bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Collaborative Leadership Preparation: A Comparative Study of Partnership and Conventional Programs and Practices
Authors: Orr Margaret Terry , Barber Margaret E.
Published: January 2019

The need for more and better-prepared educational leaders has led to greater program effort to adhere to national leadership standards and form university–district partnerships for improved preparation, particularly in creating better-quality internships and more supportive structures. This article compares 3 leadership preparation programs—2 partnership and 1 conventional— on program attributes and differences in graduates’ reported gains in leadership skill development, career aspirations, and career advancement. Forty-nine program graduates were surveyed from 2 cohorts of a suburban university–partnership program, its conventional program counterpart, and an urban university–partnership program. The findings show that internship scope and quality as well as program structure qualities—more common of the partnership programs—were significantly and positively associated with leadership learning and career outcomes, beyond graduates’ initial commitment. These results suggest that program design and operation are instrumental in participants’ education and their postprogram career aspirations and pursuits. The article offers insights into conceptual methodological considerations for further research on preparation effectiveness.
Horton, Highlander, and Leadership Education: Lessons for Preparing Educational Leaders for Social Justice
Authors: Evans Andrea E.
Published: January 2019

Influenced by Myles Horton's vision and leadership, the Highlander Folk School became an adult education program centered on social change via the labor and civil rights movements. In this article, I examine the pedagogy and practice of Myles Horton and the Highlander Folk School and identify the key themes that guided their educational approach to social justice leadership training. I then explore the ways in which educational leadership preparation may exemplify these key themes in its pedagogy and practice with the aim of moving the field and schooling closer to social justice and democratic ideals.
District Contributions to School Leaders’ Sense of Efficacy: A Qualitative Analysis
Authors: Leithwood Kenneth , Strauss Tiiu , Anderson Stephen E.
Published: January 2019

This study, based on interviews with 31 principals, was undertaken in response to quantitative evidence from a larger mixed-methods project that found school leaders’ collective efficacy to be a crucial link joining district leadership and conditions to school conditions and student learning. Results of this study suggest that districts contribute to building-level leaders’ sense of efficacy by establishing clear, widely shared purposes; awarding priority to the improvement of instruction; and ensuring that teachers and administrators have access to appropriate amounts of meaningful professional development aimed at developing the capacities needed to achieve the shared purposes.
The Moral Agency of the Educational Leader in Times of National Crisis and Conflict
Authors: Doscher Stephanie Paul , Normore Anthony H.
Published: January 2019

Many researchers have called for educational leaders to develop a moral grounding for their work. This essay begins a discussion of how Starratt's (2005) spiraling framework of moral responsibility represents a process through which educational leaders can evolve from taking a transactional approach to problem solving, to using moral and transformational means of resolving controversial issues. In pursuit of a special ethics of the education profession, Starratt poses five domains of moral responsibility: as human being, citizen and public servant, educator, educational administrator, and educational leader. In this essay, the authors apply each domain to the ethical analysis of dilemmas of educational leadership, specifically those brought forth by current national crises and conflict (i.e., Hurricane Katrina, war in Iraq, and September 11 terrorist attacks), in order to reveal archetypal behaviors of educational leaders as proactive moral agents.
Promoting Inclusive Education through Teacher Leadership Teams: A School Reform Initiative
Authors: Vernon-Dotson Lisa Jo
Published: January 2019

Effective educational reform involves changes in the overall operations of schools. Teachers who collaborate, analyze the functions of their schools, and adjust their practices become leaders and participants in whole-school change. This study documents the impact of teacher leadership teams from three schools in their efforts to increase access to general education curriculum for students with disabilities, by promoting inclusion. Data were analyzed as collected from individual interviews, team self-evaluations, field observations, and focus group sessions for each site. The results offer insights into school improvement and inclusive reform efforts, and they provide a basis for future research and recommendations for practice.
Examining the Relationships among Emotional Intelligence, Coping Mechanisms for Stress, and Leadership Effectiveness for Middle School Principals
Authors: Reynolds Christy Hall , O'Dwyer Laura M.
Published: January 2019

