Principals can profoundly influence student achievement by leading school change, but they cannot turn schools around by themselves. District leaders need to create working conditions that support and encourage change for improved achievement, rather than hindering principals' abilities to lead change. This report includes principals' perceptions…

Summarizes a case study of dilemmas facing a Western Australian secondary headteacher involved in restructuring his school. Analyzes his methods of coping with intractable situations (like school expansion and performance management) and outcomes. Dilemmas offer both opportunities and challenges for visionary, proactive, and creative school…

Chronicles perceived dilemmas of 20 Australian principals whose work lives were preoccupied with school restructuring. Findings suggest two main types of dilemmas: general, personal/professional "states of mind" and specific, practical organizational dilemmas. Research is needed on devising management solutions and improving leadership…

Examines role transitions and role strain resulting from restructuring initiatives in four districts. The 20 principals interviewed had acquired coping skills. Cognitive restructuring and environmental factors moderated role strain effects, along with experience, tenure of position, staff trust, personal leadership style, and degree of autonomy…

Findings of a study that examined the working conditions that teachers face in an urban school district in the southern United States are presented in this paper. A survey mailed to 1,329 teachers in 15 secondary and 68 elementary schools produced an approximate 50 percent response rate per school. Interviews were also conducted with the union…

To discover how school restructuring affects teachers' work and teacher engagement, a study was conducted on eight schools that have been experimenting with alternative structures, programs, and activities for 7 to 10 years, The data presented were collected in two of the schools through observations of 15 classes and interviews with teachers,…

An analysis of the relationship between teachers' work culture and the school's social context is the purpose of this study, with a focus on teachers' shared psychological work orientations as components of a teacher culture. The methodology relates high school teachers' attitudes in two high schools to different social contexts with the cultural…

Motivated by the increasing prevalence of shared decision making and distributed leadership in restructured schools, six teams of Canadian secondary teachers were interviewed to explore their collective learning and the conditions influencing it. Qualitative and quantitative evidence identified numerous conditions to explain across-team learning…

The complexity of principals' work may be characterized according to three dilemmas: accountability, autonomy, and efficiency. Narrative vignettes of 74 Australian principals revealed that principals were fair and inclusive. When faced with restructuring dilemmas, however, they favored strong over shared leadership, efficiency over collaboration,…

Chaos theory provides a useful mental model for guiding change as leaders garner the energy from unpredictable events for realizing transformation goals. The paper considers chaos theory as a framework for managing school change toward Total Quality Management work cultures. Change is possible to manage when plans are made and then followed by a…

Discusses results of teachers' unionism in setting standards for teaching and representing teachers' economic and work conditions interests. Suggests that despite the efforts, teachers are still workers subject to coercion and exploitation. Argues that the profession's boundaries are hard to define and defend, and existing laws do not support the…

It has been difficult to define the work of curriculum directors for a variety of reasons related to educational structures and policies. Through the use of qualitative methodology, this study provides an in-depth analysis of the work of four exemplary curriculum directors in an effort to define their duties and responsibilities, identify the…