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Descriptors:
Leadership; Superintendents; Best Practices; Correlation; Educational Improvement; Administrator Role; Governance; Administrator Attitudes; Leadership Effectiveness; Leadership Role; Organizational Change; Educational Planning; Strategic Planning; Online Surveys; Questionnaires; Educational Practices; Professional Education; Operations Research; Critical Incidents Method

Abstract:
The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between superintendent leadership and the operational processes of school improvement. School district superintendents (N = 226) from six southeastern states were surveyed concerning their leadership authenticity and school improvement practices. Descriptive statistics, analyzes of variance, Pearson correlation coefficients, and structure equation modeling were used to analyze the data. A significant and positive relationship was found between superintendent levels of leadership authenticity and their districts' use of best practices in the school improvement process. Implications for practice in academic professional preparation programs, for practicing administrators, and for governing boards are discussed. (Contains 3 tables and 3 figures.) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
Higher Education; Leadership; Foreign Countries; Strategic Planning; Facilities Management; Educational Administration; Professional Autonomy; Administrator Role; Colleges; Case Studies; Governance; Professional Development; Semi Structured Interviews; Department Heads

Abstract:
Middle-level academic managers play a central role in university management; however, their roles are not always clear and straightforward. Although this research subject has been comprehensively investigated in the last 40 years, most studies are western-biased. This study examines the roles of Heads of Department in a newly established university in Vietnam to fill this literature gap. Through 24 interviews and document analysis, the study finds that the main task areas of the Heads of Department centre on programme management, academic staff management and facilities management. Other areas such as strategic management and budget management appear to be neglected. The paper supports the findings of the existing literature that Heads of Departments' responsibilities vary in detail and the roles demanded are governed in large measure by departmental contexts. The study concludes that the Heads of Department enjoy a low level of autonomy and also act more as managers than as leaders. It is recommended that an enhanced leadership role should be given to the Heads of Department so that they can perform to the best of their ability, hence improving university performance. (Contains 1 table and 5 notes.) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
Sanctions; Principals; Instructional Leadership; Administrator Role; Leadership Role; Barriers; Time Management; Capacity Building; Educational History; Expertise; Goal Orientation; Intention

Abstract:
In recent years, policy changes in American education have refocused a spotlight on principal instructional leadership. Although in previous eras the professional literature exhorted principals to "be instructional leaders," there were few sanctions if they failed to do so. In the current policy context, however, instructional leadership has assumed a central rather than peripheral place in the hierarchy of roles played by principals. Today principals who fail to engage this role proactively and skillfully do so at their own risk. Yet history suggests that neither policy mandates nor good intentions will penetrate the "force field" that stands between the principal and the tasks involved in leading learning. A more strategic and coherent approach is needed by principals who wish to enact this role in practice. This article reviews the evolution of instructional leadership as a model for principal practice, examines barriers to its successful enactment, and proposes strategies that school leaders can employ to reduce the gap between intentions and reality. (Contains 1 figure.) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
Administrators; Government Employees; Educational Policy; Administrator Role; Educational History; Policy Formation; Centralization; Educational Vouchers; National Curriculum; Interviews; Longitudinal Studies; Foreign Countries

Abstract:
Given that elevation to permanent secretary is widely recognised as the apotheosis of a career in the Whitehall bureaucracy, it is remarkable that so few have been the subject of sustained biographical research and that this key role remains largely un-theorised. As such, this paper reports on aspects of a longitudinal study which set out to examine, evaluate, and categorise to what extent, and how, permanent secretaries influence policy. Based on recorded interviews with those who held this office at the DES from 1976 to 2002, along with those they served and others, it argues that if the role of senior civil servants can be labelled "meta-political", they do influence policy in significant ways. As such, it suggests that their praxis can be interrogated in terms of their activities as makers, shapers, takers, sharers, and resisters of policy in education. Focusing on the career of a committed centraliser, James Hamilton, it examines the contribution he made as permanent secretary to a variety of departmental policy initiatives including the pursuit of voucherisation and the case for a national school curriculum. (Contains 1 table and 10 notes.) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
Inclusion; Social Justice; Special Education; Administrator Education; Educational Administration; Educational Change; Instructional Leadership; Leadership Training; Schools of Education; Equal Education; Role; Standards; Curriculum; Administrator Role

Abstract:
Over the past two decades, colleges of education along with a number of national organizations and specialized professional associations have sought to improve educational administration programs through the incorporation of a broad policy framework designed to develop socially just leaders. Central to the growth of these new leaders is a commitment to acknowledge and embrace difference and to create educational spaces within which all children can learn. As the notion of social justice within education has been evolving, certain students, particularly those with disabilities, have been railing against persistent inequities within schools. Special education has emerged as one of the most litigious issues that school leaders must confront in their daily practice. Nevertheless, content related to special education and special education law has been a long neglected area within university-based administrator preparation programs and has been strangely absent in conversations relevant to the creation of administrator preparation programs that embrace a social justice model of leadership. Beginning with the current literature base of social justice and leadership preparation in special education and special education law, and using the recently revised Educational Leadership Constituents Council Advanced Programs in Educational Leadership Standards for building-level administrators for context, this article proposes an imperative to include curriculum content and leadership training that embraces and honors the inclusion of students in K-12 special education programs and enables building-level administrators to fulfill their role as socially just leaders. Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
Higher Education; Organizational Development; Foreign Countries; Change Agents; Department Heads; Administrator Role; Role Conflict; Group Dynamics; Performance Technology; Job Simplification; Organizational Change; Institutional Characteristics; Case Studies; Program Descriptions