The role of the school administrator has grown increasingly complex as a consequence of the recent testing and reporting mandates and the threat of sanctions for failing schools. In satisfying the needs of local stakeholders and the state and in meeting the criteria set forth by federal mandates, successful educational leaders must be able to cultivate positive working relationships with many people (Cherniss, 1998; Fullan, 2001), handle the needs of individuals, motivate employees, and foster a sense of belonging in the workplace (Goleman, 1998). Based on the importance of effective leadership for improving school outcomes, the purpose of this study was to explore some behavioral characteristics associated with effective leadership. Building on prior research in the area of leadership, this study explored the relationships among public school principals’ emotional intelligence, leadership effectiveness, and coping mechanisms for stress. Although the analyses revealed a negative relationship between principals’ leadership effectiveness and their emotional intelligence, mechanisms for coping with stress were found to be positive and significant predictors of leadership effectiveness. Preexisting measures of leadership effectiveness, emotional intelligence, and coping mechanisms for stress were used.
Feminine Faces of Leadership: Beyond Structural-Functionalism?
Authors: Fennell Hope-Arlene
Published: January 2019

Leadership continues to be a central focus for research in educational administration. Until recently, many studies about leadership have been based largely on the experiences of white males and interpreted based on the structural-functionalist perspective. In this paper the writer explores the phenomenon of leadership through the eyes and experiences of six women leaders who are school principals. The findings are from a recently completed phenomenological study of six women principals’ lived experiences with leadership.
Invisible, Limited, and Emerging Discourse: Research Practices that Restrict and/or Increase Access for Women and Persons of Color to the Superintendency
Authors: Brunner C. Cryss
Published: January 2019

The intent of this article is to provide some evidence that decisions about the use of data are critical and can result in discourse that is inaccurate about and unsupportive of women and persons of color. Evidence is gathered through an examination of the published data used in The Study of the American School Superintendency (Glass, Bjork, & Brunner, 2000) published and funded by the American Association of School Administrators (AASA). In sum, the article illustrates how choices about which and how much data to publish can result in the reification of the status quo and/or generation of a tremendously powerful new discourse that establishes the inclusive norms for a new genre of superintendency.
Leading and Learning with Diverse Families in Schools: Critical Epistemology amid Communities of Practice
Authors: Cooper Camille Wilson , Riehl Carolyn J. , Hasan Angela Laila
Published: January 2019

In this article, we draw on critical philosophies and theories related to diversity, leadership, and learning to suggest that successful school–family partnerships not only encompass collaborative structures but involve educators who reject deficit-based views of diverse families. We marshal data from our studies of school–family relations in two states to explain the benefits of educational leaders developing a critical epistemological stance that compels them to learn and lead with diverse families. We assert that educators must revisit, rethink, and extend what they know about families’ strengths and limitations and reconsider the nature of leadership and learning to build partnerships amid communities of practice.
Crossing Cultural Borders: La Clase Mágica as a University–School Partnership
Authors: Ek Lucila D. , Machado-Casas Margarita , Sánchez Patricia , Alanís Iliana
Published: January 2019

As informed by scholarship on transformative leadership, cultural work in educational leadership, and preK–20 collaborations, this article draws from a qualitative research project between a university that is a Hispanic-serving institution and an elementary school located in a Latino/a area. We examine the perspectives of a Latino principal and a Latina assistant superintendent who are key in the project's implementation. Our findings include the following: Leaders work to legitimate their culture and their students’ culture; leaders engage in cultural crossings in school–university partnerships; and leaders serve as cultural change agents for technological equity. Recommendations for leaders working with diverse populations are included.
(Un)Planned Failure: Unsuccessful Succession Planning in an Urban District
Authors: Peters April L.
Published: January 2019

Leader succession is often the result of a broken system, resulting in the loss of leadership gains from the exiting leader and leaving the incoming leader without proper support for success. This system needs replacing, with a system of dynamic succession planning that is carefully planned and an integral part of a school's improvement plan. To examine and understand these challenges in successful succession planning, I undertook a qualitative instrumental case study of a founding high school principal and her successor in an urban district engaged in small school reform. The findings suggest that these leaders’ lack of sustainability was influenced by a lack of district support and mentoring. These supports (or their lack thereof) affected the school's and district's effectiveness in transitioning the successor, planning for new leadership, and anticipating the supports needed for the school and its leaders.
Pedagogy of the Personal and Professional: Toward a Framework for Culturally Relevant Leadership
Authors: Horsford Sonya Douglass , Grosland Tanetha , Gunn Kelly Morgan
Published: January 2019

