Using a "management opinionnaire," researchers surveyed 164 local school superintendents in the state of Mississippi to determine their preferred styles of leadership. The questionnaire requested demographic information and measured the superintendents' degree of accordance with 27 statements concerning the role of an administrator.…

This paper presents findings of a study that analyzed the extent of burnout among Mississippi high school principals. Specifically, it identified the level of burnout among Mississippi high school principals, the relationship between certain demographic variables and burnout, and the relationship between burnout and personality type. The level of…

Successful building-level instructional supervision requires a physical, intellectual, and psychological environment where optimal teaching and learning can occur. While supervisory activities may open the lines of communication between the principal and the teacher, these communication lines may be affected by the perceptions that teachers have…

To influence teaching in a way that enhances and improves student learning is the school principal's responsibility. Because perceptions are more important than actual behavior, it is essential for principals to know if their perception of their supervisory actions is in agreement with the way their teachers perceive the same supervisory…

Whether or not there are significant differences in Mississippi public secondary school teachers' perceptions of school climate (SC) and their levels of job satisfaction (JS) was studied. From a random sample of 30 public secondary (grades 9 through 12) schools in Mississippi, one teacher from each of the subject areas of English, mathematics,…

This paper presents findings of a study that investigated elementary school principals' perceptions of parent-involvement practices in their schools. A survey was mailed to 75 principals of high-achieving elementary schools and to 75 principals of low-achieving elementary schools. The perceptions of 39 principals of high-achieving schools were…

This study sought to determine whether there was a significant difference between Mississippi teachers' perceptions of principals' supervisory behaviors and teachers' perceptions of burnout. Data were obtained from 120 Mississippi secondary school teachers. Two instruments were used: the Maslach Burnout Inventory Form Ed (MBI) and the Supervisory…

Increasing demands for educational accountability make it important for principals to know how and when to successfully use methods of supervision with teachers to attain the mutual goal of instructional improvement. To determine whether significant differences existed between junior high school teachers' perceptions of principals' supervisory…

Using Chester Barnard's acceptance theory of authority, this study of 125 secondary teachers and coaches explored relationships involving their "zones of indifference" or extent of response to orders by authority. Specific questions addressed were: (1) whether significant relationships existed between zones of indifference to…

The empowerment of teachers through collaboration, a supervisory trend currently receiving much attention and emphasis, employs variability and encourages cooperative decisionmaking. Despite its apparent popularity, collaboration can be viewed as unwieldy and difficult to manage with teachers who are already working under less than desirable…

A study conducted during the 1984-85 school year in Mississippi found that secondary school teachers' attitudes toward post-observation supervisory conferences were not influenced by their perceptions of their principals' supervisory behaviors. Participating in the study were 120 secondary teachers of English, science, mathematics, and social…

Despite the fact that teacher evaluation has long been a factor in the areas of promotion and salary increase, the proposed statewide implementation of a teacher assessment plan (the Mississippi Teacher Assessment Instrument) has aroused anxiety in Mississippi's educational environment. It is therefore critical that principals actively promote a…