bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Obstetricians’ Knowledge and Attitudes toward Epidural Analgesia in Labour
Authors: Vandendriesen N. M. , Lim W. , Paech M. J. , Michaels C.
Published: January 2019

A survey of all registered obstetrician/gynaecologists in Western Australia (n = 79) was conducted to obtain information regarding their level of knowledge about epidural analgesia (EA) in labour and its complications, their sources of information about EA, and their opinions regarding its role in labour and effect on progress of labour. Response rate was 68%.

Most respondents had only received lectures about EA after specialist training and 20% did not achieve an adequate knowledge score. Those of less than five years’ experience achieved significantly better scores.

Over a third did not favour EA in labour until active labour was established, though 90% would recommend it by late first stage in those with a potentially complicated delivery. For women with cardiac or significant medical disease aggravated by labour, 18% would wait until the late first or second stage before suggesting EA. Seventy-seven per cent believed EA prolonged the second stage of labour, though opinion varied regarding EA effects on the duration and progress of first and third stages.

Up to thirty minutes delay before epidural placement is acceptable to 87%. This survey suggests that there is both a demand and a need for greater education about EA in labour, particularly with respect to EA side-effects, complications and effects on labour, in the subgroup of obstetricians who have been in obstetric practice more than five years.
Hepatic Portal Venous Gas in a Critically Ill Patient
Authors: Venkatesh B. , Tesar P.
Published: January 2019

A case of hepatic portal venous gas following intestinal ileus in a critically ill patient in the intensive care unit, who went on to have a successful outcome, is described. Although hepatic portal venous gas (HPVG) is usually associated with an abdominal catastrophe and portends a poor clinical outcome, there are a number of benign causes of HPVG. The pathophysiological processes such as gut bacterial translocation and altered intestinal permeability that may occur as a paraphenomenon in the setting of HPVG are discussed.
Clearance of an Obstructed Endotracheal Tube with an Arterial Embolectomy Catheter with the Patient in the Prone Position
Authors: Grimmett W. G. , Poh J.
Published: January 2019

The obstruction of an endotracheal tube with the patient in the prone position creates major anaesthetic difficulties that may result in patient morbidity and mortality. We describe a case involving the clearing of a blocked endotracheal tube with an arterial embolectomy catheter and discuss the relevance to anaesthetic practice.
Anaesthetic Implications of Maffucci's Syndrome
Authors: Chan S. K. C. , Ng S. K. , Cho A. M. W. , Oh T. E.
Published: January 2019

Maffucci's syndrome is a rare, congenital disease due to neuro-ectodermal dysplasia and is characterized by enchondromatosis and multiple soft tissue haemangiomata. A case of Maffucci's syndrome with haemangiomata along the upper airways requiring laser surgery is described. The literature on Maffucci's syndrome is reviewed.
Management and Outcomes of Patients with Brain Trauma in a Tertiary Referral Trauma Hospital without Neurosurgeons on Site
Authors: Havill J. H. , Sleigh J.
Published: January 2019

Waikato Hospital is a tertiary hospital of over 700 beds receiving large numbers of trauma patients, but has no neurosurgeon closer than 130 kilometres. Over the 10 years ending July 1997, 831 cases of brain trauma were admitted to the Intensive Care Unit. Of these, 191 died before leaving hospital (overall mortality 23%). Of the 547 who had a Glasgow Coma Score (GCS) ≤8, 173 died (mortality 32%). Of the children who were <15 years of age and had a GCS ≤ 8, there was a 23% mortality. These mortality rates are acceptable when compared with other reports (average 37%, over 12 adult series). Using brain AIS scores, our mortality figures also compared favourably with those in the literature, and suggest that the quality of brain trauma care is adequate in this non-neurosurgical centre with intensive care, backed by CT scanning and general surgeons able to do urgent burr holes. Six per cent of the brain trauma patients (approximately five per year), required interhospital transfer for definitive neurosurgical care.
Disconnect Alarm Failure in Detection of Common Gas Outlet Disconnection
Authors: French R. A. , Kennedy R. R.
Published: January 2019

This laboratory study was prompted by two paediatric cases where low pressure alarms and capnography failed to detect common gas outlet disconnection when using a T-piece pump ventilator.

A carbon dioxide producing model lung was ventilated using the Clare ventilator (a T-piece pump type ventilator) via an Ayres T-piece. The T-piece used has 3 mm diameter fresh gas tubing. Common gas outlet disconnects were carried out using varying fresh gas flows and ventilatory patterns.

At fresh gas flows of less than 8 l/min, the low pressure alarm of the Clare ventilator failed to sound following common gas outlet disconnection. Oxygraphy showed a rapid rise in inspired oxygen. End-tidal CG2 rose, whilst inspired CO2 remained at zero.

