The present discussion develops the thesis that social and economic changes since the 1940s have produced educational problems requiring a new approach to school management. First, a brief overview is provided of social and economic changes prior to and after the 1940s, showing how such changes have affected the daily experience of individuals and…

The principalship promises to be fundamentally different in the future than it has been in the past. Throughout the seventies, social trends and studies of schooling caused a loss of confidence in the principal. Yet by the end of the decade, principals were seen to be important in affecting school productivity, as was suggested by many studies of…

Chapter 5 of a volume on school leadership, this chapter reviews the literature to define and explain management teams and to describe several successful management team arrangements. The author begins by noting that team management has recently enjoyed a resurgence as a response to collective negotiations, but beyond this function can have value…

At the local level the school principal is the key person in the implementation of the decision by the school board to desegregate the schools. Information on the practices and procedures followed by successful principals was obtained through interviews and questionnaire. Topics discussed include (1) the general personal characteristics required…

This document focuses on the role of assistant superintendents in (1) general school administration, (2) instruction, (3) business affairs, (4) personnel services, (5) pupil services, (6) school community relations, and (7) human relations. (LLR)

Effective schools must have effective leaders. Such leaders are those who can create and implement a vision of the school's culture that contains within it the values on which excellence is built. (BJV)

Illustrates some of the various ways principals may shape and change their school cultures. These cultures are composed of the shared norms, values, beliefs, and assumptions about the world of work that shape how people think, feel, and act. (BJV)

Summarizes recent scholarship on superintendents and classroom learning. Concludes that central-office involvement is infrequent but probably necessary for widespread school improvement. Proposes guidelines for future research. (BJV)

Anglo, Black, Hispanic, and Vietnamese parents with children enrolled in school districts in northeast Texas responded to a questionnaire to determinie their perceptions, attitudes, and knowledge about bilingual education. Responses revealed differences according to ethnicity, source of information about bilingual education, and whether a child…

Several trends in education are affecting administrators on a daily basis. This paper attempts to heighten understanding of a few of the current trends in administration. The first trend that is increasingly coming to the forefront is the lack of personnel willing to pursue a career in administration. Personnel in schools are not willing to take…

It has become more and more common to read and hear that the essential factor underlying effective schools is an ethos or culture of excellence and that effective school leaders are culture builders. The main purpose of this study was to ascertain administrators' views of their schools' climate. The second purpose was to examine imperative skills…

Discusses the institutional and organizational environment of schools of choice in the public sector, focusing on the role of the principal. The principal's leadership role is that of middle manager, entrepreneur responsible for attracting and holding parents and students, and symbol manager, responsible for developing an organizational…

Discusses the role of school principals and their relationship with the school library media specialist. Topics addressed include budgeting; decision making; individual management styles; expectations of education; site-based management; and the media specialist's role in school reform. (LRW)

Writing teams composed of school administrators and university personnel in Western Australia, Ontario, and the Northwest Territories developed regional profiles of effective principalships for use as a resource in developing effective school leadership programs. Common components of profiles included effective practices relating to school culture…

Discusses educational conditions resulting from South African apartheid and its sociopolitical manifestations through a synopsis of case studies, emphasizing the pivotal role of the principal in relation to characteristics of effective schools. Analyzes the challenges to local schools posed by apartheid and provides suggestions for new…