This paper presents findings of a study that explored Mexican-American female principals' perceptions of leadership, power, and caring. Interviews were conducted with six principals of public schools in the Rio Grande Valley region of Texas. The principals described the personal and social challenges of being Mexican-American and female, and those…

American schools have recently been exposed to a grave cycle of educational distress advanced by both internal and external constituencies for a variety of reasons, which range from political correctness to vouchers. Responses by educational administrators appeared to have found solace in the overt practice of deliberate inaction rather than…

Based on the premise that an effective relationship between community college governing boards and presidents is crucial, this volume explores the professional needs, challenges, and roles of college presidents and governing board members and the influence of these factors on the board-president team. The following articles are provided: (1)…

Three issues guided the study reported here: (1) conditions within the educational context that act as sources of support or barriers to teacher leaders; (2) conditions outside the educational context that act as sources of support or barriers to teacher leaders; and (3) the internal intellectual and psycho-social factors that motivate or impede…

Research has demonstrated that corporations succeed or fail on the basis of how well they are led. Although the importance of leadership in organizational decision making has been recognized and studied extensively, numerous studies have also demonstrated the central role that the principal plays in shaping the school culture which, in turn, is a…

A study was conducted of the educational role of the principal in elementary schools under two educational policy alternatives. The study joined perspectives on the role of the principal with policy initiatives to strengthen schooling along two lines: common high student performance standards for all and redesign of the connection between the…

Although many studies have concentrated on the principal's role in changing school culture, few have noted which norms of school culture were manipulated by the principal. This paper presents findings of a study that identified the effect of the principal upon school culture in two elementary schools in a county of a rural mid-Atlantic state. Both…

This book of ethics case studies for regents and trustees of institutions of higher education was developed because of the need for ethics materials in the Oklahoma Regents Education Program. The cases presented are more than entertaining stories (fiction extracted from experience). They are invitations to think more deeply and get to the heart of…

Since most private and public sources of external funding generally expect increased effort and accountability, Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) at two-year colleges must inform faculty and staff that if they do not expend extra effort their college will not receive significant grants. The CEO must also work with the college's professional…

This paper presents findings from a 4-year ethnographic research study into school leadership relating to how a particular principal with a well-informed adult development perspective actually employed it through her practices in support of teacher development in a school. This work focuses on leadership, adult development, and teacher development…

For 2 decades, schools in the United Kingdom and in western economies in general have experienced rapid change. Many schools, however, look less like learning organizations today than they did before the introduction of the Education Reform Act in 1988. This paper reports on an ongoing series of case studies of school improvement that developed…

This publication contains three articles that examine the changing role of the urban superintendent. The first presents highlights of interviews with Dr. Walter Amprey, superintendent of the Baltimore City Public Schools, and Dr. Donald Ingwerson, who served 12 years as the superintendent of the Jefferson County, Kentucky, Public Schools. Each…

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…

Although community college leaders are regularly faced with decisions that have significant ethical import, they tend to have little if any formal preparation in how to make them. For the most part, administrators want to make decisions that improve the effectiveness of educational delivery, promote organizational health, are congruent with…

This book was written for teachers and principals who wish to exercise leadership in the ongoing work of school renewal. The book presents a new theory of educational leadership, examines the essential elements of leadership, and provides an indepth look at what "vision" means for educational leaders. Chapter 1 describes the roles of the principal…