This experiment demonstrates that the Clare ventilator's low pressure alarm detects common gas outlet disconnection poorly when used with an Ayres T-piece with narrow fresh gas tubing. Graphical representation of airway oxygen content has merit as an alerting monitor for common gas outlet disconnection.
Difficult Pulmonary Artery Catheterization in a Patient with Persistent Left Superior Vena Cava
Authors: Lai Y. C. , Goh J. C. Y. , Lim S. H. , Seah T. G.
Published: January 2019

A persistent left superior vena cava is an uncommon congenital abnormality. It arises when the left anterior cardinal vein fails to regress during the embryonic period. Although such patients are usually asymptomatic, they may have associated cardiovascular abnormalities. The anaesthetist may encounter difficulty in the insertion of pulmonary artery catheters. Other implications in the management of these patients in the operating theatre or intensive care unit are discussed.
Fulminant Desquamative Interstitial Pneumonitis
Authors: Gould T. H. , Buist M. D. , Meredith D. , Thomas P. D.
Published: January 2019

A previously well, 48-year-old female presented with a short history of respiratory distress and fever for which no cause could be found. Open lung biopsy was not contributory. She died within nine days of presentation of hypoxia and multi-organ failure. Post mortem examination revealed the pattern of desquamative interstitial pneumonitis.
“Near Drowning” Due to Hydatid Disease
Authors: Boots R. J.
Published: January 2019

Spontaneous rupture of a hydatid cyst is reported in a 19-year-old cattleman. Mechanical ventilation for respiratory failure and a right lower lobectomy were required for flooding of the airway with hydatid cyst fluid. The postoperative course was complicated by the development of acute respiratory distress syndrome. Complete recovery occurred with no recurrence following treatment with albendazole, praziquantel and partial hepatectomy.
Nasopharyngeal Electrode Recording of Somatosensory Evoked Potentials as an Indicator in Brain Death
Authors: Roncucci P. , Lepori P. , Mok M. S. , Bayat A. , Logi F. , Marino A.
Published: January 2019

Median nerve somatosensory evoked potentials were recorded in 28 comatose patients, eight of whom were progressing from coma to eventual brain death and in 11 brain dead patients using electrodes over the scalp, neck and nasopharynx (nasopharyngeal electrode). This recording technique was used to assess the different derivation of brainstem P14 wave activity. It showed that in the midfrontal scalp to the nasopharynx derivation a clear P14 was present in all comatose patients. This component disappeared during the passage from coma to brain death.

In a separate group, simultaneous direct recordings in the vicinity of the dorsal column nuclei and with a nasopharyngeal electrode were made in five patients undergoing neurosurgical procedures at the craniocervical junction with the same somatosensory evoked potential monitor. We found that the P14 recorded with the nasopharyngeal electrode in the neurosurgical patients corresponded in latency and morphology with the P14 recorded directly on the surface of the craniocervical junction and more specifically in the vicinity of the nucleus cuneatus.

The nasopharyngeal electrode provides non-invasive access to the ventral brainstem at the medullo-pontine level and the disappearance of the P14 shows a clear sign of involvement of the craniocervical junction in brain dead patients. Our study showed that with a simple montage the nasopharyngeal electrode is an effective non-invasive monitor for brainstem activity and can be used as an early diagnostic indicator of brainstem death.
Epidural Analgesia Reduces the Release of Amino Acids from Peripheral Tissues in the Ebb Phase of the Metabolic Response to Major Upper Abdominal Surgery
Authors: Barratt S. M. , Smith R. C. , Kee A. J. , Carlsson A. R. , Mather L. E. , Cousins M. J.
Published: January 2019

The purpose of this prospective cohort study was to compare metabolic effects of epidural or patient controlled analgesia (PCA) in patients undergoing major upper abdominal surgery.

Seventeen patients undergoing major upper abdominal surgery were included: 10 received perioperative epidural analgesia (Group I) and the remainder received morphine via a PCA device for postoperative analgesia (Group II). A number of measures compared between one day preoperatively (day 1) and day 2 postoperatively included femoral arterial and venous blood concentrations of glucose, lactate, pyruvate and amino acids. In addition, the relevant flux values were measured from the products of the respective arteriovenous substrate concentration differences and calf blood flow.

The efflux of lactate from peripheral tissues was greater in Group II than in Group I (P<0.01): glucose and pyruvate efflux did not differ between groups. There was no difference between groups in mean individual and total flux of amino acids on day -1. However increased efflux between day -1 and day 2 was found for alanine, valine, isoleucine, leucine, phenylalanine, lysine, arginine in both groups, and for serine, glycine, tyrosine and histidine in Group II (P<0.05). The efflux of glycine, methionine, amino benzoic acid, alanine, and lysine was less in Group I than Group II on day 2 (P<0.05). There was a significant difference in the total amino acid flux on day 2 (Group I = -1.2 μmol.(100 ml tissue)-1.min-1 cf Group II = -2.5 μmol.(100 ml tissue)-1.min-1; P = 0.04).

