Practitioners and scholars alike would be well served by new research attempting to draw connections between teacher perspectives and the administrative/organizational structuring of the work place. A sample of experienced teachers selected for detailed interviews described the conditions that facilitated their engagement in meaningful dialogue…

The superintendents and school board members participating in this study were randomly selected from New York State school districts. Respondents' perceptions of the purposes, strengths, and weaknesses of formal superintendent evaluations and the importance attached to various superintendent functions were similar. However, few superintendents…

Definitions of effective instructional leadership inadequately address supervision and strategic deployment of student support personnel (counselors, psychologists, social workers, and others) as critical resources for school success. Engaging their skills and understanding expands professional discourse, improves teaching and learning, and…

Summarizes a study comparing male and female educational administration professors' perceptions about how they obtained their positions and factors regarded as critical to the job search. Professors' perceptions were highly similar, but noteworthy gender-based differences emerged regarding the relative importance of interviews, perceived…

Investigates the needs of graduate students in educational administration programs, focusing on what learning would prove most valuable to administrators dealing with diverse constituencies and cultures. From indepth interviews, researchers found that graduate students learned far more about diversity (of gender, race, ethnicity, and social class)…

Formulates descriptive research findings into a utilitarian tool for principal leadership development programs. An instrument measuring attitude toward a (visionary) leadership ideal was developed, administered, and analyzed. Previous research findings were summarized. Results showed that the instrument would help assess individual acceptance of…

Effective administrator preparation programs provide students with self-awareness and insight about their thought patterns and behaviors' influence on executing their leadership roles. This paper describes a current university pilot program based on these assumptions, discusses program effectiveness as perceived by student participants, and…

Debate has long raged about the relative merits of leadership, management, and administration. This article questions the utility of valuing instructional leadership over management. Administrators wear both hats. The paper describes a set of definitions and relationships that could remove some "value" connotations and frames a model for relating…

Context is a powerful tool for understanding educational organizations, devising professional development programs for school administrators, and preparing future administrators. Specific strategies should be expanded for harnessing that power in analyzing educational settings, transferring knowledge across settings, and developing appropriate…

The Professional Studies Doctorate is a new 3-year administrator preparation program at Texas A&M University that blends theory, research, and clinical experiences for a select cohort of 14 practicing school leaders. The program includes intensive summer seminars, extended clinical weekend sessions, and ongoing evaluation and research…

Using telephone survey data from National Education Association and American Federation of Teachers representatives and information from official union publications and research reports, this article summarizes AFT and NEA perspectives on shared governance and administrator education programs in light of school restructuring efforts. The central…

Documents restructuring efforts at Florida State University's Department of Educational Leadership during the late 1980s and early 1990s. Describes from a faculty member's perspective the historical context for the department's initiatives, the creation of various partnerships with other organizations, and the installation of a new field-based…

Applies chaos theory to complex social organization, beginning with a mathematical definition of chaos. Shows how a nonlinear equation might be used to describe organization. The conclusion section identifies three approaches to analyzing chaos in social organization: metaphorical analysis, mathematical modeling, and data collection. (36…

Assesses nature of typical dilemmas confronting educational administrators through two-phase study of principals' ethical conflicts. When facing ethical dilemmas, principals tend to weigh competing alternatives against societal norms in determining courses of action. However, principals feel that other administrators are more likely to act in…

The move from teaching to administration is pivotal for creating innovative leaders. The National Policy Board on Educational Administration has called for principal recruitment and preparation reforms. This article discusses the socialization processes leading to the principal's role and describes implementation, benefits, and problems of New…