The long history of volunteerism in America has its roots in colonial religious and educational enterprises. From the beginning, colleges and universities have been independently governed rather than subject to national or state control. This autonomy is a uniquely American tradition. Over the centuries, the work of academic governing…

This dissertation was designed to gain insight in the area of central office instructional leadership support from the perception of the high school principal. With increasing standards and high student performance expectations coupled with strict federal and state accountability measures, it is impossible for the high school principal to bear the…

Recently, two separate studies--one by Alan Ginsburg, a former director of Policy and Program Studies in the U.S. Department of Education, the other by a committee constituted by the National Research Council (NRC)--have sought to discredit the work of Michelle Rhee, former chancellor of schools for the District of Columbia. According to Ginsburg,…

Do academic administrators make decisions about resource allocation differently depending on the discipline receiving the funding? Does an administrator's academic identity influence these decisions? This study explored those questions with a sample of 1,690 academic administrators at doctoral-research universities. Participants used fictional…

The purpose of this study is to explore the relationships between "job involvement" and "school administrative effectiveness" as perceived by junior high school administration teachers. The findings are as follows. (1) The current status of "job involvement" and "school administrative effectiveness" as…

For the past several years, community college presidents have retired at alarming rates. At the same time, institutional needs have shifted and new skill sets are often desired. These changes, coupled with a lack of leader succession plans, budget cuts, and an increased emphasis on accountability, created opportunities for candidates with…

The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine the relationship between the length of tenure of a superintendent and academic achievement as defined by the percentage of students who scored "Proficient" or better on the 2008 Third Grade Kansas Reading Assessment. To put this relationship into context, five other predictive…

The primary object of this study was to determine whether racial and/or gender bias were evidenced in the use of the ICIS-Principal. Specifically, will the use of the ICIS-Principal result in biased scores at a statistically significant level when rating current practicing administrators of varying gender and race. The study involved simulated…

The "First Condition Report" provided policymakers and the general public a snapshot of where Ohio stands in providing the higher education services needed to be competitive in today's world. The "Second Report" focused on facilities and technology. The "Third Report" underscores the need to deliver high quality…

This study was designed to investigate school superintendent and school board member perceptions of the relative importance of the Texas State Board of Educator Certification competencies required to be a successful leader of a Texas public school system. School districts within seven of the Regional Education Service Centers in Texas were…

In his book "The Speed of Trust," Stephen Covey identifies trust as the one thing that, if missing, will "destroy the most powerful government, the most successful business, the most thriving economy, the most influential leadership, the greatest friendship, the strongest character, the deepest love." When the Creative-Moniker…

One of the more controversial reform efforts, concerning efficient school systems, is teacher compensation linked with student outcomes. However, absent from the public discourse and empirical research literature concerning systemic reform is the probative value of pay structures which connect the compensation of school executives and student…

Research has consistently shown that principal leadership matters for successful schools. Evaluating principals on the behaviors shown to improve student learning should be an important leverage point for raising leadership quality. Yet principals are often evaluated with the use of instruments with no theoretical background and little, if any,…

This is the second part of a study conducted by Barton and Cox (2012) investigating administrative credential candidates' pre and post self-assessment results. Candidates who successfully complete principal preparation programs should possess the requisite knowledge and skills to assume leadership positions in P-12 schools. This study was designed…

School leaders are critical in the lives of students and to the development of their teachers. Unfortunately, in too many instances, principals are effective in spite of--rather than because of--district conditions. To truly improve student achievement for all students across the country, well-prepared principals need the tools, support, and…