From 2008 to 2010, project-based learning (PBL) was a major focus of the Teacher Leadership Institute (TLI), undertaken by the West Virginia Department of Education (WVDE), as a method for teaching 21st century skills. Beginning in January 2011, a summative evaluation was conducted to investigate the effect of PBL implementation on teachers'…

Decision processes for strategic planning for higher education institutions are outlined using these parameters: institutional goals and power structure, organizational climate, leadership attitudes, specific problem type, and problem-solving conditions and alternatives. (MSE)

This paper presents a definition of leadership in relation to power and authority and in terms of the impact of various types of influence attempts in formal organizations. The actions and reactions of superordinates and subordinates occur in terms of cultural values, group norms, and social responses derived from the social learning processes.…

This description of a process used in a social studies methods course presents an experiential approach to helping students learn power sharing and decision-making skills. By leaving students alone with instructions to decide cooperatively on desired class changes, type of evaluation, and leadership, students gain experience in negotiation and…

This facilitator's guide and student workbook package includes a high school curriculum designed to establish a foundation for adolescent/young adult leadership education programs. It targets diverse, at-risk teenagers, presenting an adaptable and broad-based perspective of leadership. The facilitator's guide takes instructors and students through…

Background/Context: Parent involvement in education is widely recognized as important, yet it remains weak in many communities. One important reason for this weakness is that urban schools have grown increasingly isolated from the families and communities they serve. Many of the same neighborhoods with families who are disconnected from public…

Knowledge of leadership is an important consideration for both teacher preparation and performance, and effectiveness in both areas can be improved through an understanding of the relationship between the dynamics of the classroom social system and the leadership style (motivation) of the teacher, and the conditions under which they meet.…

A leader's lack of followers is due to his lack of leadership, not the irresponsibility of his followers. Effective leadership can be defined as ability to foster a spirit of cooperation among a mass of people and to channel the collective efforts of these people toward a defined goal or objective. Some of the considerations involved in the…

Recognizing the importance of leadership in effective school administration, this document begins by discussing leadership as defined by Etzioni (1975), including ideas such as personal influence; positional power; the difference between instrumental and expressive leadership; and organizational type as defined by the dominant means of control in…

Over the past 50 years, theoretical and methodological problems have plagued the study of leadership. This paper, proposing an alternative theory, argues that leadership has three fundamental components: projection and social control, which are linked by action. Projection is the visualization of a project to be completed. Educational…

Summarizes research on small group processes by giving a comprehensive account of the types of variables primarily studied in the laboratory. These include group structure, group composition, group size, and group relations. Considers effects of power, leadership, conformity to social norms, and role relationships. (Author/AV)

Trends and problems involved in administrative decentralization of special education services are examined. Noted is the exclusion of special education from recent political and administrative decentralization attempts in large urban settings. Increased emphasis on mainstreaming is seen to necessitate greater role clarification between special and…

The qualitative study presented in this article explores motivations for school board membership and conceptions of power held by school board members. The findings of the study suggest a relationship exists between the way board members define power and the type of motivation board members have for service. The implications of these findings for…

A study was conducted to examine the structure of leadership and the specific types of leaders as identified by attitudinal characteristics of individuals or groups of leaders. A 7-county development Federation in South-central Montana was studied. A pre-structured interview schedule containing 93 questions was administered to 102 leaders.…

This Primer is intended to help individual citizens and community leaders and organizers (1) better understand the complex nature of decision making in democracy and (2) identify strategies for having a larger voice and impact. This publication is predicated and draws upon the author's 40 years of extensive and hands-on experiences in varied…