The social and cultural contexts of today's schools are diverse in ways that require greater attention to the educational philosophies, epistemologies, and perspectives of school leaders. In those environments where educators are not aptly prepared or willing to meet the sometimes unique needs of students who represent underserved racial, ethnic, and cultural groups, these matters move beyond the personal and become professional, as they are further complicated by high-stakes accountability standards and the prioritization of “closing the achievement gap” in schools and districts. As such, the purpose of this article is to explore more fully the research literature on culturally relevant and antiracist pedagogy in ways that can inform the practice of school leadership and explore the yet-untapped possibilities of speaking across areas of theory, research, and practice within the field of education. Specifically, we offer a framework for culturally relevant leadership that includes the following four dimensions: the political context, a pedagogical approach, a personal journey, and professional duty. Finally, we conclude with implications for research and practice.
Tracing the Development of a Rural University–District Partnership: Encouraging District Voice and Challenging Assumptions Leadership
Authors: Myran Steve , Sanzo Karen L. , Clayton Jennifer
Published: January 2019

The increase in accountability on both preK–12 districts and institutes of higher education has heightened the demands for partnerships between the two. Such programs have the ability to provide contextually focused, meaningful experiences by combining the theory and research knowledge of university faculty with the practical experience of district leadership (Grogan, Bredeson, Sherman, Preis, & Beaty, 2009; Preis, Grogan, Sherman, & Beaty, 2007). This article provides a Year 1 account of one such partnership between a university and a rural school district, focusing on how the project incorporated and encouraged district voice and input into leadership preparation and how the partnership challenged standing assumptions about what quality instruction is and what makes a good leader. Based on a design-based research methodology, the findings are categorized into the following themes, which emerged through a constant comparison analysis (Strauss, 1987): the application of knowledge to specific district-based issues, leadership exploration, emergent and iterative program design, and embedded leadership training.
Special Education Administrators’ Response to the Educational Needs of Foster Care Youth: Collaborative or Disjointed?
Authors: Palladino John , Haar Jean
Published: January 2019

Although the literature discusses the deleterious educational outcomes that foster care students endure, little attention has focused on school personnel's responses to the phenomenon. Despite the documented relationship between foster care and special education, a missing contribution is the voice of special education administrators. In turn, the present qualitative study explored six special education administrators’ accounts of their leadership response to foster care situations. The intent was to analyze the extent to which their responses were collaborative with internal and external constituents. The use of Rubin's (2002) theoretical framework for school-based collaborative leadership framed the analysis and exposed the administrators’ strengths and shortcomings. Their narratives incurred implications for preservice and in-service special education administrators.
Beyond Instructional Leadership: The Lived Experiences of Principals in Successful Urban Schools
Authors: White-Smith Kimberly A.
Published: January 2019

Despite national statistics that suggest declining African American and Latino student achievement, few schools accept the challenge of educating the neediest students, and even fewer succeed. This phenomenological study examined the experiences of and strategies employed by three principals of urban schools that effectively educate traditionally underserved students. Contrary to instructional leadership practices, these principals limited opportunities for teachers to share in the decision-making process regarding school operation and leadership, instead expecting teachers to concentrate on classroom instruction as the priority. Additionally, these principals focused and nurtured teachers’ personal and professional characteristics to enhance the quality of instruction at their particular schools.
The Reflective Teacher Leader: An Action Research Model
Authors: Furtado Leena , Anderson Dawnette
Published: January 2019

This study presents four teacher reflections from action research projects ranging from kindergarten to adult school improvements. A teacher leadership matrix guided participants to connect teaching and learning theory to best practices by exploring uncharted territory within an iterative cycle of research and action. Teachers developed the philosophy of critical pedagogy through the reflective practice of journal writing and highlighting innovative teaching strategies. Finally, participants collaborated through peer dialogue and mentorship to accept change and ownership of the action process and student learning outcomes. Excerpts from participants’ reflective journals exemplify growth in teacher knowledge, confidence, personal empowerment, and enhanced professional leadership.
Principals Fostering the Instructional Leadership Capacities of Department Chairs: A Strategy for Urban High School Reform
Authors: Klar Hans W.
Published: January 2019

A growing body of literature has highlighted the affordances of distributive forms of instructional leadership as a means to broaden and deepen instructional leadership capacity within schools. Yet, specifically how the capabilities of such key leaders as high school department chairs can be fostered to realize enhanced instructional capacity remains less well understood. In this article, I examine the efforts of principals in three urban high schools to foster the leadership capacities of their department chairs as a case of distributed instructional leadership. Data for the study were gathered from interviews, participant observations, and analyses of documents collected during a 2-year Leadership for Learning grant funded by the Wallace Foundation. The findings illustrate the crucial role that the principals played in redefining leadership roles, responsibilities, and structures; providing individual and team learning opportunities; and connecting the work of the department chairs to school and district instructional improvement efforts. I conclude with implications for practice and further research.
Finding Our Stride: Young Women Professors of Educational Leadership
Authors: Newcomb Whitney Sherman , Beaty Danna M. , Sanzo Karen , Peters-Hawkins April
Published: January 2019

