Amid reports of superintendent shortages and concerns about equal opportunity, what place do women superintendents occupy in today's school districts? Are they sought after or are they struggling to break into a traditionally male-dominated profession? What qualities, if any, do they bring to the office that may make them more desirable as…

This article provides an Australian perspective on successful school leadership that focuses on case studies in two states (Tasmania and Victoria). Case studies for each state were developed independently and are reported separately. Two models of successful school leadership are outlined and compared, with the models, showing a remarkable degree…

Information technology departments, and therefore chief information officers (CIOs), can have a communication and action gap with their institutions and leadership. The gap between IT and the institution poses a major challenge if the senior IT executive, or the CIO, does not have the necessary skills and ability to lead a rapidly evolving IT…

At long last, scholars and policy makers have come to realize what most school administrators have known for years--that effective schools require both outstanding teachers and strong leaders. Although there is considerable research about the characteristics of effective school leaders and the strategies principals can use to help manage…

The purpose of this exploratory qualitative study was to determine what successful managers do to create healthy work environments in a healthcare organization. Managers using exemplary behaviors were selected and interviewed based on employee satisfaction surveys, and focus groups were conducted with employees who worked for them. Effective…

This article is a review of the literature concerned with leadership effectiveness in higher education at departmental level. The literature derives from publications from three countries: the UK, the USA and Australia. Surprisingly little systematic research has been conducted on the question of which forms of leadership are associated with…

This article investigates the perceptions of English headteachers to questions addressing the setting of goals and the effects of external pressure on headteachers. The research utilizes semi-structured interviews with headteachers from a variety of contexts. These interviews were used to write individual headteacher "portraits", which…

Purpose: The purpose of the study was to examine (a) ways in which elementary principals in Connecticut influenced the induction experiences of new teachers and (b) how school leaders professional backgrounds and beliefs affected their approaches to induction. Research Methods: The study included six elementary principals from three Connecticut …

The National Association of Secondary School Principals periodically studies practices and characteristics of secondary schools to help inform educators and shape policy. Such studies of middle-level education were conducted in 1966 and 1981. As middle-level education moved into the 1990s, many new questions about education and leadership needed…

Over the past two decades women have demanded greater access to positions in educational administration. This paper presents findings of a study that examined the experiences of women teachers seeking administrative positions in New Brunswick, Canada. Specifically, the paper explored the women's views about leadership and the ways in which they…

This paper presents findings of a study that verified the relationship between the professional isolation of school principals and their performance at work. A survey of all principals in a suburban area of Quebec (n=166) elicited a 70 percent response rate. The principals completed the UCLA Loneliness Scale and Self-Appraisal Instrument for…

A crucial component of leadership is the element of choice. Regardless of how much a person studies leadership, it is essential that he or she makes a conscious choice to accept the leadership role. This book defines leadership, gives examples of research in the field and explains how this knowledge can be used, describes leadership-development…

As part of a study of the advancement and support of women in administrative positions at institutions of higher education in North Carolina, administrators at the state's community colleges were surveyed in 1996 to determine their characteristics, satisfaction with their careers, and experiences with respect to obstacles and mentors. Surveys were…

Findings of a study that examined the relationship of principals' change facilitator styles to school effectiveness in different socioeconomic contexts are presented in this paper. Data were collected through a survey of 472 public elementary school teachers in 53 schools in 19 Louisiana school districts. Schools were categorized according to SES…

In recent years, almost all major changes and innovations in education have come out of suburban or urban schools, suggesting that rural schools are more resistant to change. The Myers-Briggs Type Instrument (MBTI) was completed by 86 school administrators to examine the extent to which the psychological traits of rural administrators might…