This qualitative study investigated the types of conflict elementary principals encounter and the behaviors of the principals that led to successful or unsuccessful results of those conflict situations. The Critical Incident Technique was used as the means of gathering data for this study. Data were gathered from 32 principals in a midwestern…

A former school principal describes a dozen situations involving parents' excuses for their children's bad behavior or complaints about school procedures and supervisory practices. Suitable administrator responses are given concerning homework completion, "unreasonable" school expectations, divergent interpretations of student attitudes and…

The purpose of the study was to examine the conditions effecting teacher-principal joint operationalization of rules as these related to perceived mutual needs. Using the field study methodology of participant observation, the researcher observed and recorded the daily interactions between teachers and the principal in an urban elementary school…

Examined three interpersonal relations constructs and their interrelationships that characterize principals' leadership behaviors. The investigation surveyed teachers' perceptions of 250 elementary school principals management styles. Many principals are engaged in interpersonal behaviors (using high levels of personal power, cooperative conflict…

As middle managers in the educational enterprise, principals are pressured by groups with goals at odds with their own. After attempting to resolve three thorny ethical dilemmas, one female principal realized that conflicts are more often caused by superiors and government agencies than by students, parents, and teachers. The question arises: is…

Traces the resolution of knowledge conflicts by the staff of a London (England) primary school who were committed to collaboration. Teachers either appropriated the headteachers' knowledge or left the school. There was no evidence of joint construction of shared knowledge or evidence of teachers' knowledge being accommodated. (SM)

Experiences with leadership and power are discussed from the perspectives of four female elementary school principals in Canada and teachers with whom they worked. Findings demonstrate principals' uses of facilitative power and give examples of power as both multidimensional and multidirectional. (SLD)

THE FOLLOWING IS THE FULL TEXT OF THIS DOCUMENT: This year we initiated a program to assist students with conflict resolution and problem-solving. The program has two components. Each month the principal holds a class meeting with students in grades 2-5, one grade at a time. Since we have 2 classes for each grade, the principal meets in a large,…

The first year of shared governance in a Canadian urban elementary school and the responses of the school's 14 teachers to the system of equal rights and responsibilities for teachers and the principal were described. Shared governance worked well, although not without conflict, but the group eventually used shared governance to resolve conflicts.…

Teacher education programs are rapidly changing to ensure that pre-service teachers are well prepared to successfully conquer the critical issues they will encounter in K-12 public schools. The major issue influencing teaching and learning is school violence and the lack of a sense of peace and caring in educational institutions. The educational…