This work is grounded in the literature on women in the academy and offers glimpses into four young women professors’ experiences in the field of educational leadership. We utilized reflective practice and interpersonal communication to create a dialogue centered on three qualitative research questions that allows a window into our lives. We share our dialogue around emergent themes, rather than as a transcript of our conversations, for impact and efficiency. These themes form the foundation for ideas for change. Strategies for success are outlined: one-on-one mentor matching for new women faculty and graduate students; mandatory financial support for travel and professional development; gender and cultural sensitivity training for all faculty; an annual review of workload expectations and review of productivity tied to merit raises; institutional efforts to equalize salaries between men and women faculty; on-campus child care options; a commitment to experiment with various course delivery options to help with the work–home balance; and the study of the traditional tenure clock. We conclude with words of encouragement for young women professors and with the goal of helping universities and other faculty understand what young women professors’ experiences are like, to encourage social and policy changes aimed toward improvement and greater inclusion.
Leadership for Social Change: Learning from the Perspectives of Latina/Chicana Activist Educators
Authors: Venegas-García Marcia
Published: January 2019

Literature in leadership studies is devoid of knowledge about the unique ways that Latina/Chicana educators engage as leaders, activists, and agents for change. Women's studies, ethnic studies, and Chicana feminist studies alert us to the complex role that social context and the intersectionality of gender, ethnicity/race, and class play in the development of educators’ leadership approaches. In-depth interviews were conducted with seven Latina/Chicana educators in the border region of San Diego County. A grounded theory approach was used to discover how their activism developed and influenced their views of leadership. Findings showed the critical role of education as sites of struggle and possibility in the evolution of activists’ identities and social justice leanings.
Race Specialists: What a Black Administrator Ought to be and Do
Authors: Moore D. Chanele
Published: January 2019

Using qualitative analysis from 22 semistructured interviews, this article explores how Black women principals and assistant principals experience educational administration with attention to issues of race at work in suburban school settings. Findings suggest that because they may be perceived as race tokens by White educators, Black women administrators are expected to be experts on race in schools. This construction, which I refer to as playing the race specialist, highlights a tension among Black women administrators around expectations to focus only on Black students rather than all students, regardless of race. The findings suggest that playing the race specialist role presents obstacles for Black women and highlights some limitations in schools’ ability to meet the needs of diverse student populations.
Understanding Schools as High-Reliability Organizations: An Exploratory Examination of Teachers’ and School Leaders’ Perceptions of Success
Authors: Lorton Juli A. , Bellamy G. Thomas , Reece Anne , Carlson Jill
Published: January 2019

Drawing on research on high-reliability organizations, this interview-based qualitative case study employs four characteristics of such organizations as a lens for analyzing the operations of one very successful K–5 public school. Results suggest that the school had processes similar to those characteristic of high-reliability organizations: a commitment to a “dual bottom line” that clarifies what to achieve and what to avoid; reliance on “skeptical standardization” to bring consistency to the school's instruction; simultaneous use of “constrained improvisation” that empowered teaches to adapt standard procedures in response to student learning difficulties; and strategies for combining standardized and improvisational strategies.
Distributed Leadership: A Good Theory but what if Leaders Won't, Don't Know How, or Can't Lead?
Authors: Mckenzie Kathryn Bell , Locke Leslie Ann
Published: January 2019

This article presents the results from an empirical qualitative study of the challenges faced by teacher leaders in their attempts to work directly with their colleagues to change instructional strategies and improve student success. Additionally, it offers a challenge to the utility of a naïvely espoused theory of distributed leadership, which becomes the theory in use, to improve leadership capacity with the goal of improving classroom instruction and student success. Six teacher leaders at an urban elementary school were studied for 1 year. The challenges faced by the teacher leaders were categorized under three themes: dealing with conflict, negotiating competing agendas/responsibilities and balancing microdiversions, and frustration with lack of influence and impact. It was concluded that the challenges experienced by teacher leaders, those whom leadership is distributed among, are problematic and underestimated. Moreover, we assert that distributed leadership as a theory in use falls short when the espoused theory is naïvely conceived. We do, however, offer recommendations for overcoming the challenges experienced by these teacher leaders, which we hope might help reconcile the disconnect between a naïvely espoused theory of distributed leadership and the resultant theory in use.
Young Superintendents with School-Age Children: Gendered Expectations, Effectiveness, and Life Quality in Rural Communities
Authors: Klatt Roger
Published: January 2019