In conclusion, perioperative epidural analgesia was associated with a reduced postoperative amino acid efflux two days following major upper abdominal surgery.
Haemodynamic Measurements (Continuous Cardiac Output and Systemic Vascular Resistance) in Critically Ill Patients: Transoesophageal Doppler versus Continuous Thermodilution
Authors: Baillard C. , Cohen Y. , Fosse J. P. , Karoubi P. , Hoang P. , Cupa M.
Published: January 2019

Ten critically ill patients underwent this prospective study to assess the reliability of the continuous thermodilution versus transoesophageal Doppler techniques in the determination of continuous cardiac output (CO) and systemic vascular resistance (SVR). A total of 145 pairs of CO and SVR measurements were obtained by both a pulmonary artery catheter with a heated filament and a transoesophageal Doppler apparatus (ODM II). Total CO ranged from 2.4 and 13 l.min-1; the bias of all measurements was 0.01±0.48 l.min-1, and the 95% confidence limits (mean difference±2 SD) were 0.97/0.96 l.min-1. Total SVR ranged from 309 and 2643 dyn.s.cm-5; the bias of all measurements was 18±127 dyn.s.cm-5, and the 95%, confidence limits were 272/236 dyn.s.cm-5. Transoesophageal Doppler accurately measures continuous CO and SVR in critically ill patients. It should be viewed as complementary to pulmonary catheterization.
Computer-Enhanced Diagnosis of Malignant Hyperpyrexia
Authors: Lowe A. , Harrison M. J.
Published: January 2019

A computer program using fuzzy logic templates has been developed to enhance the diagnosis of malignant hyperpyrexia. When tested, retrospectively, against the physiological changes that occurred during the onset of a bona fide malignant hyperpyrexia episode it made the diagnosis about 10 minutes before the anaesthetist. When tested against the changes associated with laparoscopic surgery, which has certain similarities, the diagnosis of malignant hyperpyrexia was very transient. The use of this program may assist the anaesthetist in the diagnosis of this rare event.
Surgical Emphysema following Percutaneous Tracheostomy
Authors: Douglas W. E. , Flabouris A.
Published: January 2019

We report two patients in whom a Portex GWDFT was complicated by surgical emphysema. Subsequent examination revealed posterior tracheal wall tears in these patients. The exact aetiology of these tears is unknown, although the tracheostomy tube introducer may have been implicated. We suggest a management plan for this complication.
Chomping at the Bit: A Descriptive Report on Pediatric Clenbuterol Ingestion
Authors: Woolum Jordan , Mancuso Nicholas , Rutter Philip W. , Baum Regan A. , Akpunonu Peter
Published: January 2019

Introduction:

Clenbuterol hydrochloride is a selective beta-2 adrenergic agonist with uses in both humans and animals. Ingestions occurring within the United States are generally due to incidental ingestion of a veterinary product, use as a cutting agent for illicit substances, or illegal use for performance-enhancing purposes.

Case Report:

A four-and-a-half year-old male presented approximately two-and-a-half hours after an accidental ingestion of an unknown quantity of clenbuterol. Initial laboratory results and electrocardiogram were remarkable for hyperglycemia, hypokalemia, and hypophosphatemia, with an electrocardiogram demonstrating sinus tachycardia. Heart rate ranged from 126 to 147 beats per minute while other vitals remained within normal limits. The patient was observed for 24 hours and discharged with normalized vital signs, laboratory results, and electrocardiogram.

Discussion:

Clenbuterol hydrochloride is a beta-agonist with high potency, extended half-life, and bioavailability of 70% to 80%. Tachycardia occurs due to beta-1 receptor stimulation, as well as a homeostatic reflex to peripheral vasodilation. Hyperglycemia is not uncommon in exposures and intracellular shifting of potassium causes hypokalemia. Treatment is primarily supportive in nature, with hemodynamic management representing the primary focus of initial triage.
Audre Lorde’s Hopelessness and Hopefulness: Cultivating a Womanist Nondualism for Psycho-Spiritual Wholeness
Authors: Yetunde Pamela Ayo
Published: January 2019

The late black American feminist lesbian poet Audre Lorde (1934–1992) was known in feminist communities in the United States, Europe, Africa, the Caribbean, and elsewhere for her poetry and prose about how to survive various forms of oppression. Though Lorde authored many political and spiritual poems and essays (including psychological topics) in her adulthood, little has been written about Lorde’s early psycho-spiritual spiritual journey from Catholicism to I Ching, which informed her adult integrated African spirituality, which in turn informed her political and social consciousness. Lorde’s poems to God, written during puberty and post-puberty, and her embrace of I Ching nondualism, provides insight into how Lorde understood the psycho-spiritual challenges of surviving through hopelessness and despair, and into confidence and hopefulness.
A study on modified accelerated diagnostic protocol to safely discharge low-risk chest pain patients in emergency department
Authors: Yean Kok Siew , Abd. Wahab Mahathar Bin , Zakaria Mohd Idzwan Bin
Published: January 2019

Background:

Evaluation of chest pain patients in emergency departments to distinguish between high-risk patients who require admission and low-risk patients who can be managed as outpatients is a challenging task.

