By state law, many educators are being forced to move from a traditional norm of autonomy to one of collaboration. This paper presents findings of a study that identified the changing role of the 21st century superintendent and described the way one female superintendent promoted state-mandated collaboration in a rural school district with very…

A pilot study was conducted to investigate preferred leadership style, faculty job satisfaction, and faculty attitudes toward decentralized budget authority at a selected midwestern research institution. An "Attitude Toward Decentralization" (ATD) scale was developed to determine faculty attitudes toward decentralized authority and…

This report describes four schools (two elementary, one middle, and one senior high) whose administration and faculty made longterm commitments to curricular and organizational change to meet the needs of a diverse student population. Data sources included observation of meetings; conversations with staff members; and informal interviews with…

This paper presents findings of case studies that applied social exchange theory to examine the instructional leadership roles of four exemplary high school department chairs. Data were gathered at four suburban high schools in a large metropolitan area of the midwestern United States using the methods of observation and interviews with the…

This paper analyzes the changing public school superintendency. It reports on a study that identified the roles of the superintendent in facilitating positive and productive community involvement in the educational process, as well as the strategies and tactics used by superintendents as they mold community climates to create receptivity for…

This study assessed the leadership styles and practices of 214 women student leaders at a large public university. Specifically, the study examined: (1) what leadership practices the women embraced; (2) what influence academic aspirations had on leadership practices and sex role characteristics; (3) what sex roles the women embraced; (4) which sex…

This research paper was undertaken with three goals in mind: (1) to explore the perceptions of teachers regarding their principals' leadership styles; (2) to analyze the perceptions of principals themselves regarding their own leadership styles; and (3) to compare teachers' perceptions with those of the principals to discover discrepancies between…

This report raises fundamental issues that must be explored by educators considering participative decision-making as part of an educational restructuring initiative. In analyzing district readiness to implement a shared decision-making model, several factors must be considered, including school culture and climate, leadership style and attitude,…

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…

Findings of a study that explored the impact of school district context on school effectiveness are presented in this paper, with attention to the processes through which district impact occurs. The case study examined a large school district in the Pacific Northwest with an expressed commitment to student performance. Methodology involved 100…

Special education is experiencing the effects of educational reform. Examples include rethinking of service delivery, collaborative versus authoritarian leadership, teambuilding and inclusionary practices replace exclusionary practices, and diversity issues. These changes are creating ethical and moral dilemmas for school administrators. In…

The implications of reflective practices for educational leadership are examined in this publication, which contains three papers originally presented at the 1990 Convention of the University Council for Educational Administration. Ann Hart, Nancy Sorensen, and Kerri Naylor report on applications of reflective practice to educational…

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…

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,…