Research has shown that women are underrepresented in positions of educational authority. This paper presents findings of a study that asked the following question: What is it about the regularities in discourse and practice in relationship to power in a particular community that would allow a woman to be selected for the superintendency, when…

This paper presents findings of a critical ethnography that examined the relationship between gender and the definition of power, and its use in the politicized role of the superintendent. Based on Stewart Clegg's (1988) conceptualization of power relationships as "circuits of power," the ethnography was conducted in a larger metropolitan area…

A central feature of the emergent pattern of educational reform is exemplified by alterations in the ways in which leaders of teachers' unions perceive themselves, their roles, and the relationship of their organization to their school district. Data for the study described here were derived principally from visits to and interviews with selected…

The literature on administrative style is reviewed. Attention is directed to four basic concepts of administrative style: (1) the structured, classical, traditional model; (2) the participatory or employee-involved operation; (3) a more behavioral scientific style; and (4) the situational or environmental style. These ideas are more fully…

Reports an exploratory investigation of the relationships among elementary school principals' ability to think abstractly, their perceived leadership styles, and the degree of complexity of their school interpersonal environments. A positive relationship exists between principals' complexity of conceptual structure and the degree of complexity of…

Group decision making has three basic goals: to develop the best solution to the problem; to gain wide acceptance for the solution; and to achieve an agreeable solution in the shortest time possible. In order to be successful, group decision making requires a highly skilled conference leader. (Author/WM)

Arguing that instructional leadership changes are inevitable during the 1990s, this Bulletin explores instructional leaders' roles and functions, along with some leadership styles, strategies, and skills, and proposes an administrator training program. Chapter 1 introduces six "organizers" for examining instructional leadership: setting,…

The following papers were among those presented at the symposium hosted by Brigham Young University: (1) "Situational Leadership Styles of Four Recreation and Sport Supervisors Using a Time Series Design" (Maurice Phipps, and others; (2) "Backpacking Sitting Down: Reminiscences from the Great Siberian Railroad" (Daniel L. Dustin); (3) "The…

Configuration, strategy, and leadership style in five Brazilian universities are examined. Though research tends to focus on the university as a professional bureaucracy, it is demonstrated that other configurations are also applicable. The link between configuration and strategy making is traced, with insights into how strategies are formed in…

This study of the effects of an assistant principal's role limitations on problem-solving strategies focuses on three research areas: the sources of problematic situations; problem-solving strategies used and the reasons for their selection; and the consequences of those actions on the school. Participant observation and interviews constitute the…

Although viable leadership models for schools with differing social contexts are in great demand, empirical studies of high school principals have not produced consistent results. This paper summarizes part of a larger project designed to identify leadership behaviors of principals in "gang-impacted" and other secondary schools. The…

The power of effective schools lies not in their specific characteristics, but in their individual culture formation; a shared understanding of what ought to be symbolized by the behavior of all people involved in the school is part of that culture. The school cultural orientations of seven male and five female first-time principals (10 white and…

As a means of comprehensive preservice education, mentor principals were selected using both naturalistic and quantitative methodology. The ethnographic technique of portraiture was also chosen as a means to understand and study the human relationships within the school and to understand the work of the principals in the context of these…

This paper examines the role of communication in library leadership. The discussion is organized into 14 sections: (1) multidimensional approaches to effective leadership communication and varying communication style to the situation; (2) the importance of conciseness; (3) streamlining library communication; (4) the vision being communicated by…

Fulfilling the role of the community college president requires that a balance be maintained between internal constituents (e.g., students, faculty, administrators, and support staff) and external constituents (e.g., politicians, members of coordinating agencies, business leaders, trustees, alumni, and special interest groups). When the president…