Objective:

The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of Observation Ward Short Stay Evaluation Service for Chest Pain Protocol to identify and safely discharge low-risk patients with low incidence of major adverse cardiac events within 30 days.

Methods:

This was a single center prospective observational study, conducted from 1 March 2016 to 31 August 2016 at the Emergency and Trauma Department, Hospital Kuala Lumpur, Kuala Lumpur. Observation Ward Short Stay Evaluation Service for Chest Pain Protocol was used to evaluate patients presented with chest pain or angina equivalents. The components involved Thrombolysis in Myocardial Infarction (TIMI) score, serial electrocardiograms, high-sensitivity cardiac troponin T, and exercise treadmill test. Low-risk patients were patients with TIMI < 2, normal serial electrocardiogram, high-sensitivity cardiac troponin T ≤ 14 ng/L, and negative exercise treadmill test. If anyone of the components was not fulfilled patients were considered as high risk, and they were either admitted or referred to clinic for further intervention. Low-risk patients were allowed for discharged. All patients were followed-up in 30 days for any incidence of major adverse cardiac events.

Results:

Totally, 174 patients were studied. Observation Ward Short Stay Evaluation Service for Chest Pain Protocol managed to discharge 102 (58.6%) patients, and 84 (82.4%) of them underwent exercise treadmill test. About 46 (54.8%) patients had negative exercise treadmill test, whereas 38 (45.2%) patients had either positive or inconclusive exercise treadmill test, and they were referred to physician clinic for further cardiac assessment. None of the patients with negative exercise treadmill test developed major adverse cardiac events in 30 days. The sensitivity and the negative predictive value (NPV) of Observation Ward Short Stay Evaluation Service for Chest Pain Protocol were both 100%.

Conclusion:

Observation Ward Short Stay Evaluation Service for Chest Pain Protocol can be applied in emergency departments to identify and safely discharge patients with low risk of major adverse cardiac events in 30 days.
Why Principals Lose Their Jobs: Comparing the Perceptions of Principals and Superintendents
Authors: Davis Stephen H.
Published: January 2019

Few studies have compared the perceptions of principals and superintendents regarding the reasons why principals lose their jobs. Perceptual congruence on factors that contribute to principal termination is necessary to ensure accurate, appropriate, and constructive feedback about ineffective leadership behaviors. This study compared the perceptions of 124 California public school principals with those of 99 California public school district superintendents on 22 reasons why principals lose their jobs and on 9 organizational outcomes related to ineffective leadership. Principal and superintendent perceptions varied significantly regarding the primary reasons for termination. Superintendents most often attributed principal failure to internal personal insufficiencies such as poor interpersonal relationships and decision making. In contrast, principals most often attributed failure to external factors such as political interference and conflicts with the superintendent and board of education. An analysis of organizational outcomes found that most superintendents cited a high number of parent complaints as evidence of an at-risk principal, whereas most principals cited poor staff morale.
Why “Particularly Good” Principals Don't Quit
Authors: Boris-Schacter Sheryl , Merrifield Susan
Published: January 2019

In the face of recent articles describing a mass exodus of principals without suitable replacements, our investigation into the nature of professional development for school leaders has implications for preparation and staff development programs. This article reviews findings from interviews with committed administrators and places them within the context of new research on principals as lifelong learners who publicly model intellectual curiosity.
Measuring Reculturing in National Reform Models
Authors: Kytle AngéL Wonycott , Bogotch Ira E.
Published: January 2019

This study examines school reform efforts through the lens of “reculturing” as opposed to “restructuring.” Schools must engage in reculturing processes for change to be lasting. Using this lens, an instrument was developed to measure the process of reculturing in schools engaged in national reform efforts. The use of the instrument resulted in a framework for understanding school reform as a reculturing process.
The Impact of School-Based Management on Primary School Principals: An Australian Perspective
Authors: Cranston Neil
Published: January 2019

This article reports research on the impact of the implementation of school-based management on primary schools and their principals in Queensland, Australia. A qualitative case study approach was employed, with individual and focus group interviews being the major data collection method. The findings illustrate that, as in systems elsewhere where school-based management has been introduced, the impact on schools and principals has been significant. Increasing demands are being made on principals to lead their communities through the change process and facilitate cultural change while at the same time responding to greater accountability demands from the system. Educational leadership has largely given way to managerial activities. Implications for policy, practice, leadership theory, and further research are discussed.
Selecting Mentors for Principalship Interns
Authors: Geismar Thomas J. , Morris John D. , Lieberman Mary G.
Published: January 2019

