There are differing ideas, even among leaders in the field of library media, about what the focus of a definitive library media program should be. The one key concept, however, that emerges is that leadership is integral to the success of the library media specialist and the library media program. Successful advocating for the library media…

Principals who are presiding over schools that have received a blue ribbon certification have evidently used specific professional and personal strategies, as well as behaviors, to enhance the academic and social culture of their schools. The current study examined Mississippi Gulf Coast Schools that received blue ribbon status in the last six…

"Gateways to the Principalship: State Power to Improve the Quality of School Leaders" proposes state policies for improving principal effectiveness and student achievement. It uses policy examples from eight "lagging" and eight "leading" states as a means of advocating for a wide range of policy actions aimed at influencing principal preparation,…

This paper presents the results of a study of three long-term rural superintendents and their districts. The districts were selected due to the academic successes of their students as indicated by high school graduation rate, percent of students receiving advanced designation diplomas, and percentage of graduates planning to attend college.…

The purpose of this study is to determine which factors influence items that school principals consider "barriers" to dismissal of "incompetent" or "poor performing" teachers. This study determines if specific characteristics of schools, principals, or a combination of the two can predict the specific barriers cited…

The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001(NCLB) changed the landscape of education nationally. The purpose of this law is to provide a high-quality education to children regardless of their race, socioeconomic status, ability, or background. Effective School Research suggests that successful student learning is linked to the following school…

The purpose of this case study was to understand the experiences of two community college interim presidents, their characteristics, and how they led institutions following an abrupt presidential departure. There were two fundamental questions framing this study: 1. How do two interim community college presidents lead community colleges during a…

Scholars have long argued that principals should be "instructional leaders," but few studies have empirically linked specific instructional leadership behaviors to school performance. This study examines the associations between leadership behaviors and student achievement gains using a unique data source: in-person, full-day…

The success of a Professional Development School (PDS) is dependent upon the PDS principal and her/his ability to negotiate diverse job responsibilities, the most important being an effective instructional leader. Therefore, the issue that was addressed in this study was: What are the exemplary practices of PDS principals in the area of…

Scant attention has been devoted to the study of public school assistant superintendents, particularly to those charged with the responsibilities of overseeing district-wide practices in regard to curriculum and instruction. This study provided an analysis of the career aspirations, career satisfaction, career efficacy, and career longevity, as…

The superintendent is the most visible figure in a school district and subject to the greatest stress and public scrutiny (Fullan, 1998; Jazzar & Kimball, 2004). The nature of the position is highly complex and requires a skilled leader to be able to navigate intricacies of public education (Byrd, Drews, & Johnson, 2006). Thus, the most…

One of the many challenges confronting community colleges is the reality that a majority of community college presidents are approaching retirement. This situation has become critical and two-year colleges face an unprecedented leadership crisis. There is a call for community colleges to identify new leaders and provide them with opportunities to…

Servant leadership is a challenging leadership philosophy to study empirically. The purpose of this qualitative descriptive case study was to determine if an effective leader of a for-profit career school displays the 10 servant-leader characteristics, identified by Larry R. Spears (1995) in "Reflections on Leadership," according to respondents,…

This article focuses on the reasons for principal-on-teacher bullying and the impact of the bullying on the victims. The data stem from a phenomenological study which was conducted to ascertain teachers' exposure to different types of bullying. Colaizzi's phenomenological method was employed in analysing participants' transcripts. The findings…

Throughout Pennsylvania, rural residents have taken on leadership roles to support and promote their communities and their residents. The challenges these leaders face continue to become more complex, as economic, political, social, cultural and even global forces influence local events. This research was conducted to understand how a sample of…