Six research reports dealing with the roles and proper relationships between professional administrators and boards of trustees are summarized in this review. The following topics are highlighted: the professional's theoretical basis for operation and its justification, roles and internal and external functions of the board, effects of vague or…

Questions the ethical use of conflict mediation in situations where opposing parties with unequal power address social or institutional injustice, examining informal aspects of teaching and learning that occur when those with unequal power struggle for equal opportunity in public schools. Presents examples from an urban elementary school. (SM)

Explores the role of the urban school superintendent with regard to each of the six National Education Goals of 1990. Superintendents must mobilize their forces to fulfill the reforms outlined in the goals and must focus on specific needs of urban children. (SLD)

Explores the impact of Professional Development Schools (PDSs) on the professional lives of school-based and university-based administrators, examining literature about the need for redefined leadership in restructuring schools and leadership roles in PDSs and discussing results from a study designed to elicit the voices of these administrators…

Although newer views about the constructivist basis of knowledge and more reflective models of practices have been introduced in most teacher-training programs, this has not been the case for many administration-preparation programs. A result is a growing gap between the knowledge and skills required of new teachers and the knowledge and…

This study examines the processes by which students are assigned to courses in high schools. The data are drawn from a longitudinal study of five inner-city high schools located in an eastern metropolitan area spanning three separate school districts. Each school served a population of students that was overwhelmingly disadvantaged. The schools…

This guide is intended to provide assistance to educators interested in developing two-way interactive television networks, addressing the educational and cost issues of this technology. Interactive television (I-TV) offers smaller or rural schools the opportunity to offer a comprehensive program within budgetary restraints. I-TV refers to the…

A study was done of the relationship between school district central offices and school-based innovations in a large urban school district. The study looked specifically at the work relationships among central office personnel and their behaviors and attitudes toward school-based innovations. Data were collected through a survey administered to 30…

Two major concerns should be considered as the federal effort to collect educational data is redesigned. The concerns involve the roles performed by school personnel and the effect of student characteristics on achievement. Obtaining accurate measures of school district personnel--how many, what type, and what they do--is difficult. However,…

This collection of readings on secondary school principalship consists of selected articles published in the NASSP Bulletin from 1980 to 1985. The book is divided into eight topical chapters, each consisting of articles by different authors. The introductory chapter consists of five articles that focus on the role of the secondary school…

This paper reports the results from an investigation of a method for systematic development of a procedure for assessing the administrator and instructional leader roles in implementation of an innovative school program. The purpose of the study was to design and field-test a feasible and useful approach to examining the degree of…

This speech discusses problems that principals face in trying to implement effective school strategies, describes ongoing research in instructional management, and identifies school improvement strategies used by particularly effective principals. The first section addresses practical problems in finding the appropriate balance between high…

Because the supervisor in the small school is often a Jack-of-all-trades, he may see himself as a manager rather than as a leader; however, to be an effective administrator, he must not only be ready for change but must be instrumental in creating desired change. Characteristics that affect the willingness and ability of rural schools to accept…

This ethnographic study of 16 Chicago school principals explores the principal's effect on students and teachers within the school; on parents and laymen in the community; on their superiors in the administrative hierarchy; and on themselves as career-oriented professionals. A brief literature review relates studies examining the principalship of…

Compiled for school administrators who must initiate or respond to external mandate for change, this guide draws on the experiences of 10 rural school districts that participated in the federally funded Experimental Schools (ES) program for perspectives that can be used in the successful management of change efforts in school districts. Organized…