Principals today are expected to maximize their schools' performances with limited resources while also adopting educational innovations. This synopsis reviews five recent publications that offer some important insights about the nature of principals' leadership strategies: (1) "Leadership Styles and Strategies" (Larry Lashway); (2) "Facilitative…

The effects of vocational leadership development were studied for 23 Fellows enrolled in the 1992 Ohio Vocational Education Leadership Institute (OVELI). A literature review focused on four components: leadership styles, educational leadership development, vocational leadership development, and visionary leadership development. The Leadership…

This paper examines qualities of effective school leadership that are critical to successful educational change. The first part explores various definitions of leadership, discusses the concept of leadership versus management, and describes the challenges that school leaders face. The paper then draws on data collected from interviews with four…

This paper presents findings of a study that examined how six women headteachers in Great Britain worked as school leaders. Data were obtained through observation, joint inquiry, structured conversations, and life-history interviews. The study drew on Wallace and Hall's (1994) power-culture metaphor, which stated that individuals make different…

This paper examines the nature and function of leadership in the management of postsecondary educational institutions. It explains the need for studying educational leadership and reviews various theories on the nature of leadership. These include the trait, situational, social influence, functional (or action-centered), contingency, contextual,…

This paper argues that leadership in higher education should be open to a female leadership model expressed in an Eastern "Tantric" model. Suggesting that a male leadership model that oppresses and excludes women has been in effect for the past millennium, the proposed Tantric proposition is a step toward a shared model of leadership which will be…

A study examined the relationship between the degree of a principal's instructional leadership and student achievement. Methodology involved regression analysis of the Basic Skills Assessment Program (BSAP) scores of over 7,400 eighth-graders in 104 schools in Mississippi. Questionnaires were also mailed to 104 principals, yielding a response rate…

A study was conducted of the relatively small group of community college presidents who have been in their current position for 10 years or longer. The study focused on the fit of the president to the institution, the presidents' vision, the planning process, and style issues such as leadership, delegation, consensus building, and decision making.…

This paper presents findings of a comparative case study that explored the inner realities of four successful high school principals identified as effective. Case studies were conducted of four high school principals in a North Carolina school district. Data were obtained from 2 interviews with each principal and interviews with 10 teachers in…

A field study of 29 mountain-course instructors at the Colorado Outward Bound School (COBS) explored the relationships of gender-related personality traits and soft skills to outdoor leadership styles and course outcomes. Soft skills are competencies necessary for effective interpersonal helping skills, as opposed to hard skills, which are…

This paper presents an analysis of the ecological and psychological transitions women undergo as they consider leaving the classroom for an administrative position. The report focuses on the perceptions and aspirations of women teachers who have decided to pursue positional leadership and who anticipate a career move within 2 years. For the study,…

This research examines how department heads in (British) secondary schools perceive their management roles and their access to the real decision-making power that occurs outside departmental confines, but within schools. In structured interviews, 30 department heads from 21 schools were encouraged to reflect on opportunities for collegial…

Literature that examines reasons for the underrepresentation of women in educational administration is reviewed in this paper. Some explanations include the circular phenomenon, in which the lack of female role models contributes to fewer women applicants, discrimination, an increase in the number of males entering the teaching field, and social…

This book illustrates how principals can simultaneously act as efficient managers and effective leaders. Through a mixture of "knowing about" and "knowing how," the book offers new strategies to help principals integrate the technical management role with the symbolic leadership role. Chapter 1 illustrates the tension between the two approaches in…

This paper presents findings of a 4-year study that examined the dynamics of educational change in 11 elementary and secondary schools that were adopting global education into their curricula. Data were obtained from informal observations, interviews with principals, and interviews with and surveys of teachers. Findings identified three kinds of…