School districts have primarily stressed the instructional management aspect of the principal's role, while research has focused on principal effectiveness as a factor for increased student achievement. A synthesis of effective school characteristics identified by the literature is the first objective of this paper. A second purpose is the…

Over the years, researchers have defined "leadership" in myriad ways. On the whole, they have found that there are various kinds of leadership, that leadership works in many ways, and that it has distinctive requirements and processes. Leadership does not result merely from individual traits, but also involves attributes of the transaction between…

Presidential effectiveness is considered in the context of decision-making that shaped the mission of certain midwestern colleges as they moved toward adopting the American research university mission. The issue is strategic success: the extent to which presidents at a time of opportunity or adversity made decisions that led the college to…

Past research has correlated differential curriculum implementation outcomes at the classroom level with the actions of the key change facilitator at the school level: the principal. Accordingly, this paper reports the results of a study of three change facilitator styles among principals: responders, managers, and initiators. Working definitions…

The leadership styles of 15 directors at Bowie State College (Maryland) was examined, using the Leader Effectiveness and Adaptability Description (LEAD) Self Survey. The instrument presents situations that show the leader's concern for job relationships and tasks. Directors were defined as mid-level managers with key administrative and supervisory…

The responses to two questionnaires by the principals and 186 randomly selected teachers from 40 elementary schools from Hillsborough county (Florida) provided the data for a study that examined whether principals of schools demonstrating high and low levels of student reading achievement differed in leadership behavior and/or demographic…

This study determined the leadership competencies exhibited by superior Navy recruit company commanders (RCCs) and "A" school instructors. Interviews and surveys were used to collect data from current RCCs and instructors at the Naval Training Center in Orlando, Florida. Seventeen leadership competencies performed by "A" school…

Retrospective views of the experiences of 1,406 former college presidents are reported with attention to their backgrounds, responsibilities, and decisions that led them from the president's office. After examining demographic data on this sample of a generation of college and university presidents, their midcareer changes and postcareer…

Although the role of a superintendent has commonly involved a conflict between instructional leadership and business management, this dichotomy is apparently false; superintendents can effectively fill both roles. To explore this possible harmony of roles, one superintendent was studied who by reputation filled both roles very well. The…

A study investigated the interactions between leadership style and the personality variable locus of control on vocational teacher job satisfaction. It used a 2x2x2 factorial design to explore three independent variables: (1) the consideration dimension of leader behavior; (2) the initiating structure dimension of leader behavior; and (3) locus of…

Leadership styles and management skills needed by directors and coordinators of learning assistance and developmental education were assessed. Based on a literature review, a questionnaire was constructed and then validated by a panel of experts in the field. The questionnaire was sent to 45 selected learning assistance/developmental education…

Expectancy of success refers to an individual's perceived probability of successfully exercising social influence. The leader's expectancy for success consistently emerges from theory and research as an important determinant in the type of influence he attempts to exert on group members. Theoretically, the leader's use of influence will be…

The history of higher education in the United States encompasses conflicting attitudes towards those in educational leadership roles: educational leaders should be well-trained academicians who somehow know how to manage, or they should be well-trained managers who somehow know how to be academic. However, community college educational…

Four dimensions that must be present for a group to function effectively are elaborated in this guide: (1) commitment of members to a common purpose; (2) leadership that facilitates organization and structuring to accomplish these purposes; (3) open communication among members; and (4) a climate of acceptance and trust. Defining a group as any…

This investigation was undertaken to test the relationships among rule administration behavior (how principals administer school rules), leadership behavior, and the sex of black elementary school principals. Twenty principals were subjects, with 200 teachers supplying responses to the Rule Administration Scale (RAS) and the Leadership Behavior…