Describes a study of 3,000 community college department chairs to identify and prioritize strategies used to cope with job-related challenges. Indicates that top strategies were related to relations with business and industry, maintaining the chair position, and internal departmental operations. Discusses implications for future research. (10…

Discusses a survey of 1,700 (response rate 54%) community college senior-level administrators regarding their career pathways. Reports that: (1) 27% of presidents and 42% of chief academic officers (CAOs) were women, much higher percentages than in a 1985 study; and (2) 22% of respondents were hired into the presidency--and 52% into the CAO…

Data on characteristics of superintendents of American residential schools for the deaf were gathered in a 1999 survey. Comparison with characteristics of superintendents of public schools found the groups shared beliefs about their essential responsibilities but differed in how they characterized their relationships with their governing boards.…

A two-year national study of effective college presidents found that effective presidents think and behave differently from their representative counterparts. Three basic leadership attitudes and behaviors were: those related to the person; those reflected in the position; and those evident in social relationships. (MLW)

Statistics on the relative importance of teaching and research were among the findings of a nationwide survey of 2,423 university department chairmen. Some of the findings of the survey on institutional policies covered: the overall faculty, academic rank, tenure systems, limits on tenured faculty, employee benefits, collective bargaining, etc.…

Discusses survey responses from 17 of 48 Black community college presidents regarding their paths to the presidency, job interview, assets and liabilities associated with being a Black candidate for the presidency, affirmative action, mentors and role models, negative role models, and racial aspects of the presidency. (DMM)

New foreign language department chairpersons, although good teachers and scholars, often lack administrative training or skills for their new positions. Critical areas that new chairpersons must tackle include relationships with deans and other administrators, their administrative persona, and their use of institutional and professional…

Media training teaches executives how to handle themselves in press and television interviews. It can help a president or chancellor produce straight talk under the pressure of public interviews. Projecting this kind of confidence and control can have a large effect on public perceptions of an institution or situation. (MSE)

Some of the strategies for overcoming obstacles to gender parity in organizations include consciousness-raising, mentoring, informal support, training, and role modeling. Evidence to support the use of these strategies based upon the past experiences of female graduate social work students was explored. (Author/MLW)

Data from portable heart-rate monitors and work diaries were used to relate Mintzberg's "nature of managerial work" to physiological stress in small number of working principals over three complete work days. Principals found to be working under extreme stress for long hours, and certain activities were more stressful than others.…

A study that interviewed educational managers at different career stages concerning their conceptions and experiences of educational-management learning found that teachers acquire managerial expertise by various means. The seven most common opportunities were identified and analyzed (from the learner's viewpoint) in terms of their relative…

Although 1992 Scholastic Aptitude Test scores have risen slightly, scores are closely linked to family income and education. ACT (American College Testing Program) scores are tied more to academic preparation. Reading performance has improved, but math performance lags behind other nations. Educator demographics, salary information, and regional…

The college president's role in institutional leadership is discussed, focusing on the president's relationship with the governing board and his/her empowerment in the face of responsibility. Examples of presidents who have been able to transform institutions are offered. It is concluded that professional distance is an essential quality. (MSE)

Summarizes a study to identify major personal, professional, and organizational characteristics contributing to administrator burnout; to determine salient correlational relationships; and to assess how social support affects job satisfaction, burnout, and performance. The Administrator Work Inventory was given to 1,000 Washington State principals…

Discusses the emerging leadership qualities needed to establish and administer programs to recruit and prepare teachers of color. The discussion is derived from experience with the Pathways to Teaching Careers initiative funded by the DeWitt Wallace-Reader's Digest Fund. The importance of linking efforts by educational leaders is stressed. (SLD)