An instrument for assisting in the selection of mentors for principal interns was developed using six clusters of basic and high-performing principal competencies and five clusters of mentoring traits. The representative sample included 91 principals from Broward County, Florida public schools. A Likert-type scale rated the percentage of time during the principal's career an influential person had spent exhibiting principal competencies and mentoring traits. All squared multiple correlations, predicting mentoring traits from principal competencies, were significant (p < 0.0001), ranging from 0.63 to 0.89. Predictive discriminant analyses yielded models with significant (p < 0.005) cross-validated classification accuracies for mentors (97%), non-mentors (81%), and the sample (84%).
Gender-Based Perceptions of the Challenges, Changes, and Essential Skills of the Principalship
Authors: Kochan Frances K. , Spencer William A. , Mathews Jerry G.
Published: January 2019

This study investigated the role perceptions of principals and whether gender influenced those perceptions. Results indicate that the job of principals has changed significantly during the last 5 years. Internal and external forces have made the position very challenging. Although men and women agree on many of the roles, challenges, and skills required of them as principals, the study found differences in the manner in which these two groups perceive their responsibilities. Women appear to view their tasks more globally than males and think of themselves as leaders of others in a team relationship. Men, on the other hand, approach the job as managers of others. The findings have implications for the identification, education, and selection of principals.
Notes from the Cell: A Response to English's “Interrogation”
Authors: Murphy Joseph
Published: January 2019

This article is a response to Fenwick English's review of my 1999 monograph, The Quest for a Center: Notes on the State of the Profession of Educational Leadership. In it, I refute the three central claims made by English: (a) the monograph reinforces the status quo in the profession, (b) it is a call for maintaining professional control, and (c) it is hostile to alternative perspectives in the field.
School Bureaucracies that Work: Enabling, Not Coercive
Authors: Hoy Wayne K. , Sweetland Scott R.
Published: January 2019

Two conflicting views of the consequences of bureaucracy emerge from the literature. Some studies demonstrate that bureaucracy alienates and frustrates, while other research finds that bureaucracy increases satisfaction and innovation. This analysis is an attempt to reconcile these two theoretically opposing perspectives by creating and testing a new construct, which we call “enabling bureaucracy.” The empirical results are encouraging and suggest that schools can be designed with formalized procedures and hierarchical structures that help rather than hinder. Indeed, teachers report that some rules help rather than constrain and some hierarchies facilitate teaching and learning. In such schools teacher alienation is reduced and trust among colleagues is fostered.
Teacher Leadership in Professional Development Schools: Emerging Conceptions, Identities, and Practices
Authors: Gonzales Sarah , Lambert Linda
Published: January 2019

This is a study of emerging teacher leadership in professional development schools. Twelve teachers describe how they reconceptualized leadership as they gained new experiences, confidence, and shifted their identities as teachers by working with colleagues within the school and in the university. These emerging leaders assumed responsibilities for school change and evoked leadership in others. They learned that engaging and persuading people in their schools to move toward change went beyond simply getting the job done. The findings reframe traditional notions of leadership from role and authority dependent to reciprocal, purposeful learning among adults in community. These new conceptions enabled participants to develop approaches whereby power, authority, responsibility, and resources can be redistributed in classrooms, schools, districts, and social organizations.
The Ethics of Public School Fiscal and Academic Accountability Legislation: A Multidimensional Analysis
Authors: Pauken Patrick , Kallio Brenda R. , Stockard Rhonda R.
Published: January 2019

This article examines contradictions between school accountability legislation and the moral leadership applicable to its development and implementation. Using the ethics of critique, justice, and care, we analyze Ohio's recent fiscal and academic accountability legislation. Although the analysis focuses on one state, the larger purpose of the article is to bring ethical inquiry about policy formation closer to the workplace of educational administrators, legislators, and education policymakers.
Developing an Open Systems View for Assessing Educational Leadership
Authors: Wallace Stephen O. , Acker-Hocevar Michele , Sweatt Owen
Published: January 2019

This article argues that existing accountability standards for educational leaders are inadequate to accommodate the diverse contextual realities in which they must function. Two crucial questions are raised: “What philosophical views of educational leadership will adequately meet the demands of a rapidly changing world?” and “How should such leadership be assessed?” We explore ways to reframe perspectives of leadership accountability by contrasting the paradigms of organizations as machines and organizations as open systems with their applications in educational leadership. We also critique existing models of leadership assessment and propose an open systems framework for school leadership and accountability.
The Implications of Raising One's Voice in Educational Leadership Doctoral Programs: Women's Stories of Fear, Retaliation, and Silence
Authors: Rapp Dana , Silent X , Silent Y
Published: January 2019

We wanted to understand if and how educational leadership students are encouraged to address patriarchy in their doctoral programs. More specifically, we wanted to more fully understand why women may choose to avoid issues of gender injustice in their coursework and dissertations. We interviewed four women who are currently enrolled in educational leadership programs and hold positions of leadership in public schools in Ohio.
An Investigation of Computer-Based Simulations for School Crisis Management
Authors: Degnan Edward , Bozeman William
Published: January 2019