Empirical studies indicate family concerns as a primary reasons why promising principals and central office administrators do not aspire to the superintendency (O'Connell, Brown, Guptil, Stosberg, & O'Connell, 2001; Volp & Rogers, 2004). Hesitancyto apply for superintendent positions is further complicated by the fact that the superintendency has largely been constructed in male images or archetypes (Jung, 1964), which are affected by context. And while psychology and sociology offer theoretically grounded empirical literature on work–family balance (e.g., Greenhaus & Beutell, 1985) and conflict (e.g., Sieber 1974), superintendents are not part of the sample. In-depth case study research was used to collect and analyze data on two effective rural superintendents (one female and one male) whose life conditions match three of the hesitancy factors (Rogers, Terranova, & Volp, 2006) associated with the next generation of school superintendents: having school-age children, spousal considerations, enjoyment (quality of life) factors. Participants were selected via snowball sampling techniques (Lincoln & Guba, 1993), and data sources primarily included narrative interviews with the superintendents and their family members (a total of 42 interviews). Documents such as the superintendent's calendar were also analyzed. Data were coded inductively and deductively into themes and subthemes (Glaser & Strauss, 1967). Two conceptualizations of balance emerge from the data: an integrated view (superintendency as lifestyle) and a compartmentalized view (equal time devoted to each life role). Furthermore, traditional perceptions of gender permeated findings related to life quality and superintendent effectiveness. Findings indicate that the “superintendency as lifestyle” perspective appears to be more compatible with the next generation of school leadership. The article concludes with implications for rural superintendent research, preparation, and practice.
Principals’ Socialization: Whose Responsibility is It?
Authors: Bengtson Ed
Published: January 2019

This conceptual article attempts to answer the question, who should be responsible for the socialization of principals? In reaction to the criticism targeting educational leadership programs in the United States, this article discusses how individuals moving into the leadership role, educational leadership preparation programs, and school systems engage in the socialization process. The literature on anticipatory, professional, and organizational socialization is reviewed and used as a framework to argue that the socialization of principals should indeed be shared by the individual, the leadership preparation program, and the school system. Implications for practice and future research are discussed.
Examining College Opportunity Structures for Students of Color at High-“Minority,” High-Poverty Secondary Schools in Texas
Authors: Martinez Melissa A. , Welton Anjalé D.
Published: January 2019

This study conducts an intersectional analysis of two adjoined qualitative studies, reanalyzing the data using a college opportunity framework (González, Stoner, & Jovel, 2003) to examine how sources of social capital available within three high-“minority,” high-poverty high schools in Texas shape college opportunities for Latina/o and Black high school students. Findings indicate that counselors and teachers were sources of college information and support while advanced courses prepared students for college-level curriculum. However, these same support mechanisms often deterred students’ access to quality academic preparation and college information. The increased focus on state-mandated accountability measures at the schools also limited students’ level of academic preparation and college access. Additionally, state college access policies designed to increase the college participation of underrepresented groups effectively accomplished this policy intent, but these same policies influenced students’ college choice decisions.
Activist Teacher Leadership: A Case Study of a Programa CRIAR Bilingual Teacher Cohort
Authors: Palmer Deborah , Rangel Virginia Snodgrass , Gonzales Richard M. , Morales Vanessa
Published: January 2019

This case study on nine bilingual teachers in Texas during their first year in a graduate education program examines both the development of critical consciousness among the educators and the ways in which critical consciousness shapes how these teachers come to understand their roles as teachers and leaders of a sociopolitically marginalized student group and community. Our analysis supports the proposition that teacher leadership programs can influence the development of social justice leadership, and it suggests that engaging teachers in certain types of structured learning opportunities can promote risk taking and a willingness to assume responsibility through the development of a sense of agency and efficacy.
Collective Learning from Success as Perceived by School Superintendents (2011)
Authors: Schechter Chen
Published: January 2019

School superintendents’ role has shifted from the traditional emphasis on managerial aspects to one on instructional leadership (on teaching and learning issues) achieved by generating collaborative learning opportunities at the both school and district levels. Whereas collaborative learning processes in schools have generally been associated with problem finding and solving as well as overcoming failures, this study explores superintendents’ perceptions (mind-scapes) about the determinants of collective learning from successful practices. This exploratory study employed a qualitative topic-oriented methodology, collecting data via face-to-face interviews with 61 superintendents. Data analysis of interviews revealed determinants of collective learning from success at the superintendency level, school building level, and national level. As a leadership strategy to foster collective learning, superintendents’ role should be examined in designing a districtwide framework of collective learning from success.
The Development of Literacy Coaches’ Self-Efficacy Beliefs in a Dual-Role Position
Authors: Cantrell Susan Chambers , Madden Angie , Rintamaa Margaret , Almasi Janice F. , Carter Janis C.
Published: January 2019

