This paper presents findings of a study that examined the "health" of the superintendency as perceived by superintendents in two states. Questionnaires sent to 307 Illinois superintendents elicited 227 responses, a 74 percent response rate, and questionnaires sent to 137 Massachusetts principals yielded 104 responses, a 76 percent response rate.…

Local boards of education in rural school districts have a unique opportunity to strengthen education through empowering various constituencies. Research shows that people believe in the potential of the local board, but also believe that school boards often fail to move effectively on critical leadership issues. Leadership as a process of…

Practices to maintain and enhance board-member relationships are described in this handbook. Following the preface, chapter 1 presents a historical overview to describe the problems involved in defining the proper roles for school boards and superintendents. Chapter 2 identifies current board/administrator roles and what they should be for the…

Findings of a study that examined the nature of transformational leadership in 10 Canadian secondary schools are presented in this paper. Interviews were conducted with all of the principals and vice-principals and a sample of department heads in 10 secondary schools identified as successful in implementing change. This paper presents findings…

This study sought to understand how executive committee members and deans experience and perceive the process of governance within their institutions. Following a brief review of the literature, the paper reviews three models of academic governance: the academic bureaucracy, the political institution, and the collegium and discusses previous…

In order to identify factors enabling superintendents to maintain their position, this study examines characteristics of superintendents serving in the same Oklahoma rural school districts for 12 years or more, a tenure longer than the national average of 5 years. Twenty-four superintendents were identified and interviewed by telephone. Data…

This book is a guide to the many roles of an academic dean who has jurisdiction over academic departments and programs that include faculty members, budget, and curricula in colleges and universities. The work advises on ways to recognize and solve the problems that confront academic deans. The topics treated include the following: the allocation…

The 1988 School Reform Act (Illinois PA 85-1418) mandated that Chicago's public schools be managed locally by school-based management councils. Principals in Chicago public schools work with their local school councils (LSCs) to effect plans concerning school management, budgeting, school improvement, staffing, and curricular concerns. This report…

University trustees have an important role to play in the globalization of university programs. Global education prepares students to work in an increasingly interdependent and "multicultural" world. Institutions of higher education have 11 points of leverage that can be employed to raise the institutional priority for global education:…

Designed as a resource for the development of an employment contract between a community college board of trustees and its chief executive officer (CEO), this "idea book" addresses diverse contractual concerns, such as liability and due process, and discusses the benefits of the contract for both the board and CEO. Drawing on comparative…

This study analyzes the turnover of principals in the Chicago (Illinois) Public Schools since the passage of the Chicago School Reform Act (CSRA) of 1989, and analyzes racial patterns in the recent retention of principals by Local School Councils (LSCs). The following key conclusions are reported: (1) a high percentage of principalships (about 30…

The first part of this publication delineates, in capsule form, the responsibilities of superintendents and other members of an administrative team. Thereafter, seven basic principles are presented that contribute to a sound, productive relationship between school boards and administrators: (1) a specific written description of administrators'…

This study investigated the school superintendency in British Columbia from 1979 through 1987, which has been a time of change from provincial to local employment of superintendents. Research explored the turnover and attrition among superintendents and the activities subsequent to their departure. Such demographic data were gathered from Ministry…

Multi-year employee contracts can substantially reduce the time and energy that goes into negotiations. In this transcript, panelists from the Strongsville (Ohio) city schools discuss their recent 5-year settlement with their non-teaching (classified) employees. Each panelist is introduced, and then the first, James Marietta, provides an overview…

This chapter summarizes and discusses the findings of a longitudinal comparative study of school board communication and decision-making in 11 selected school districts in the United States and Canada. The discussion focuses on patterns of communication and patterns of influence among school board members, school district administrators, and…