"The Technology Balance Beam" is designed to question the role of technology within school districts. This case study chronicles a typical school district in relation to the school district's implementation of technology beginning in the 1995-1996 school year. The fundamental question that this scenario raises is, What is the balance between…

This case study portrays a contemporary phenomenon that affects many U.S. school districts. Specifically, the authors address the challenges that the superintendent of the Plains City school district faced as a result of a change in the demographic distribution of his district. The gradual development of the pig farming industry in Plains City…

This case study examines the lives of some very different educational leadership professors with a common problem: They are miserable in their work. But how could this be? They have secure jobs at a great university, considerable autonomy in their work schedules, an opportunity to study a subject they love, and a chance to work with great…

This case describes the work of two educational leadership professors who have been asked to serve as outsider reviewers of an educational leadership department at a large urban university. The department has a number of problems, and the university's provost seems intent on closing it. The provost's view of the department has been shaped in part…

The purpose of this case is to reflect and share the experiences of one educational leadership department as it underwent a transformation from being a department of individuals to a department of colleagues. The case illustrates that change is slow and difficult. It also demonstrates the importance of faculty fit to a department. Without it,…

This case study explores the politics and ethics surrounding a likely breach of school policy and possible breach of law. Students will be asked to identify key legal, ethical, and political issues in a unique scenario involving complex community issues, a split board, and unknown levels of support from superiors. At stake are employment status of…

This case presents an educational leader attempting to institute cultural change in a university department that has long been marked by turbulence, turmoil, and trauma. The case examines the well-intentioned efforts of the newly appointed department chair, John Nitsky, in his quest to "reculture" the department. (Contains 2 notes.)

Due to the state's recent adoption of the Interstate School Leaders Licensure Consortium standards, all leadership preparation programs are required to develop a standards-based curriculum emphasizing the principal's responsibility to lead schools committed to student success. The Midwest State University (MSU) educational leadership faculty,…

A diamond is a chunk of coal that stood up under pressure. Carat's Organizational and Administrative Leadership (COAL) program is a diamond in the rough--experiencing strong political pressure from multiple sides. As the state's premiere educational leadership preparation program, expectations are high. While striving to live up to its national…

This case focuses on some of the considerations and activities involved in human resource management that confront a principal at the beginning of the school year. The principal, who was an assistant principal in a neighboring district last year, is faced with a number of questions and unfamiliar procedures that accompany the new work context. By…

When does academic freedom become counterproductive? How does an educational leader respond to a teacher, a prominent stakeholder in both the school and the community, who models classroom behavior that becomes potentially offensive and harmful to students? Are there issues and teaching modes that are "politically incorrect"? This case study…

Effecting change for educational equity is challenging for school administrators. This case study focuses on a new principal with a social justice perspective who recognizes that changes in student demographics require a reassessment of school programs. Realizing that gross inequities have become institutionalized at the school regarding student…

The case of Trinity University is an ideal way to introduce graduate students in educational leadership preparation programs to the university culture and how it shapes the graduate curriculum, faculty expectations for student outcomes, and professional socialization processes. Master's and doctoral students who take courses related to cultural…

This article profiles Grace Abbott, one of the earlier 20th century American women leaders in Progressivism. Abbott's heritage influenced her lifetime commitment to social improvement. She was born on November 17, 1878 in Grand Island, Nebraska into a family of activists. Her Quaker mother, Elizabeth Griffin Abbott, came from an abolitionist…

The purpose for this case study was to explore the features of undergraduate engineering departmental and college support that influenced the persistence of women students. Women engineering faculty members were among the participants at three Land Grant universities in the Midwest. The data revealed the theme, Expanding the Pipeline, and…