This article describes the research and development associated with creating a computer-based simulation used for training school personnel in crisis management. Specifically, the paper addresses the data collection and analysis involved in developing a simulated event, the systems requirements for the simulation, and a case study of application and use of the completed simulation.
A Model of Planning for School Improvement and Obstacles to Implementation
Authors: Taylor Dianne L. , Tashakkori Abbas , Crone-Koshel Linda
Published: January 2019

Criteria are needed to help schools develop improvement plans and to evaluate those plans. This article describes a rubric created to provide such criteria. We also present findings from an evaluation using the rubric and report a study of practitioner perceptions regarding improvement planning and plan implementation. Evaluation findings indicate that the plans were generally of inferior quality. Perceptual data suggest causes of this finding include weak internal linkages within plans and lack of teacher involvement in establishing school goals and instructional priorities. The data show troubling disparities in perceptions between administrators and teachers regarding planning and plan implementation.
Women High School Principals: Perspectives on Role Conflict, Role Commitment, and Job Satisfaction
Authors: Eckman Ellen Wexler
Published: January 2019

This study is an investigation of women high school principals in terms of the challenges they face, role conflicts they experience, their role commitment, and their job satisfaction. The purpose is to describe women high school principals addressing the issue of the continued underrepresentation of women in the high school principalship. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected from women high school principals in Illinois, Minnesota, and Wisconsin. The findings indicate that role conflict impacts career decisions—respondents delayed entering the high school principalship until the demands of raising their children had lessened. Role conflict is inversely related to job satisfaction; the more role conflict, the lower the level of job satisfaction. The number of students in the school affects job satisfaction and role conflict. Women today may have more career mobility than in the past. Encouragement and mentoring are key factors in enabling women to become high school principals.
Student Voice in School Leadership: Promoting Dialogue about Students’ Views on Teaching
Authors: Veugelers Wiel , De Kat Ewoud
Published: January 2019

What is an “ideal teacher”? To what extent do teachers meet this ideal? What recommendations do students have for their teachers? How can the dialogue between teachers and students be stimulated? These questions were posed by a secondary school in the Netherlands to its students. The school wanted to more actively involve students in the evaluation of teaching and wanted to improve communication between students and teachers. The results of our study of this effort highlighted the need for information about students’ views about teachers, teaching, and schooling; for the development of instruments for recording the students’ views; and for procedures with which communication between teachers and students might be improved.
Educational Leadership and Social Justice: Practice into Theory
Authors: Bogotch Ira E.
Published: January 2019

In this article Dewey's conceptions of theory and practice provide a conceptual framework for understanding the moral and political possibilities of educational leadership. Specifically, the differences among craft knowledge, professional reflective practice, and intellectual activities are discussed. Through the use of historical illustrations, two educational leadership paths demonstrate connections between educational leadership and social justice. The first path illustrates how an educational leader continuously builds a just school community under changing demographic and political conditions. The leadership challenge is ongoing in terms of building a new educational community rather than replicating a community of the past. The second path illustrates how single-minded visions for a just school society emerge through the heroic efforts of individual educational leaders. The leadership challenge here is to intellectually construct a meaningful consensus rather than to assume or assert it apart from experience. The article concludes with a critique of the theory-practice consequences of each leadership path.
Leadership for Social Justice: Authentic Participation in the Case of a Community Center in Caracas, Venezuela
Authors: Goldfarb Katia Paz , Grinberg Jaime
Published: January 2019

This is a case study of a leader who fosters authentic participation for advancing social justice in an urban community center in Caracas, Venezuela, located in the midst of poverty, marginality, and social and economic alienation. This educational space enables the local community to control the destiny of their own institution. Learning from this case, we argue that urban educational transformation might succeed in terms of practicing social justice, if leadership facilitates and creates urban sanctuaries by working with the communities and not on the communities; fosters an organizational structure that is flexible and democratic; and creates a safe (trusting) environment where the local community is engaged in authentic participation.
Principals for Social Justice: Leaders of School Success for Children from Low-Income Homes
Authors: Riester Antoinette F. , Pursch Victoria , Skrla Linda
Published: January 2019

This study examines the role of principals in highly successful elementary schools serving primarily students from low-income homes in influencing two factors viewed as foundational for a school in which social justice is more than simply an abstract ideal: (1) development of early literacy for every child, and (2) avoidance of overidentification and inappropriate placement in special education. Findings discussed include three areas of common beliefs and concomitant practices among the principals of schools in the study: (1) promoting a democratic culture; (2) adopting a prescriptive approach to literacy and academic success; and (3) demonstrating a stubborn persistence in “getting there.”
The Demise of Parent Involvement in School Governance
Authors: Seitsinger Roy M. , Zera David Aloyzy
Published: January 2019

