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…

Although the participation of administrators in problem-solving consultation teams is frequently mentioned in the literature as an important factor in the effectiveness of those teams, there has been little research into the impact of administrators on such teams. The impact of administrator participation on problem-solving consultation teams…

This article provides a brief overview of the qualities of American presidential leadership as well as two rubrics that social studies students can utilize to analyze candidates for the presidency in the past, present, and future. Presidents often exhibit certain characteristics or attributes that make them effective leaders. These abilities…

Academic administrators play a critical role in supporting and otherwise encouraging faculty to participate in web-based learning. In the fall of 2000, administrators at five academic institutions in the University of Texas System were surveyed concerning their attitudes on web-based learning. Administrators were defined as Chairs, Deans, and Vice…

This article discusses how all four facets of administrative ecology help dispel the claims about the "impossibility" of the superintendency. These are personal ecology, professional ecology, organizational ecology, and community ecology. Using today's superintendency as an administrative platform, current literature describes a preponderance of…

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…