The details described in this case study examine the issues related to attendance policies and how such policies might be legally used to affect student grades. Concepts discussed should cause graduate students in educational administration to reflect on the issues presented from various points of view when the students complete an analysis of the…

This case study is presented for use with graduate students in educational administration. The intent is to further those students' preparation to deal with cultural and organizational change, along with the examination of the role of the administrative team as instructional leaders. One of the primary roles of the building principal is to be the…

Madeline Smith, a new elementary principal in northeastern Pennsylvania, wrestles with how to handle a dilemma involving one of her special education teachers who is wearing a head wrap while working. Wearing the head wrap is a violation of district policy, and if the head wrap is a religious symbol, then the employee is also violating the state…

Given the rate at which North American classrooms are becoming increasingly diverse, this case lays the groundwork for urgently needed conversations among all preservice and practicing school administrators. The case prompts students to consider the shortcomings of standard multicultural approaches, particularly as they relate to multiethnic…

This case is developed for use in classes in which key ideas related to democracy, accountability, inclusion, finances, and social justice are introduced. It could be useful in a course on school reform or on democratic leadership. Although the case is fictional, it is a composite in which all events and information provided are "real." The intent…

This case addresses a typical context faced by a new urban principal. Under the former principal, the school had several years of average academic success. Consequently, the superintendent appointed the new principal to significantly improve the success of the highly diverse elementary school. Although the new principal has been well trained and…

A basketball player at a National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I and religiously affiliated school cheats in a course and receives an "F." Under the school's academic policy, a failing grade for academic dishonesty should not be expunged from the student's record, but the university's president approves a grade change for the star…

This case study involves an 8-year-old American Indian student with a disability, who was videotaped assaulting another student as they exited the school bus. Although acts of school violence are common on campuses across the nation, this incident is particularly complex, given the disability status of the student committing this act. This case…

The clash of values between the principal and the community has political ramifications for how policies are developed and implemented. This case study describes a situation in which an African American principal in a White-dominant but increasingly diverse rural school district tests the limits of a community by enforcing a tardy policy for the…

Immersed in host countries around the globe, American international schools serve about a quarter of a million Americans. These schools can often be perceived as representatives of U.S. schools in the international setting. This study has a twofold purpose: to introduce students to the philosophy, policies, and practices of American schools…

This case tells the story of James Madison High School, which became the epicenter of a debate over the future reorganization and control of large secondary schools in the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD). The LAUSD, recently taken over by the newly elected mayor, was fighting for control of this 3,000-student high school with a charter…

This case presents contemporary issues confronting a school district where school leaders must take a role in leading staff to develop greater insight into issues of social justice. The story is set in a suburban village school district that has recently seen an influx of immigrants moving into the community. The school district needs to change…

This case, based on actual events, was developed for a course in educational leadership or media management. Students will test their own processes for ethical leadership through this complex crisis in which a superintendent must decide whether to take public responsibility for questionable decisions made by his staff. This case highlights the…

Case study teaching provides a bridge between the world of theory and the world of practice. In addition, case teaching enhances students' analytical and problem-solving skills and gives students the opportunity to engage in shared problem solving. Undisguised cases have certain advantages as teaching tools. First, undisguised cases give case…

The intense experiences that fill a principal's school day often create blind spots in which one cannot see the greater opportunities for discovery. In fact, these daily challenges of the principalship can lead to very reactive measures and sometimes tunnel vision. The purpose of this case is to help future educational administrators recognize the…