In this article elementary school site decision-making bodies (SDMBs) are examined from a critical theory perspective. Two sites are examined: one with a mandated school site decision-making body and another with a voluntarily established school site decision-making body. A case study format and naturalist methodology that includes semistructured interviews, nonparticipant positioned observations, focus groups, and document analysis are used. Findings suggest relatively no difference between mandated and voluntary SDMBs; parent participation in school governance defined by socioeconomic status (SES); principals as key to school governance implementation; participating parents as trustees of the status quo; and school site decision-making bodies as an ineffective reform strategy. Propositions for consideration and suggestions for adjustments in SDMBs are offered.
Designer Leadership: The Emerging Global Adoption of Preparation Standards
Authors: Gronn Peter
Published: January 2019

This article discusses designer leadership, a new approach to producing school leaders. Designer leadership is the product of the customization of leader preparation through the adoption of standards-based accreditation and licensing of school administrators. Designer leadership preparation is discussed in relation to its historical precursors, ascriptive and meritocratic leadership. The article contrasts the UK and the U.S. approaches to standards and highlights some significant discrepancies between the language of designer leader standards and the realities of practice. As part of what it will mean to play the new leadership game introduced by new standards regimes, the article foreshadows the emergence of a series of tensions for policymakers and practitioners concerned with school leadership career demographics, recruitment and selection, and the normative basis of standards.
The Perfect Match: A Case Study of a First-Year Woman Principal
Authors: Duncan P. Kay , Seguin Cynthia Anast
Published: January 2019

This case study of a first-year woman principal in a small, rural school district describes succession effects from the perspectives of the female principal, some faculty members, a parent, and another administrator in the district. Open-ended interviews with the participants revealed a number of conflicting perceptions. The new principal perceived that she was successful in bringing about changes in the school on behalf of children. However, most of the faculty members considered the principal to be unsuccessful because she did not value their expertise or listen to their point of view. Some members of the community and the school board adopted the teachers’ perceptions. In the middle of her second year, the principal was terminated. Implications drawn from this case study may be of value to school leaders.
Who Will Serve? An Analysis of Superintendent Occupational Perceptions, Career Satisfaction, and Mobility
Authors: Fusarelli Lance D. , Cooper Bruce S. , Carella Vincent A.
Published: January 2019

This article presents the findings of a random national sample of 1,719 superintendents, using a 67-item survey instrument called the Superintendents’ Professional Expectations and Advancement Review (SPEAR), which measures superintendents’ occupational perceptions, career satisfaction, and job mobility. The study's major findings include that superintendents perceive the quantity of applicants for the superintendency to have decreased in recent years and are concerned about high turnover of superintendents. However, superintendents are less worried about the quality of applicants for vacancies. Contrary to popular perception, superintendents report significant career satisfaction, particularly in the nation's largest districts. The study concludes by offering possible explanations for the widespread public perception of a crisis in the superintendency.
Is Androcentric Bias in the Educational Workplace on the Wane? Perplexing Findings
Authors: Newton Rose Mary , Zeitoun Peter
Published: January 2019

Androcentrism is a value system that views the male perspective as superior to the female perspective. Some theorists maintain that androcentric bias explains why, compared to their numbers in education, women continue to be underrepresented in administrative positions. This article reports the findings of a study examining teacher reactions to job descriptions depicting attributes of the principalship purported to influence men and women differently. Contrary to our expectations, both men and women preferred the job descriptions depicting the collaborative style of leadership previously ascribed to women. Does this finding portend the demise of the gender-based value system found in educational administration?
Career Patterns of American Superintendents
Authors: Björk Lars , Keedy John , Gurley D. Keith
Published: January 2019

Stemming from a nationwide survey of superintendents (Glass, Björk, & Brunner, 2000), this article dispels the myth that there is a crisis facing the American school superintendency. Though we note a slight increase in the median age of superintendents, most chief school executives are satisfied in their current positions and tend to stay longer and retire later than they did a decade ago. Further evidence suggests that career patterns and characteristics of women and people of color in the superintendency tend to differ from those of their White, male counterparts and that the underrepresentation of these populations within the field continues to be of concern. Recommendations for policy development, based upon empirically identified challenges in the field, rather than unfounded myths of crisis, are included.
Instructional Cohorts and Learning: Ironic Uses of a Social System
Authors: Donaldson Joe F. , Scribner Jay Paredes
Published: January 2019

This research explored the organizational nature of cohorts with particular focus on the relation between structural factors, including conventions, culture, power, and unintended learning. An in-depth case study of a cohort project team of educational leadership students led to identification of four major themes. Students employed a product-centered orientation that blurred distinctions between learning and performance. This orientation was a consequence of recipes for action appropriated by students from other institutions, conditions of action (including deadlines imposed by instructors), and structural rules the team constructed to guide its work. Implications for instructional practice are identified.
Leading in the Relational Space
Authors: Silverberg Ruth Powers
Published: January 2019

