding and thinking-aloud exercises prior to responding to a case study. Problem definition, a key component of the problem-solving process, was a…

Findings from a study to develop and validate an instrument for the measurement of principals' attitudes toward visionary leadership are presented in this paper. Two leadership styles--visionary and managerial--were measured by a 35-item five-point Likert attitude scale. Questionnaires mailed to a random sample of 250 K-12 Nebraska and 250…

Using a case study which documents the creation of the Access and Program Development Division at George Brown College, a large urban community college in Ontario, Canada, this paper explores the nature of leadership in educational management. Introductory material argues that leadership in management should be defined as a performing art rather…

Management and leadership as a consequence of organizational tasks and structure are discussed in this paper, with a focus on the application of leadership theories from market-oriented organizations to more regulated organizations such as the Swedish school system. The Swedish educational system, according to Berg's (1988) "cross…

The career paths and backgrounds of 30 upper-level women administrators in 25 North Carolina four-year public and private institutions were evaluated. These women occupied the highest or next-highest positions within a given category and held a doctorate or equivalent. Structured interviews covered background and education; work history; and the…

To influence teaching in a way that enhances and improves student learning is the school principal's responsibility. Because perceptions are more important than actual behavior, it is essential for principals to know if their perception of their supervisory actions is in agreement with the way their teachers perceive the same supervisory…

Schools are expected not only to conserve society's values and standards, but to be dynamic organizations with built-in mechanisms for incorporating rapid, far-reaching change. Although change is unlikely unless at least one highly motivated individual assumes the role of initial change agent, lasting change requires more than the efforts of a…