Whatever the past achievements of our schools, very few today bring about student learning even remotely up to the minimum requirements of a nation such as the United States; small improvements in the educational system will be of little consequence in light of the huge deficits and the country's increasing needs. Most of the large, complex plans…

Results of a descriptive quantitative study to identify personal beliefs and goals shared by effective school principals are presented in this report. Data were collected through an experience sampling study of principals, and through teacher and student attitudinal surveys. The experience sampling stage involved 81 Illinois elementary or…

The role of the principal as leader has been a subject of considerable debate and research in education. This study examines the extent of variation in leadership behavior and activities among urban high school principals. Data were collected through interviews with principals and teachers in national samples of urban comprehensive high schools…

While attending the December 12, 1984, Commission on Occupational Education Institutions (COEI) Delegate Assembly of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, 79 school personnel responded to a questionnaire to determine their attitudes toward accreditation standards. Measured were the following: respondents' perceptions of the priorities…

Using nationally representative data generated by the normal, day-to-day operation of schools, this research tested the major conclusions drawn from case studies focusing on principal effectiveness. On the basis of detailed information regarding individual student characteristics and achievements, detailed characteristics of teachers and their…

Robert Katz's model of the effective administrator, based on essential technical, human, and conceptual skills, offers a useful framework for the administrator of a program in English as a second language (ESL). The technical, human, and conceptual skills specific to the ESL program environment are outlined and illustrated, and Katz's estimation…

Data on salaries and a broad range of benefits provided to college chief executive officers (CEOs) were obtained through the 1984 Compensation and Benefits Survey of College and University Chief Executive Officers. The results will allow governing boards to compare: types and levels of compensation in their institutions with those in similar…

Leadership of colleges and universities poses problems for the Chief Executive Officer (CEO), the President. Ambiguous constituencies and the pull of various support groups inside and outside the institution present continual dilemmas for each academic CEO. Two instances of academic leadership are presented that compare and analyze the styles of…

This study was conducted in Wisconsin to determine the current status of personnel within the vocational, technical and adult education (VTAE) districts responsible for research, planning, and development (RPD) activities, what activities were being performed by the districts, and the nature of involvement in the performance of these RPD…

The careers of college presidents, provosts, and academic deans were studied, based on a stratified random sample of 4,000 line administrators in 1,600 accredited four-year, degree-granting institutions. Responses were obtained from 310 presidents/provosts and 1,293 deans. Attention was directed to respondents' personal, educational, and…

The study examined whether or not research is being put into practice to select the best and the brightest for the position of principal and attempts to categorize ways in which discrimination occurs by identifying whether hiring agents discriminate against certain kinds of candidates. Specifically, three kinds of bias are examined: (1) gender of…

This discussion of "dominant metaphors" characterizing the nation's history focuses specifically on the period of metaphor change surrounding the ascent of the National Football League. The terms AGON and PAIDIA, used by the ancient Greeks to describe two dimensions of sports activities, provide the framework for a discussion of the athletic…

A survey of school district superintendents sought to gather data on a number of characteristics and compare the data with earlier surveys. From a random sample of 2,342 superintendents, stratified by district size, the researchers received 1,339 responses. The variables covered included superintendent age, sex, ethnic group, political…

This paper describes three paradigmatic "change facilitator styles": initiator, manager, and responder. These styles were identified through observations of principals' school improvement practices and the effects that those practices had on implementation at the classroom level. Initiators have clear, decisive long-range policies and…

Pupils, teachers, and principals in urban elementary schools were interviewed to determine how administrative leadership styles and types of feedback mechanisms affect the academic achievement of two groups of pupils: those enrolled in Title I remedial reading programs, and those enrolled in the regular curriculum. Two components of administrative…