This book for principals or aspiring principals contains a collection of essays about the "human side" of school leadership as experienced by 30 principals during their first year on the job. Two themes emerge from the essays. The first is that leadership requires a whole new set of skills which principals are continuously learning, and…

A crucial component of leadership is the element of choice. Regardless of how much a person studies leadership, it is essential that he or she makes a conscious choice to accept the leadership role. This book defines leadership, gives examples of research in the field and explains how this knowledge can be used, describes leadership-development…

This study examined the attitudes of faculty senate leaders concerning the role of faculty in university governance, their own motivations for becoming involved in governance, and their leadership styles. A survey questionnaire was developed and mailed to 100 faculty governance leaders at research and doctoral institutions. Nearly half of the 78…

Several key concepts shed light on the traits and processes of leadership in educational settings. First, the term leadership can be understood as the act of persuading others to set aside individual concerns and pursue a common goal, with communication representing a key ability of leaders. The Communication Model provides a useful, open systems…

England and Wales have undergone dramatic educational reforms during the 1980s and 1990s. This paper presents findings of a study that explored three headteachers' perceptions of leadership in English and Welsh primary schools. Data were obtained through interviews, a staff questionnaire, observation, and document review. Findings indicate that…

While there is much disagreement about how to go about reforming schools, one point of agreement is that leadership is critical to this process. Unfortunately, the discussion of leadership has not been sufficiently informed by the voices of those who have been directly involved in reforming old schools and creating new ones. This paper describes…

This paper identifies four models of educational administration--the rational, mechanistic, organic, and bargaining models--and argues that a fifth model of leadership--a caring model--is needed. The ethic of caring (Nodding, 1986) is reciprocal, natural, and ethical and emphasizes connection, responsibilities, and relationships. Creating a model…

This paper presents findings of one in a series of case studies designed to study leadership in schools committed to reform. Gavin Elementary School in Chicago Heights, Illinois, serves a predominantly African-American, low-income, neighborhood. In 1988, the school's achievement test scores were the lowest in the lowest-achieving Illinois school…

Findings of a study that examined the relationship of principals' change facilitator styles to school effectiveness in different socioeconomic contexts are presented in this paper. Data were collected through a survey of 472 public elementary school teachers in 53 schools in 19 Louisiana school districts. Schools were categorized according to SES…

In recent years, almost all major changes and innovations in education have come out of suburban or urban schools, suggesting that rural schools are more resistant to change. The Myers-Briggs Type Instrument (MBTI) was completed by 86 school administrators to examine the extent to which the psychological traits of rural administrators might…

According to a survey of over 1,200 public- and private-sector leaders, many new factors are reshaping present and future world leaders. Leaders are developed, not born, through experience and present situation characteristics. The test of leadership occurs during changing situations when risks must be taken. Leadership is an ongoing process of…

Written for the general student, this book is designed to serve as an introduction to the subject of leadership, with a focus on psychological studies of leadership behavior. Part 1 addresses different aspects of the view that "leadership is a process, not a position." Chapters examine how leadership develops, how it is measured or assessed, how…

Since the advent of effective-schools research findings, educational administration experts have advocated a democratic and collegial leadership style for school administrators. This paper provides the findings of a study that examined 43 beginning administrators (25 females, 32 Caucasians, 9 African-Americans, 2 Hispanics) to determine what…

Six schools in an urban school system with varying socioeconomic backgrounds were evaluated to determine what impact different instructional leadership styles have on student achievement. Since the principal is usually considered the instructional leader, the study focused on principal leadership styles, with principals categorized into three main…

Findings from a study that examined ways in which principals implement new or revised curricula are presented in this paper, which focuses on how personal constructs influence the curriculum implementation process. Data about principals' implementation styles were obtained from interviews with 10 principals and 10 female teachers, inschool…