This report, part of a research series on roles of participants in high school change, focuses on activities of principals in guiding and facilitating change, on leadership configurations found in high schools, and on how principals interact with other change facilitators during the change process. Two high schools were visited in nine districts…

The leadership, management, and academic concerns of deans and provosts are addressed in this casebook based on 25 original case studies on issues related to finance, personnel, organizational structure, curriculum, and academic freedom and standards. Two or more practical options for action accompany each presentation of a challenging problem.…

Previous research shows that successful schools have competent principals. In the Upper Cumberland Development District of Tennessee, 350 teachers and 350 parents were surveyed concerning the capability of principals in the district's most efficient schools. Eighty-four percent of the teachers and 78 percent of the parents completed the…

The development of a merit pay system in effect since 1953 in a suburban school district is discussed in light of district records and interviews with administrators and teachers. A key element of the system is a standing committee for evaluation of the program, consisting of the superintendent, teacher-elected representatives, and one…

As part of an ongoing three-year investigation into the effects of declining enrollment and reduction in force (RIF) on teachers, this paper explores: (1) teacher acceptance of exclusive administrative control over performance evaluations, and (2) teacher preferences for colleague input into the evaluation process. A sample of 85 schools was drawn…

This paper synthesizes data from two studies of educational change to describe how school contextual factors influenced teacher involvement and how principals reduced those influences. The first study, involving 14 schools representing a mixture of levels and types of areas served, began in 1979 and spanned 3 school years; the second study, which…

This paper presents the results of an Achievement Directed Leadership (ADL) field test conducted at eight elementary schools and a middle school in an urban school district in New Jersey during the 1981-82 school year. The stated purpose of the field test was only secondarily to assess student outcomes; its major objective was to help principals…

Much recent research on educational organizations, including that of Meyer and Rowan (1977, 1978), has depicted them as ritualistically legitimated, internally loosely-coupled systems. Willower, however, has argued (1982) that legitimization of schools by their communities is not merely ritualistic but is ordinarily problematic. To examine…

Personal, job-related, and environmental factors that might account for academic mid-level administrators' general job satisfaction were studied with a sample of 260 administrators at a large research university. Attention was directed to: personal characteristics (sex, age, number of years employed at the university), perceived job…

Research was undertaken to enhance the ability of superintendents in public school districts without vocational directors to administer vocational programs effectively. Two objectives were identified: To determine the tasks which must be performed and the administrative functions employed for their accomplishment, and to present alternative model…

The ways in which principals have influenced or been influenced by four Teacher Corps projects are described and explained in case studies based on field interviews, observations, and a review of the documents produced in the course of the projects. The studies also provide the background both for an analysis of factors affecting the role of the…

A questionnaire distributed to part-time recreation directors in Wisconsin identified training needs and formed the basis for this manual. The workbook-like format was designed to facilitate self-directed study by recreation directors. The first chapter summarizes the results of the questionnaire and presents statistical data, noting the…

This chapter evaluates Florida legislation establishing school advisory committees and is intended to improve understanding of both the potential and the problems of school advisory committees. It begins by examining advisory committees across the nation. It then turns to an analysis of school advisory committees in Florida. The report on…

The political and emotional issues surrounding the busing of children for purposes of school integration have caused us to focus on the methods of desegegation rather than on the goal of equal and quality education. Busing to integrate began after the 1954 Brown decision. Since that time, unwilling school superintendents and administrators have…

Identified in this research report are variables acting as supports and constraints to the development of a school community relations program. Background information concerning the characteristics of the school studied and its administration is provided. Major influences on the development of a school community relations program in this…