The literature on the principalship is extensive, revealing ways in which principals can foster or impede school success. At the same time, another formal secondary school-level position, the department chair, has garnered little scholarly attention. Thus far, the literature offers a limited account of the roles that chairs should or do perform in…

This study was designed to analyze non-principal staff supervisors' perceptions of PLC efforts, encouragements, and activities in the six dimensions of a professional learning community (PLC) characterized as shared and supportive leadership, shared values and vision, collaborative culture, a focus on learning, supportive relationships, and…

Within the scope of leadership and management, decision making greatly defines the role of university administrator, in particular, the university department head and his/her ability to be a reflective practitioner in the realm of decision making. Decision making is one characteristic of university department head work which warrants close…

With strong connection to schoolwide policy and vision and to the realities of the daily life of teachers and students, the department chair is uniquely positioned to play an important role in advancing instructional effectiveness (Printy, 2008; Weller, 2001). This article provides an in-depth look at the efforts of three urban comprehensive high…

This Executive Position Paper examined the reported preparation of Delaware Tech Stanton/Wilmington Campus department chairpersons at the time of their appointments and what strategies and training methods they report will more quickly prepare and develop new appointees into successful department chairs. Two surveys were utilized; one was sent to…

The Department Chair position is perhaps the most important position on a college campus. Not only do Department Chairs have a large number of individual tasks to perform, but a Chair's actions have potentially large repercussions, since the bulk of the pedagogical and administrative decisions made at institutions of higher education are made at…

This two-phase exploratory study examined department chairs' perspectives of online learning in a California community college district and examined if differences existed in This two-phase exploratory study examined department chairs' perspectives of online learning in a California community college district and examined if differences existed in…

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine professional leadership experiences of college deans of education with formal and informal mentoring in the course of their career progression at 4-year nonprofit private colleges and universities in California. Methodology: Using a mixed-methods approach that emphasized the qualitative data…

There is a paucity of research concerning the opinions and roles of Department Chairs pertaining to computer use, yet these individuals are in a key position to influence the curricula. The purpose of this survey was to improve understandings about Department Chairs' opinions and reported practices concerning computer applications in their…

Discusses how chairs might use information from a survey documenting the types of support and compensation that chairs in the Association of Departments of English community receive to negotiate a compensation package that is best for them during their term of office but also takes into account such other considerations as opportunity costs…

This study investigated what university and college department chairpersons believe are the most important duties of their position, how they view their roles, and the relationship of perceived roles and duties. Possible role definitions included seeing department chair work as leader, scholar, faculty developer, or manager. The study surveyed 800…

Presents results from a survey to document the types of support and compensation that chairs in the Association of Departments of English (ADE) community receive. Notes that results for the respondents overall are shown in tables 2 through 6, while tables 7 through 15 sort responses by institutional size, type, or sector and tables 16 and 17 by…

A survey of 174 deans revealed that budget management, communication skills, encouragement of faculty development, communication with the dean, and rewarding faculty achievement are high priority skills for English department heads. Regardless of discipline, chairs must have a range of sophisticated managerial skills for which they may need…

The role of social studies chairmen, as revealed in a survey of more than 200 in the area covered by the North Central Association, is depicted. The writers conclude that chairmen can provide instructional leadership but that they need support and authority to initiate this leadership. (Editor)

A survey of department chairs at colleges and universities investigated the administrators' perceptions of the importance of 26 administrative duties. Results reveal patterns in perceived importance of functions and perceptions of effectiveness in achieving them. Factors of hiring, discipline, gender, or orientation (manager, leader, developer,…