This paper looks at the role of a Writing Program Administrator, and applies the idea of a cybernetic system to the administration of the program. In this cybernetic model, the Writing Program Administrator (WPA) works as both a problem solver and problem causer, with the responsibility of keeping the program in proper balance. A cybernetic…

This paper explores the concept of critical thinking as it applies to school administrators and offers ideas for incorporating it into their operative skills. Following a review of pertinent literature, recommendations are made to: (1) develop an assessment process in educational administration programs to ensure that future school leaders have a…

The leadership task for a new age of schools is to stimulate continuous innovation, rather than to manage for compliance using outdated standards of work. This paper presents a typology of work cultures--the varying work conditions of schools and the challenges they present to principals in developing high-performance work cultures. Data were…

This report includes three papers on longstanding questions in educational administration. In chapter 1, "The New Realities: The Social and Economic Context of Administrator Preparation," Thomas A. Mulkeen outlines the changes that have immediate impact for public education and preparation programs. A shift in the U.S. economy from an…

The School-Based Improvement Project (SBIP) is a joint venture of the Office of Community Education of the Massachusetts Department of Education and the Massachusetts Association of School Superintendents (MASS). SBIP is a multiyear professional-development initiative designed to help public school superintendents become effective leaders in…

Drawing on extensive staff interviews, this publication profiles a high school principal in Eugene, Oregon, who exhibits many aspects of transformational leadership. Transformational leadership is improvement oriented and comprises three elements: (1) a collaborative, shared decision-making approach; (2) an emphasis on teacher professionalism and…

A new director of composition at Arkansas State University explains how she has had to mentor herself, write and revise herself, read herself into her new bewildering environment, and in short, make her job as easy as possible. Reading the new environment and understanding how faculty members fit into it may be one of the hardest aspects of a new…

This case study presents findings from a year-long ethnographic study of the female principal of a secondary school in an innercity setting. It concludes one of seven studies conducted in elementary and intermediate schools in urban, suburban, and rural settings to investigate the instructional management role of principals. Data collection…

To determine if a significant relationship exists between the conceptual systems of principals and academic achievement, nine hypotheses were formulated stating that there is no statistically significant relationship between student achievement and the complexity of school environment, emphasis on academic achievement, professional training…

The concept of superintendent "vision" as a key element of effective leadership is discussed in this paper, which develops a framework for understanding the creation of vision, its implementation and articulation, and organizational impact. Vision differs from strategy in that it represents a set of beliefs about the school district's aspiring…

This book presents a historical assessment of the administration and its effectiveness at the University of Utah's School of Education from its inception in 1869 to 1988. The book is broken down into six historical time blocks that correspond with the tenures of the school's nine deans: William M. Stewart (1888-1913); Milton Bennion (1913-1941);…

The use of reflective leadership among school principals is examined in this paper to develop a framework for the process of reflective decision making, with a focus on administrators'"strategic sense." Field notes and interviews with principals and their teachers were used to identify leadership roles and principals' perceptions of those roles.…

For 2 years, at least 2 days a week were spent by a researcher in observing, through the actions of the principal, the dynamics of cultural and ideologic conflict and the process of social control in an elementary school. This personal account analyzes the principal's use of corporal punishment, symbolized by the paddle, and positive…

The administrator preparation reform issue is affected by a split in loyalties between the "professional" model and the liberal arts model. Whereas recent calls for reform follow the professional model, most professors of educational administration, who must implement the reforms, are products of the liberal arts tradition. This paper reviews…

The results of the most recent survey (summer and fall of 1988) by the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators to investigate national patterns of salaries and staffing in financial aid offices are presented. Information is on 2,481 financial aid offices is organized into the following categories: characteristics of responding…