Findings from a study that examined effective administrators of schools for the visual and performing arts with respect to personality characteristics, leadership style, and administrative context are presented in this paper. Questionnaires mailed to 36 administrators of schools for the visual and performing arts in the United States and Canada…

This paper presents the results of a qualitative study of the leadership of nine presidents who have accepted the risks and challenges of executive leadership in nine small Midwestern colleges. Focus is directed toward these presidents' risk-taking strategies with respect to the major leadership challenges of being a senior executive of a small…

The publication in 1990 of the School Management Task Force Report "Developing School Management--The Way Forward" was a milestone for challenging Local Education Authorities (LEA) and providers in higher education. The report stressed school-based and school-focused institutional and individual development. Changes resulting from the…

At Miami-Dade Community College (M-DCC), in Florida, a committee was formed to define administrator excellence in the context of teaching and learning and to develop a performance review process. During the second pilot-testing of the resulting Performance Review Feedback Survey process, over 1,200 surveys provided information on 283…

Prior to April 1993, the educational system in South Africa consisted of five separate departments of education. The Department of Education and Training (DET) governed education for the 10 black groups, excluding independent states and self-governing states. This paper describes the DET's inservice training policy for senior personnel,…

Findings of a study that examined how information is used in schools that have adopted shared decision-making practices are presented in this paper. The study focused on how first- and second-year principals access, use, and value various kinds of information. A total of 24 out of 29 Louisiana LEAD schools responded to a questionnaire, an…

This case study presents findings of a year-long ethnographic study of a principal of a suburban elementary school. It concludes one of seven studies conducted in elementary and intermediate schools in urban, suburban, and rural settings that investigated the instructional management role of principals. Data collection involved hundreds of hours…

This paper argues that the rapid influx of information technology into society requires a change in university administration from the current political system to a computer based management system for higher productivity. The paper describes the dysfunctional nature of the political system of management in its lack of full accountability. The…

Findings from a study that identified the value of 13 competencies in terms of certification and employment standards for educational administrators are presented in this paper. A survey mailed to 11 large-city school superintendents, 22 state departments of education, and 43 administrator preparation programs produced response rates of 69, 100,…

Some important conclusions and recommendations may be drawn from comparing U.S. Army leadership processes to the state-of-the-art in educational administration: (1) army leadership development works in the ways intended; (2) leadership must be learned, not taught; and (3) everybody involved must truly participate. Site-based management makes no…

Focusing primarily on the role of educational leaders, this document analyzes what makes a difference in school learning. After a brief review of literature on the relationship between administrative leadership and student learning, aspects of the Far West Laboratory Instructional Leadership Model (the FWL model) used in the current analyses are…

Instruction in computing over the past three decades has experienced dramatic changes in both method and substance. Beginning with on-the-job training, courses evolved to become highly sophisticated and widespread in education. The second decade, the 70's, focused on mainframe use, and the third decade on micros and widely networked systems.…

Using the literature and research on principal effectiveness as a foundation, the Audit of Principal Effectiveness was developed. Initially, 162 items forming 12 theoretical factors describing effective principal behavior were identified and sorted into two documents. The documents, each containing 81 items, were mailed to a total of 3,660…

To ensure that first-time educators in any of Ohio's 615 school systems have access to a supportive environment that would make their professional success more likely, in 1987 the state's Department of Education enacted a policy requiring all school districts to plan and implement programs that provide support to newly employed educators. Because…

Pacific principals' perceived priority needs for professional development are examined. Mailed surveys of 439 principals in 10 jurisdictions yielded 243 responses, or a 55 percent response rate. Respondents rated themselves on task effectiveness and professional development needs. Results indicate a need for information concerning community…