This volume presents several distinctive but related empirical studies and opinion pieces about chief education officers (CEOs). The collection begins with (1) "Introduction: A Framework for Understanding School System Administration" (Kenneth Leithwood and Donald Musella). Section A, "Chief Education Officers' Practices and Effects," contains the following chapters: (2) "Setting, Size and Sectors in the Work Environment of Chief Education Officers" (Derek J. Allison); (3) "Policy Administration as Rhetoric: One Leader and His Arguments" (Richard G. Townsend); (4) "The Influence of Chief Education Officers on School Effectiveness" (Donald Musella and Kenneth Leithwood); and (5) "Negotiating the Master Contract: Transformation Leadership and School District Quality" (Linda LaRocque and Peter Coleman). Section B, "Why Chief Education Officers Act As They Do," contains the following chapters: (6) "Components of Chief Education Officers' Problem Solving Processes" (Kenneth Leithwood and Rosanne Steinbach); (7) "The Values and Beliefs of Ontario's Chief Education Officers" (Mark Holmes); (8) "Administrative Artifacts: Inferring Values from the Physical Culture of the CEO's Office" (Stephen B. Lawton and Joyce Scane); and (9) "Pride and Privilege: The Development of the Position and Role of Chief Education Officers in the United States and Canada" (Derek Allison). Section C, "Fundamental Challenges for Chief Education Officers," contains the following chapters: (10) "A Delicate Balance: Leadership or Stewardship" (Mark Holmes); (11) "Centralize, Decentralize, Control and Liberate: CEO's Views of Restructuring School Systems" (Stephen B. Lawton and Joyce Scane); (12) "Assessing Organizational Culture: Implications for Leaders of Organizational Change" (Donald Musella and John Davis); and (13) "Conclusion: Preparation for Becoming a Chief Education Officer" (Kenneth Leithwood and Donald Musella). References follow each chapter, and an index is appended. (MLF)