The Man in the Principal's Office
Wolcott's (1973) study of an elementary school principal . . . has been described by anthropologists as a classic ethnography. (George Spindler & Louise SpindlerAnthropology & Education Quarterly)Wolcott demonstrates the rare insights that can be derived from applying anthropological concepts and methodology to the domain of education. (Arnold J. KellerNational Elementary Principal)The Man in the Principal's Officeis such an intriquing story! I loved it. The book provides useful educational examples for an instructor in sociology of education to exemplify concepts such as manifest and latent funtions, unintended consequences, sponsored and contest mobility, and especially socialization and the bureacracy in a way meaningful to educators and teachers. Then, of course, for our many doctoral students, this study is a fine example of an ethnography. (Edith King, University of Denver)The Man in the Principal's Office: An Ethnographyis urban micro-ethnography at its best...Wolcott's research demonstrates the value which exhaustive analysis of any occupation can have in highlighting the assumptions of a society as a whole and as such stands as a model for the heretofore under-used technique of approaching the study of urban society through careful analysis of the fusion of individual goals and identity with the behavioral expectations appropriate to their occupations. (Richard Basham & David DeGrootAmerican Anthropologist)