Two different operational concepts of "vision" are compared and analyzed in terms of their applicability to educational organization. The military model is vertical, hierarchical, conducive to immediate and specific action, and unambiguous responsibility. However, its inflexibility discourages communication and creativity. The Native American,…

The generation of categories of instructional leadership descriptors and the identification of past influences and current resources is the purpose of this study. Data for the first research purpose were gathered through application of Flannigan's (1954) critical incident and functional description techniques to responses of experts on…

The management styles of presidents of 10 Christian, liberal arts colleges were assessed, as part of research conducted at Christian or church-related liberal arts colleges that were identified as being well managed by one or more persons. The 10 presidents ranged in age from the late 30s to the early 60s, with an average age of 52.2. Their…

Ninety-three percent of Ontario's community health supervisors participated in a study investigating the impact of educational preparation on leadership effectiveness. The Fiedler Contingency Model of Leadership Effectiveness provided the study's rationale. Each supervisor completed: (1) a Least Preferred Coworker (LPC) scale to determine whether…

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…

Case studies of five urban high schools illustrate some important factors that appear to be crucial in determining whether or not reform efforts are implemented. Among these factors are the following: (1) teacher participation; (2) collegiality among staff members; (3) shared belief that change can occur; (4) leadership by the principal; (5)…

Although research in goal setting has demonstrated that specific, difficult goals lead to better performance, more refined research on the affect of participative decision making and supportive leadership on goal setting has produced ambiguous results. To investigate the relative importance of goal setting, leader supportiveness, and task…

This monograph provides educational staff with a theoretical basis for decision-making skills for application in quality circles. Roadblocks to good decisions are outlined, as well as the differences between group decision-making and individual decision-making (both have problems). The influence of values and personality characteristics on…

Tom Lindersmith, principal of Lakeridge High School in Lake Oswego (Oregon) manages a highly motivated school of 1,100 students and 68 staff by emphasizing facilitation, coordination, and delegation as the elements of instructional leadership. Lindersmith sees himself primarily as a facilitator--supporting and encouraging new ideas and programs…

Community College District Twelve, a multi-college district serving a two-county area in southwestern Washington, has attempted to incorporate at administrative levels many of the humanistic, process-oriented principles of management discussed by Maslow and Maccoby. A concept of the ideal leadership style for District Twelve guides the selection…

This report is the first of a series on cultivating excellence in education for the purpose of training and retraining school leaders of the 1990s. The common role of educational leaders is discussed. Their central areas of responsibility and administrative and leadership skills are reviewed, not as discrete concepts, but as complex and dynamic…

To be effective, community college presidents must understand what leadership is, particularly as it applies to higher education. They must also understand the evolution of the role of the president over the last 30 years, from "manager" or "builder" in the early years to the more recent position of "motivator." There is little agreement in the…

Sixty-nine Israeli school principals completed questionnaires designed to reveal the factors contributing to the leadership styles they used when initiating curricular changes. The principals fell into three leadership categories: "Initiators," who seek change in accordance with long range policies and goals; "Responders," who…

This study investigated the relationship between leadership style and the personality (patterns of core strengths) of school administrators as perceived by themselves and by their subordinates and colleagues. Sixty-seven principals and central office staff and 285 of their teachers and peers from 2 school systems participated in the study. Bipolar…

A questionnaire survey in Missouri was conducted to determine the characteristics of the state's district-level curriculum leaders and to determine what the curriculum leaders and elementary and high school principals perceive to be the ideal curriculum leader's functions, competencies, and leadership behavior. The characteristics covered include…