Reflective practice in professional education stands in sharp contrast to the assumptions underlying the more commonly used traditional supervisory models. This paper presents findings of a study that examined administrator use of a reflection-on-action process to build a climate of reflection and dialogue. Methodology included a case study of one…

This paper quotes liberally from writings on teacher supervision as it traces the history of attitudes toward the relationship between teachers and their supervisors from the middle 1800's to the present. The paper begins with the "Annual Report of the Superintendent of Common Schools of the State of New York" (1845), which reveals the simpler…

This paper unites theory and practice in examining the concept of "theory in practice." It contends that good administrators are theoretical about their work and that they construct categories using common, essential characteristics across similar situations so that few situations are viewed as unique. Two school superintendents were interviewed…

This report examines the balance that exists between school-based management mandates and the superintendent's ultimate responsibility for student performance in Texas. It claims that the literature on school-based management stipulates that states must transfer authority, responsibility, and accountability from the central office to the school…

Based on a theoretical paper on effective supervision (reproduced here), this study attempted to investigate superintendents' definitions of, knowledge of, assumptions about, and perceived effects of the supervisory structures and organization they have established in their school districts. Semistructured interviews of six superintendents in…

In examining the dynamics of change processes in high schools, this study makes initial interpretations about school officials who serve as change facilitators. The researchers found that a trend exists for the source of change to come from outside the high school. Principals, assistant principals, and department heads as well as central office…

In an attempt to compare the qualities of educational leadership recommended by effective schools research with the actual training and knowledge of district superintendents, the study reported here explores existing training requirements for superintendents in the advanced study of curriculum, instruction, and supervision. The research is a…

This bulletin contains abstracts of addresses delivered at a two-day conference of State and county rural school supervisors in the Southern States called by the United States Bureau of Education at New Orleans, Louisiana, December 17 and 18, 1928. Abstracts of addresses were prepared from manuscripts submitted by the authors. Section I: Problems…

Focusing on factors which shaped and influenced public school supervision, the paper investigates educational developments in the late 19th century. During this period the movement toward centralization in urban public schools gained considerable momentum. Educational historians have largely ignored the role school superintendents played in the…