In this sequential mixed-methods study, we examined literacy coaches’ self-efficacy development in 21 secondary schools over the course of a 4–year literacy initiative. Teacher efficacy surveys revealed that coaches experienced a decrease in their sense of self-efficacy after their first year of participation and gained an increasing sense of competence as the project progressed. Through exit interviews, respondents indicated that coaches’ initial dip in efficacy was linked to overwhelming and competing responsibilities. Their subsequent efficacy increases were supported by internal and external influences, such as personal growth and student learning. Given the study results, we suggest a model of literacy coaches’ self-efficacy development.
Identifying and Measuring Expectation Gaps in Texas Public Schools
Authors: Richards Michael G. , Smith Page A.
Published: January 2019

This research targets student expectation levels in school districts across Texas and seeks to identify and measure differences according to demographic data obtained from the Texas Education Agency. Specifically, this study investigates whether school districts in Texas hold varying levels of expectations for different racial and ethnic groups and, if so, what is the degree of difference in expectation levels? The results of the study indicate that African American students are more than twice as likely to face lower expectations in Texas public schools as Hispanic and White students. In addition, no statistically significant differences were found in the expectation levels for Hispanic compared with American Indian students, and only a small difference was found to exist between these two groups and White students. Finally, the results are discussed in light of the complex social and academic factors that contribute to expectation levels for students.
Tensions and Transformations
Authors: Pazey Barbara L. , Cole Heather A.
Published: January 2019

Educational professionals have the challenging responsibility of serving a highly diverse population of students. Laws such as the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), also known as the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB, 2001), the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA, 2004), the Vocational Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and the Americans with Disabilities Amendment Act (ADAA, 2008), underscore the obligation to account for the needs of both children and adults with disabilities. As leaders face competing needs and demands, they confront ethical dilemmas that require a sophisticated framework to help resolve such issues. Relying on narrative analysis, this article explores the authors’ experience using an ethical framework to teach a course on disability law to graduate level education students. The reflective process that led to the integration of an ethical framework into the curriculum and instruction of a law-related course is discussed, as is the actual implementation of the model and its effect on students as evidenced through coursework, class discussions, course evaluations and personal communication. Further, the article documents the impact of utilizing an ethical framework in the evolution of the course over time providing practical information on course structure and delivery. The article concludes with implications for leadership preparation particularly with respect to education and understanding of students with disabilities. Recommendations are made for additional research and inquiry regarding the infusion of ethical frameworks into the overall curriculum and coursework within leadership preparation programs.
Mentoring Urban School Leaders
Authors: Martin Suzanne , Gourwitz Julian , Hall Kimberly Pawling
Published: January 2019

The purpose of this article is to report on the findings of a mixed-mode study that examined the effect of mentoring on 20 doctoral students and 21 mentors in the National Urban Special Education Leadership Initiative (NUSELI), a federally funded urban special education leadership doctoral program. Each doctoral student was provided a school-based leader with a doctorate to serve as his or her mentor. The mentors received training from the NUSELI director, served as a member of the student's dissertation committee, and provided access to opportunities in the school district. Mentor and mentee reports on the mentoring experience are presented.
Development and Validation of an Instrument to Assess Teacher Leadership Behaviors in a Math–Science Partnership Program
Authors: Doraiswamy Nithya , Porter Kristen M. , Wilson Grant , Paprzycki Peter , Czerniak Charlene M. , Tuttle Nicole , Czajkowski Kevin
Published: January 2019

This paper describes the development and validation of a science teacher leadership instrument modeled on the seven domains of the Teacher Leader Model (TLM) Standards (The Teacher Leadership Exploratory Consortium, 2011). Instrument development was part of National Science Foundation–funded Mathematics and Science Partnership (MSP) program that aimed to develop science teacher leaders through the use of Project-Based Science (PBS) in the context of renewable energy. Ratings of professional development sessions presented by teacher leaders to their peers were analyzed to assess whether the instrument could be used to measure teacher leadership in this context. The resulting TLM Standards Instrument is presented as a valid instrument to observe the development and assessment of teacher leadership.
School Administration Manager: Redefining the Principal's Role as an Instructional Leader
Authors: Sheng Zhaohui , Wolff Lora , Kilmer Lloyd , Yager Stuart
Published: January 2019