This article describes the application and outcomes of using a shared framework and vocabulary for understanding learning, the Let Me Learn Process, to create a relational space necessary for constructivist learning. Students in an urban leadership preparation program learned about their own and each other's unique learning patterns and participated in activities integrating understanding of the influence of learning patterns with course content. This allowed them to come together in a relational space of shared understanding where they could make new meaning of learning, schooling, and leadership. At the end of 1 year, candidates described the influence of their participation in knowledge construction in the relational space. They also revealed their growing awareness of the role of constructivist leadership in the facilitation of school communities where all students achieve at the highest levels and prepare for democratic participation in their communities.
Leadership Program Effects on Student Learning: The Case of the Greater New Orleans School Leadership Center
Authors: Leithwood Kenneth , Riedlinger Brian , Bauer Scott , Jantzi Doris
Published: January 2019

Demonstrating the contribution of leadership development programs to student learning has become a problem of considerable recent interest to both school reformers and those attempting to improve how school leaders are prepared. This article describes an innovative approach to improving school leadership developed by the Greater New Orleans School Leadership Center. Longitudinal evidence from a four-and-a-half-year external evaluation of the effects of the center program on schools and students is summarized. Promising evidence of program effects are reported using state-collected achievement data and measures of student engagement with school collected specifically for the study in each leader's school. The article highlights lessons from this case that may be of general value for others engaged in leadership preparation initiatives and their evaluation.
From Indifference to Injustice: The Politics of School Violence
Authors: Michaelis Karen L.
Published: January 2019

The social structure of the school with its norms, values, beliefs, and practices ostracizes some students. By studying the behavior and motives of students who kill at school we will be better positioned to understand the role played by school officials and other students in creating an environment that ignores fundamental differences among students that lead to deadly school violence. In this article, Iris Young's theory of difference is used to explain why the Columbine shooting was inevitable from the perspectives of shooters Harris and Klebold. While Young identifies five faces of oppressions, she does not view those faces as cumulative. However, when viewed as cumulative, the fifth face of oppression—violence—seems to be the natural culminating outcome of the preceding four faces of oppression. Stopping school violence requires school officials to stop the verbal and physical taunting some students endure daily while at school.
Understanding Educators as Adult Learners in Transformation: Facing the Professional Development Challenges of Educational Technology
Authors: King Kathleen P.
Published: January 2019

School leaders can benefit by considering their faculty as adult earners in transformation while they are learning educational technology. In this article a Journey of Transformation model is presented to assist school leaders in meeting the challenges of the postinformation age. The model is grounded in transformational learning research and presented utilizing the descriptions of participating teachers. Faculty members’ strategies and processes for coping with educational technology learning are discussed. The article concludes with suggestions for school leaders as they address challenges posed by technology for education.
A Critical Review of Strategic Planning: Panacea for Public Education?
Authors: Beach Robert H. , Lindahl Ron
Published: January 2019

Many states, accrediting agencies, and the Interstate School Leaders Licensure Consortium have policies and standards mandating strategic planning for public schools. Planning in schools has become synonymous with strategic planning. However, alternative approaches to change exist that offer more effective solutions to school improvement. School processes are significantly different from those in the business environment from which strategic planning evolved. The coalescence of policy around a single planning form may not be in public education's best interests. This article explores the limitations of the strategic model and the potential contributions of other planning models and lessons from contemporary “best practice.”
A School District's Search for a New Superintendent
Authors: Kinsella Mary P.
Published: January 2019

This study explores the process one school district employed in its search for, and selection of, a new superintendent. The research design is a single site case study using qualitative methods. Data collection techniques include observation in the form of “shadowing” a search consultant, document analysis and open-ended interviews of key informants. The study found that, while professional credentials are important in the initial stages of the search, personal attributes prove critical in the eventual “match” of candidate to school district. The “human connection” is a strong determinant of a candidate's success or failure in advancing in the search process. The search consultant, employed by the school district, acts as gatekeeper of the process, its people, and all pertinent information. The struggle between a candidate's privacy and the public's right to know is a central focus in this case. In effect, both candidate and board circumvent the laws protecting personal privacy in employment practices. The search for a new superintendent is people-centered in every convoluted layer of the process.
Inclusion: The Unifying Thread for Fragmented Metaphors
Authors: Doyle Lynn H.
Published: January 2019

The fabric of educational leadership is changing. Murphy (2001) has suggested three new metaphors for educational leaders: moral stewards, builders of communities, and educators for school improvement. However, shifting priorities and contradictions between these metaphors could result in fragmentation within the field. This article discusses seven reasons why inclusion of all students and in particular, students with disabilities, is the unifying thread that weaves these metaphors. Inclusion (a) facilitates discourse for social justice, (b) models democratic community, (c) shifts power, (d) is schoolwide reform, (e) restructures and recultures, (f) targets teaching and learning, and (g) provides support and resources. Implications for educational leadership preparation are discussed.