Argues that studying the history of school supervision can aid understanding of current problems and future possibilities for supervision in schools. Presents a brief history of American school supervision in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. (JG)

Proper supervision has been a concern of those responsible for education for many years. The 100-year-old definition used here may help us gain some insights regarding our sophistication and/or needs in the important area of supervision. (Editor/RK)

In this article, the author presents Kathy B. Cox, Georgia state schools' superintendent. She has been very conscientious about the needs of teachers and the needs of principals. She has shown creativity by establishing a position at the department to work specifically on raising SAT scores in the state--which ranks last in national comparisons on…

This report focuses on school superintendents--those currently in the position and those in the pipeline. The report reaffirms the importance of the superintendency, raises concerns about the lack of national data collection on school superintendents, and concludes that Americans need more demographic information about, and increased understanding…

Examines the nature of administrative control of school principals in 12 especially effective districts in California. Supervision and evaluation of site level administrators were rational and meaningful processes in these districts. The supervision and evaluation functions appeared to form important linkage mechanisms between schools and…

The steady decline in the number of districtwide instructional supervisors necessitates research to determine the relationship between district supervision and school effectiveness. Answers and data-collection methods are needed for questions concerning the nature and scope of supervisory functions, modes of organization for fulfilling them, and…

This report is based on interviews of 18 school superintendents who demonstrate the quality know as resilience. The 14 men and 4 women averaged 17 years as superintendent, serving 3 rural, 13 suburban, and 2 urban school districts. It was found that resilient superintendents deal with challenges in positive ways. They do not dwell on the negative…

This study sought to determine how members of boards of education perceive the role of the superintendent, the role of the high school principal, and their own roles. Fifty of the 61 independent school districts in the upper 26 counties of the Texas Panhandle were randomly selected and one person from each board of education was randomly selected…

Administrators and teachers were interviewed and civic meetings, sports events, and school activities were observed to determine the supervisory problems and opportunities unique to small districts and schools. Impeding factors were found to be political influences and sports emphasis, while facilitating factors included faculty closeness,…

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…

The demand for efficiency in the schools and for the best possible use of money expended for schools and of the time of the children in school has given rise to a demand for expert supervision by men and women competent to give to all teachers, and especially to young and inexperienced teachers, help in those phases of their work in which they…

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…

The purpose of this study was to determine if basic organizational hierarchical needs (BOHN) help govern the decisionmaking behavior of elementary school principals, and if these needs can be influenced by an immediate administrator. Three groups of graduate students were placed in a simulated setting, indoctrinated in the principal's role, and…

Findings from a Massachusetts Department of Education project to describe district-led experiences with school-based management and to identify factors for improved classroom practices are presented in this paper. Interviews with 12 superintendents and assistant superintendents involved in systemwide restructuring were conducted to learn about…

Supervision by circular letters is essential in most counties. The size of the territory to be covered makes frequent visits on the part of the county superintendent an impossibility. Many superintendents have no supervisors or field deputies and have only occasional office help. In such cases circular letters are the most valuable means of…