In response to an increasing emphasis on instructional leadership and school achievement, the School Administration Manager (SAM) model was introduced as a change strategy to release principals from managerial responsibilities so that more time can be devoted to instructional leadership. The study collected and analyzed survey and focus group interview data to evaluate the impact of SAMs on principals’ management and instructional leadership. In addition, the study examined if school level (elementary or middle school) affects the impact of SAMs. Results illustrate SAMs have a positive impact on management and instructional leadership and the impact was stronger at the middle school level.
Leadership Performance Model for the Effective School Principal
Authors: Hutton Disraeli M.
Published: January 2019

The article presents a conceptual model of effective school leadership which is based on the experience and knowledge gained from research work done with high-performing principals in the Jamaican school system. The basic and underlying premise is that to understand how leadership works, it is essential to explore the dimensions, components, and elements which shape and inform the behavior of the leaders. The article also presents the conceptual framework for the model and elaborates on the six dimensions which are the basis for analyzing and synthesizing leadership practice. The model would be useful as a diagnostic tool, and a guide for recruiting and developing training programs for principals.
“Beating against the Wind”
Authors: Wilkerson Reginald D. , Wilson Camille M.
Published: January 2019

In this article, authors offer a CRT-driven analysis of in-depth interview data from two African American principals charged with turning around poverty-impacted, largely African-American populated schools. Both served as social justice-oriented leaders who countered traditional administrative approaches and disrupted racially and/or socioeconomically biased practices. Their leadership and student advocacy methods clashed with district ideals and policies, and each faced severe repercussions. The authors highlight why supporting and retaining such school leaders is necessary, and offer strategies capable of helping the educational community move forward in supporting a vulnerable leadership population commonly assigned to improve the most challenging U.S. schools.
Administrator Competency Testing: Issues, Considerations, and Recommendations for Preparation Programs and Policymakers
Authors: Reitzug Ulrich C.
Published: January 2019

An increasing number of states require successful completion of an administration-specific competency examination prior to initial administrative certification (Reitzug, in press-a). Given the controversies that have surrounded student and teacher competency testing, it is imperative that programs preparing educational leaders, and policymakers recommending legislation, consider the issues involved with competency testing prior to taking actions that may not be in the best interests of those they purport to serve. This paper discusses these issues, suggests questions competency testing raises for administrator preparation programs, and makes recommendations for policymakers.
Expanded Notions of Strategic Instructional Leadership: The Principal's Role with Student Support Personnel
Authors: Geltner Beverley B. , Shelton Maria M.
Published: January 2019

Definitions of effective instructional leadership inadequately address supervision and strategic deployment of student support personnel as critical resources for school success. Counselors, psychologists, social workers and other professional support staff can play a vital role in responding to changing societal and student needs and helping the school achieve its goals. Engagement of their skills and understanding expands professional discourse, improves teaching and learning, and helps the school reach new levels of effectiveness. School leadership must be informed, focused and strategic in maximizing the use of such personnel to carry out the school's mission. Practicing principals and university professors preparing future school principals must include student support personnel as a critical focus for strategic instructional leadership.
Improving Educational Administration Programs
Authors: Calabrese Raymond L. , Bartz David E.
Published: January 2019

The reform of educational administration preparation programs is hampered by systemic factors inherent in higher education. Systemic factors support a traditional, liberal arts model, while reform advocates argue for substantive changes in content, process, and outcomes. A new model should be based on the “practice” of leadership that takes into account environmental forces at the global, national, and local levels. These levels are referenced to five overriding themes: increasing cultural diversity, desire for self-determination, concern over one's environment, broader participation, and economic competitiveness. A variety of instructional delivery systems are highlighted.
Male and Female Professors of Educational Administration: A View from Within
Authors: Mertz Norma T. , Mcneely Sonja R.
Published: January 2019

Historically, educational administration, both the field and the professoriate, has been male-defined, male-dominated. As increasing numbers of females join the ranks of the administrative professoriate, questions have emerged about the effect of gender on perspective and experience. The study reported here compared the perceptions of male and female professors of educational administration about how they obtained their positions and the factors they see as critical to securing positions as professors of educational administration. The researchers found male and female professors to be highly similar in their perceptions, but identified noteworthy differences within those perceptions on the basis of gender.
Shared Decision Making: Moving from Concerns about Restrooms to Concerns about Classrooms
Authors: Kirby Peggy C.
Published: January 2019

