This case study explains the functional or practical difficulties that many organizations face when they change their leaders. By describing the experiences of the two principals, two distinct styles of leadership are displayed, each of which provides the reader with the opportunity to understand some aspects of frames in organizations:…

A novice assistant principal, eager to lead, begins her career as an administrator in school beset with problems and far removed from the textbook definitions of "learning community". She works with inexperienced teachers, disillusioned veteran teachers, and a principal who is distracted and overwhelmed by personal concerns. Her suggestions are…

One town in a countywide school district wants to provide additional financial support for its students. The ensuing debate over governance, finance, and authority strains relationships across the county as multiple political actors and interest groups take sides. The school superintendent takes steps to provide a peaceful resolution to the issue,…

Good judgment and ethics in decision making are important criteria in all areas of teaching and administration. This case study chronicles the actions of a class sponsor whose decisions modify the results of a high school's senior class elections and the fallout that results. The principal must assess the problem, take appropriate action to…

Teacher retention has become a national crisis. This case study describes one principal's efforts to support new teachers and reduce the turnover rate at her school. Recognizing the problem a few years ago, the principal took what she thought were a number of proactive, decisive steps to resolve the issue--she is doing all the right things.…

This case was written for use in courses dealing with school administration, philosophy of education, or ethics in educational leadership. It deals with the ethical dilemma of an assistant principal at a low-performing, urban high school. Caught between a principal and a teacher who have different views on plagiarism, the assistant principal must…

This case focuses on an urban middle school that has recently seen much improvement in the academic performance of its students and its reputation within the community. These positive changes, however, have come about largely because of what might be perceived as a narrow focus on standardized curricula, pedagogy, and assessment techniques.…

As instructional leaders, principals often make curriculum decisions that balance their community's need for knowledge with the nation's need for knowledge workers. Across the country, school administrators are searching for funding and effective means of infusing more technology, foreign language learning, and global perspectives instruction into…

This case chronicles some of the problems a corporate executive encountered on his transition from the private sector to the deanship of the College of Business in a university of higher education. His deanship, which resulted from the recent reorganization at State University, gave him significant responsibility for undergraduate and graduate…

Currently in his second year as assistant principal, Jack Andrews is facing conflicting pressures of leadership related to his perception of career mobility and the tensions caused by a pervasively heterosexist, sexist, and homophobic culture in his school. This case raises questions regarding the purpose of school in terms of social justice,…

This article is a case study designed to challenge the beliefs, values, and ideology of graduate students in educational leadership preparation programs regarding social justice and democratic education. This case is designed to assist students in developing the knowledge, skills, and dispositions to navigate the micropolitical environments that…

A case developed for courses in leadership education--particularly for those centered in social justice and ethical leadership--is described. Students test their own assumptions about "difference" and are called on to make leadership responses that are grounded in ethical frameworks. This case highlights tensions that surround lesbian, gay,…

This case study focuses on the moral and ethical issues surrounding changing an athlete's grade to make him eligible to play in a championship game. Jerome, a senior attending Woodrow Wilson High School, earned a D in his typing class, which made him ineligible to play in the basketball championship games. The principal and basketball coach made…

This case is centered on the term "aestheticism", the discrimination or bias against those who do not possess the most desired physical qualities. In this particular case, the authors have chosen to highlight how African American administrators might be selected, assigned, or appointed based on their physical attributes and characteristics. The…

This case was developed for use in courses on the study of organizations, with a focus on school administration and supervision. It focuses on the challenges--most notably, changing demographics and a resistant faculty--faced by a new principal whose school has a record of success but is in danger of sliding into mediocrity. Varied data are…