The role of the principal as an educational leader for the 1990s is described in this keynote address. The first part discusses the roles and responsibilities of principals and supervisors as administrators, managers, and leaders. The second part examines educational issues of the 1990s, which include: (1) the importance of education to all…

This paper presents findings of a study that explored how principals "enacted" and "structured" the environments of their schools. Weick's theoretical framework is used to understand the cognitive process by which managers selectively construct and attend to certain features of their environment while ignoring others. Data were obtained from…

This paper presents findings of a study that examined how six women headteachers worked as school leaders. Specifically, it looked at how they conducted different management tasks, how they interpreted their behavior and values, and how their childhood experiences influenced their current career behaviors. Data were derived from observation, joint…

This paper describes a practicum program that was developed to increase the effectiveness of the administrative team at one high school. A lack of communication skills had prevented the target group from working together as a team. Strategies included role-play activities, workshops, and communication skill-development meetings. A series of…

Findings of a study that identified the kinds of problems faced by new principals who had participated in innovative principal-preparation programs are presented in this paper. Data were collected through a series of interviews conducted with eight individuals who had assumed their first principalships during the 1991-92 school year. All had…

Findings of a study that examined the perceptions held by principals about their levels of self-efficacy are presented in this paper. Self-efficacy refers to the belief that one can successfully execute a behavior to achieve a given outcome. Data were collected from a questionnaire that was mailed to 375 principals (125 elementary, middle, and…

Findings of a dissertation study that examined the effect of multitrack year-round education on elementary principals' instructional-leadership performances and perceptions are presented in this paper. Data were obtained from indepth interviews with 11 elementary principals--5 from schools with traditional calendars and 6 from multitrack…

Among the 1,000 females who lead school districts in the United States, some 25 to 30 are Hispanic. Ways in which Hispanic females are sought and selected for the superintendency of a district are explored in this paper. The report is based on an analysis of 12 Hispanic female superintendents and how they were hired. Two of the women in the sample…

Ways in which women practice power in the central office and the perceptions of those practices are explored in this study. The paper raises the questions: "How can a woman be perceived as successful in a central-office administrative position?""How is success defined by those with whom she works?" and "What do her colleagues accept as successful…

Administrative leadership is considered a critical component for the successful implementation of inclusive schooling practices whereby students with disabilities are educated with students without special education labels. This ethnographic study of one principal was conducted over a 15 month period in a mid-sized Midwestern city. The results of…

Steps toward a theory of leadership must blend needed change with appropriate strategies for implementation. Discussions of leadership must begin with the concept of empowerment, since all leaders are empowerers. The theory that drives empowerment is the theory of individual differences, here based on C. G. Jung's ideas of four main personality…

Effective leadership is more than the ability to demonstrate specific skills. The validity of early effective principal and leadership trait research has been questioned by recent studies. School improvement formulas that are narrowly focused on basic skills could easily lead to more demanding treatment of students. Recent studies show that…

Findings of a case study that examined ways in which an urban high school principal successfully improved an urban high school are presented in this paper, with attention to social interaction processes. Data were collected through interviews with the principal and 10 teachers and through questionnaires administered to the 10 teachers. Findings…

The components and outcomes of the Meadows Principal Improvement Program, a principal development program initiated in Texas in 1985, are described in this paper. The program's functional components, are designed to improve the principalship in Texas. These include: (1) a preservice component which seeks to prepare new principals with a focus on…

The assistant principalship may not be the most productive ground for future principals. Assistant principals have traditionally been disciplinarians or building managers isolated from the realities of the principalship and the school's instructional program. Some researchers have advocated dividing the assistant principalship into two roles: one…