Whilesome schools dive head first into shared governance, others struggle with issues and processes that frustrate both faculty and administrators. Here the author describes selected experiences of four schools at various stages of implementation of a shared leadership model in an effort to identify factors that facilitate meaningful involvement. Propositions are offered regarding issues for shared governance, the structure and composition of leadership teams, and the collection and use of information.
Employment Discrimination in Education Related to Human Immunodeficiency Virus Infection: Legal Perspectives
Authors: O'Brien Wini M.
Published: January 2019

Leaders in education must be prepared to avoid discrimination against the increasing number of employed individuals with HIV/AIDS. The purpose of this article is to provide a relevant literature review of protections for disabled employees. Statutory and case law is explored, including the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. A case study in higher education is presented as an application of the review.
Board Members: Informing Them Begins with Knowing who they Are
Authors: Martin James A. , Martin Richard H.
Published: January 2019

Knowing who school board members really are is paramount to finding the most effective ways of communicating with them. This article details a demographic study of all school board members in West Virginia. It explores their personal characteristics, motivations, and communication preferences. Given the ever-expanding body of educational literature and research, a knowledge of school board members and the best ways to reach them is invaluable to anyone who would seek to influence their decisions. The data, procedures, and implications of this study should prove useful in so doing.
Unity within Diversity: Building a Common Vision
Authors: Erlandson David A.
Published: January 2019

Since its birth twenty-two years ago, the Department of Educational Administration at Texas A&M University has achieved considerable recognition for the strength and diversity of its various program offerings. That strength, developed originally from the diverse attainments of its separate faculty members, has built in recent years upon common programmatic efforts that enable separate faculty strengths to be used in a complementary manner for support of the departmental mission.
Educating the Reflective School Leader
Authors: Ashbaugh Carl R. , Kasten Katherine
Published: January 2019

This paper presents a conceptual analysis of the nature of reflective practice and an argument for emphasizing reflective practice in the preparation and professional development of school leaders. The authors argue that professional preparation that develops reflective practice is one way to resolve the theory-practice dichotomy and to improve professional practice. Further, they assert that preparation programs have the instructional methodologies that encourage and nurture reflection on the messy problems of practice.
The Emerging Case Law on Extra Duty Contracts: Implications and Guidelines for Practicing School Administrators
Authors: Thomas Gloria Jean , Sperry David J.
Published: January 2019

Extra duty assignments for teachers rarely led to litigation prior to the 1980s. However, a study of recent extra duty cases indicated that the number and variety of cases are increasing. Cases were grouped into six categories: (1) contracts, (2) staffing patterns, (3) tenure, (4) demotion and stigma, (5) due process, and (6) collective bargaining agreements. Conclusions were that supplemental contracts are becoming common, extra duties should be assigned equitably, tenure does not accrue to extra duty positions, teachers’ associations are becoming involved in making extra duty assignments, and school boards must establish clear policies related to teachers’ extra duties.
Building a Vision for Quality Education
Authors: Rinehart Gray
Published: January 2019

The concepts of customer satisfaction and continuous improvement of products and service form the foundation of the quality philosophy that swept across American industry during the 1980s. The translation of the concepts from industrial to educational practice is proceeding in many areas across the country and around the world, where the principles are being applied to school administration, curricula and teaching. One of the first and most necessary tasks in expanding and solidifying this effort is formulating and communicating a broad, compelling vision to unite different elements of the education system together in pursuing continuous improvement. The construction of a vision for quality is the focus of this article.
It's Not Just a Laughing Matter: School Principals’ Use of Humor in Interpersonal Communications with Teachers
Authors: Pierson Patricia R. , Bredeson Paul V.
Published: January 2019

The purpose of this naturalistic investigation was to examine elementary principals’ use of humor in their daily interactions with teachers. Five male elementary principals were interviewed, shadowed and observed for five school days. After a second structured interview with each of the five principals, the teachers in each school were asked to complete a written survey on their perceptions of interpersonal communications between their principal and teachers and of their principal's use of humor within those communications. Analysis of the findings revealed that humor was used primarily in human messages by elementary principals in their interpersonal communications with teachers and that appropriate humor enhanced each principal's primary intended message(s) in those exchanges. Further analysis suggested four major purposes of humor usage by principals: to create and improve school climate, to relate to teachers the principal's understanding of the complexities and demands in the professional worklife of teachers; to break down the rigidity of bureaucratic structures by humanizing and personalizing interpersonal communications; and, when appropriate, to deliver sanctions and other necessary unpleasantries to teachers. Interpersonal communications networks which were open and supportive as well as appropriately seasoned with expressions of humor helped to create climates of connectedness between teachers and principals.