Purpose: The purpose of this research is to report on the values practised by five effective secondary principals and to seek to identify common values that underpin their work practices. Design/methodology/approach: Principals were observed, each for two days, at work in their schools. From the observations of each principal activities were…

This article draws on findings from a larger international study and the literature to examine successful principals of challenging high-poverty schools in the USA, England, and Australia. Specifically, this article reports case-study findings for 13 challenging schools, 4 each in the USA and Australia and 5 in England. Findings from this study…

A study was done on the variation in characteristics, roles, and functions of institutional research professionals affiliated with the Southern Association for Institutional Research (SAIR). The study examined professional role identity, location of offices in the organizational hierarchy, breadth of institutional research activities undertaken,…

This study focused on profiles of private, four-year college and university presidents in the United States. A stratified random sample of 291 presidents was drawn for the study from a total pool of 873. In January and March, 1991 a pilot-tested survey instrument was mailed and 276 responses were received. The "typical" president was found to be a…

Until very recently, ethical issues were given little attention in administrator-preparation programs. This digest outlines the ethical responsibilities of school leaders and the dilemmas that they face. It offers the following suggestions for resolving ethical dilemmas: (1) Leaders should have and be willing to act on a definite sense of ethical…

This paper asks: Which of the alternative views that women bring to the position of superintendent have the potential to change the nature of the position itself? The paper examines the classical "feminine" definition of power in light of its potential to support an ethical practice not often attributed to superintendents of schools, namely, an…

Findings of a study that investigated teachers' perceptions of the most desirable characteristics of principal behavior are presented in this paper. An instrument used to measure employees' perceptions of business manager characteristics (Kouzes and Posner 1987) was adapted to the educational setting and completed by 1,225 teachers in 4 states.…

Common views of the assistant principal (AP) as the "Marine Corps sergeant type" with nowhere better to be are outdated. Career APs have diverse roles in school administration, often including, but not limited to, discipline. Many career APs find rewards in working with children and put high value on having a balanced personal life. Two…

Findings from a study that described the responsibilities and characteristics of Kentucky school district instructional supervisors are presented in this paper. Instructional supervisors are those district personnel who are responsible for the professional development of teachers. Questionnaires mailed to 184 Kentucky instructional supervisors…

Findings from a study that explored differences in the definition and operationalization of leadership between mainstream and disadvantaged groups are presented in this paper. The "fuzzy concept operationalization method" was used to define leadership traits in two groups of leaders participating in two different leadership training workshops: 12…

A descriptive-correlational study was conducted to explore and describe interpersonal conflict management styles, identify psychological type preferences, and examine the relationships between conflict management styles and psychological type preferences as well as selected demographic characteristics of the Cooperative Extension Service's North…

This paper aims to identify critical constraints as perceived by U.S. and California women superintendents and to determine how these women overcame them. The Survey of Influences on Female Superintendents' Careers (SIFSC) was used in two studies to collect quantitative and qualitative data on women superintendents in the United States and in…

Ways in which women practice power in the central office and the perceptions of those practices are explored in this study. The paper raises the questions: "How can a woman be perceived as successful in a central-office administrative position?""How is success defined by those with whom she works?" and "What do her colleagues accept as successful…

This report presents results of a national survey of college president assessment policies and practices and describes a "typical" presidential assessment process constructed from the most frequent survey responses. Respondents included 1,348 presidents and 535 board chairs. The typical assessment process lasted about a month; information was…

This report presents results of a national survey of college and university governing board assessment policies and practices, and describes a "typical" board assessment process constructed from the most frequent survey responses. The survey included 1,348 presidents and 571 board chairs. The typical assessment includes the following: the board…