Researchers surveyed secondary teachers to measure satisfaction with their principals' communication, feedback, and adequacy of instructions. Data analysis indicated satisfaction with communication and instructions varied with teachers' age and gender. Older faculty were more satisfied than younger faculty with communicative interactions. Total…

Delineates the characteristics, roles, training, experience, and responsibilities of early childhood program supervisors. Discusses implications for policy and practice. Suggests that a profile is difficult to create because of problems with existing studies. (GLR)

Administrative women generally possess more expert information than men because they have had more classroom experience. In an age focused on the teaching process, women in leadership will prove a valuable asset. Through networking and struggling to overcome persistent stereotypes (the pink earring syndrome), women will advance in education and…

Ineffective schools are typically led by ineffective principals. This paper examines the ways that administrators can be problematic, how teachers can detect principal ineffectiveness, teacher-response strategies, how teachers can keep the school running, the importance of teachers exhibiting model behavior, and how teachers should return the…

Five black women presiding over college campuses with over 20,000 students are profiled: Del M. Anderson (City College of San Francisco, CA); Constance M. Carroll (San Diego Mesa College, CA); Ruth Burgos-Sasscer (Houston Community College System, TX); Jerry Sue Thornton (Cuyahoga Community College, OH); and Belle S. Wheelan (Northern Virginia…

A content analysis of over 35 American motion pictures and television sitcoms since the 1950s showed principals most often portrayed as autocrats, bureaucrats, or buffoons. Sometimes, as in the TV movie "Kidz in the Woods," a single show depicts all three characteristics. Promoting instructional leadership and an ethic of caring among…

Examines reasons for the paucity of female secondary headteachers, employing a large-scale survey of all English and Welsh secondary principals that achieved a 70 percent response rate. Considers demographic characteristics, work constraints associated with domestic commitments, and overt and covert discrimination factors. High discrimination…

Based on data from American Council on Education surveys, developed four career trajectories to a college presidency and how they are related to the demographic and professional backgrounds of presidential incumbents in different types of institutions; findings suggested how presidential aspirants and institutions may increase gender and ethnic…

In interview, president of the American Council on Education, Robert H. Atwell, offers his perspectives on the current state of the college presidency; its pressures, rewards, and frustrations; and what he'd like to see administrators do differently. Qualities of an effective president include high energy, tolerance for ambiguity, good listening…

Summarizes a study to identify preschool administrative and teacher variables predicting the frequency of parent-teacher communication. The sample consisted of 483 preschool teachers attending an early childhood institute. Results of multiple regression analyses indicated that administrative "center supports" contributed the most to…

Discusses personnel management and personnel evaluation. Highlights include personnel manager traits; performance improvement; effective leadership; supervisory styles; examining staff skills, including human skills, technical skills, and conceptual skills; increasing productivity; and identifying problem areas in job performance and possible…

It was important, in selecting a new chancellor for Damp Valley State, to find someone to preserve and cultivate the university's reputation as a fourth-rate backwater. Founder Throckmorton P. Wallow would have been pleased with the choice, by a painfully diverse and politically correct search committee, of Estralita Gonzalez, who had formerly…

The challenge every college, university, and state higher education coordinating board has is changing demographics. In most states, minorities are becoming majorities, and the importance of gaining an understanding of other cultures becomes much more evident. To promote diversity in academic leadership, educators must recognize that the college…

The central goals of federal education policy are to achieve equity of educational opportunity and proficiency in educational outcomes for all students--regardless of gender, ethnicity, income, language of origin, disability, or geography. The means to achieve these goals rely in part on the ability of states and districts to provide every student…

This volume presents the 2009 Yearbook of the National Council of Professors of Educational Administration. This year's theme is "Remembering Our Mission: Making Education and Schools Better for Students." This Yearbook contains six parts. Part 1, Invited Chapters, includes the following: (1) President's Message: Remembering Our Mission…