This article examines the effectiveness of observable and quantifiable traits in and approaches of school principals in enhancing student achievement. Data were gathered on 2,048 fourth-grade students in 96 public primary schools in Leon, Mexico; Belo Horizonte, Brazil; Buenos Aires, Argentina; and Santiago, Chile. The UNESCO/ORELAC (United…

Contemporary university administrators are usually wimps, and timidity in facing easily enraged campus radicals only invites outrageous demands which, in turn, subvert intellectual life. This must be changed. For much of human history leaders had to display physical valor and this trait should be restored to the college administrator job…

The discursive practices of physical education reflect not only the expectations and constraints of discourses in the wider society, educational organizations and bureaucracies, but also the pervasive influences of working with and within sport. Within physical education, and specifically in the lives, work and careers of physical education…

If the challenges of the 21st century are to be met successfully, education must transform its orientation from one of exclusion to inclusion. To assist in the transformation of systems, to address specific barriers to inclusion, and to offer exemplary models in educational leadership, the Texas Council of Women School Executives sponsored a pilot…

This book challenges traditional notions of leadership. It was written to help managers and nonmanagers alike improve their abilities to lead others to get extraordinary things done in organizations. Data were derived from administration of the Personal Best Questionnaire to 550 managers, interviews with 42 managers, and administration of the…

Few superintendents of K-12 public school districts in the United States are women, though many women have leadership positions in schools. This book presents findings of a study that explored what it was like to be a qualified woman aspiring to the superintendency. Data were obtained from interviews with 27 self-identified women aspirants who…

Over the past two decades women have demanded greater access to positions in educational administration. This paper presents findings of a study that examined the experiences of women teachers seeking administrative positions in New Brunswick, Canada. Specifically, the paper explored the women's views about leadership and the ways in which they…

This book for principals or aspiring principals contains a collection of essays about the "human side" of school leadership as experienced by 30 principals during their first year on the job. Two themes emerge from the essays. The first is that leadership requires a whole new set of skills which principals are continuously learning, and…

A crucial component of leadership is the element of choice. Regardless of how much a person studies leadership, it is essential that he or she makes a conscious choice to accept the leadership role. This book defines leadership, gives examples of research in the field and explains how this knowledge can be used, describes leadership-development…

This study examined the attitudes of faculty senate leaders concerning the role of faculty in university governance, their own motivations for becoming involved in governance, and their leadership styles. A survey questionnaire was developed and mailed to 100 faculty governance leaders at research and doctoral institutions. Nearly half of the 78…

Several key concepts shed light on the traits and processes of leadership in educational settings. First, the term leadership can be understood as the act of persuading others to set aside individual concerns and pursue a common goal, with communication representing a key ability of leaders. The Communication Model provides a useful, open systems…

England and Wales have undergone dramatic educational reforms during the 1980s and 1990s. This paper presents findings of a study that explored three headteachers' perceptions of leadership in English and Welsh primary schools. Data were obtained through interviews, a staff questionnaire, observation, and document review. Findings indicate that…

While there is much disagreement about how to go about reforming schools, one point of agreement is that leadership is critical to this process. Unfortunately, the discussion of leadership has not been sufficiently informed by the voices of those who have been directly involved in reforming old schools and creating new ones. This paper describes…

This paper identifies four models of educational administration--the rational, mechanistic, organic, and bargaining models--and argues that a fifth model of leadership--a caring model--is needed. The ethic of caring (Nodding, 1986) is reciprocal, natural, and ethical and emphasizes connection, responsibilities, and relationships. Creating a model…

This paper presents findings of one in a series of case studies designed to study leadership in schools committed to reform. Gavin Elementary School in Chicago Heights, Illinois, serves a predominantly African-American, low-income, neighborhood. In 1988, the school's achievement test scores were the lowest in the lowest-achieving Illinois school…