Abstract:
This article provides a detailed description and analysis of how one Canadian institution used groups of department heads as change agents to address their most acute department head role tensions. It is demonstrated that this institution's change initiative aligned very closely to the recommendations proposed, in both the literature pertaining to organizational development in a higher education context, and the broader organization development literature regarding the use of groups as agents of change. In conclusion, it is suggested that how work is broken down and structured into various groups can facilitate the change process, that enabling and engaging the change targets as change agents may be of value, and that institutions may benefit by broadly increasing member knowledge, competencies and experience with team work, team dynamics and an understanding of how groups can successfully be used as agents of change. Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
Student Teacher Attitudes; Teaching Methods; Teacher Education Programs; Foreign Countries; Mentors; Student Teachers; Semi Structured Interviews; Sexual Harassment; Administrator Role; Qualitative Research; Teaching Experience; Incidence; Aggression; Figurative Language; Language Usage; Workshops; Gender Differences

Abstract:
Mentors and school heads play cardinal roles in teacher education programmes in most countries, including Zimbabwe. The side-effects of such symbiosis have not yet been investigated fully. This article used a qualitative methodological approach to investigate the perceptions of some Zimbabwean student teachers regarding their teaching practice experiences. A sample of 10 ex-teaching practice students from a teacher education college was selected and interviewed during data collection using a semi-structured interview schedule. The participants reported a high prevalence of sexual harassment/aggression of the students by the host schools' heads and mentors, irrespective of student gender. The form of aggression included seeking sexual favours and intimidation. Most perpetrators used metaphors and satirical or sarcastic language to convey their intentions. The female student teachers reported higher incidences than did the male students. Constant workshopping is imperative to remind mentors and school heads of their professional and social obligations regarding teacher education. (Contains 2 tables.) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
State Standards; Principals; Instructional Leadership; Career Readiness; Academic Standards; Teachers; Administrator Attitudes; Teacher Attitudes; Administrator Responsibility; Teacher Responsibility; College Readiness; Teaching (Occupation); Job Satisfaction; Academic Achievement; Teacher Surveys; Interviews; Administrator Role; Public Schools; Teacher Effectiveness; Teacher Evaluation; Elementary Secondary Education; Questionnaires; School Culture; Accountability

Abstract:
"The MetLife Survey of the American Teacher: Challenges for School Leadership" (2012) was conducted by Harris Interactive and is the twenty-ninth in a series sponsored annually by MetLife since 1984 to give voice to those closest to the classroom. This report examines the views of teachers and principals on the responsibilities and challenges facing school leaders, including the changing roles of principals and teachers, budget and resources, professional satisfaction, and implementation of the Common Core State Standards for college and career readiness. This research combined both quantitative and qualitative methods to gain a clear picture of attitudes and perceptions among teachers and principals. Major findings include: (1) Principals take responsibility for leadership of their schools; (2) The job of principal is becoming more complex and stressful; (3) Teachers take leadership in schools and think principals are doing a good job; (4) The biggest challenges leaders face are beyond the capacity of schools alone to address; (5) Principals and teachers have similar views on academic challenges, but diverge somewhat on their priorities for leadership; (6) Teacher satisfaction continues to decline; (7) Challenges cited by educators are greater in high-needs schools; and (8) Educators are confident about implementing the Common Core, less so about its potential for increasing student success. Appended are: (1) Methodology; and (2) Questionnaires. (Contains 39 figures and 27 endnotes.) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
Job Training; Education Work Relationship; Supervision; Feasibility Studies; Supervisors; Administrator Attitudes; Supervisory Methods; Administrative Policy; School Supervision; Inspection; Personnel Management; Administrator Role; Administrator Responsibility; Program Attitudes; Educational Research; Foreign Countries

Abstract:
The main purpose of this study is to determine the level in which educational supervisors who carry out the regulations concerning the feasibility conditions of educational supervision regulation views arise. The research was carried out in 2010 to 2011 academic year; the research population included 3150 educational supervisors and the research sample included 387 educational supervisors. The research is a descriptive study in screening model. Research data were collected with "Educational Supervisors' Views Scale Concerning the Feasibility of Educational Supervision Regulation" that has been developed with a multiple approach based on the front-end application results. Research data were analyzed using descriptive statistics for frequency (f), percentage (%) and arithmetic average ([X-bar]). According to the research results, educational supervisors have mentioned that educational supervision regulation is much more applicable at appointment and training dimension than at service and on-the job training. Educational supervisors consider it necessary to focus primarily on supervision of education and school management to determine their authority and responsibilities in relation to their own assigned position. Supervisors also think that they cannot adequately perform all the duties of educational supervision that includes training, selection and appointment. (Contains 3 tables.) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
Physical Education; Physical Activities; Children; Community Involvement; Certification; Administrators; Administrator Role; Communication Strategies; Computer Uses in Education; Outreach Programs; Community Programs; National Programs; School Community Relationship; Elementary Schools; Physical Education Teachers; Program Development; Program Descriptions; Guidelines; Family Involvement

Abstract:
Engaging families and communities in physical activities for the benefit of children is an extension of the role of a physical education instructor. Although it is possible for a physical educator to generate ideas that encourage families and communities to move, a certified director of physical activity (C-DPA) would be better trained to facilitate family and community involvement in physical activity. This article provides a brief review of existing research about the benefits of family and community involvement in creating a physically active environment for children and presents a number of strategies that a physical educator, especially a C-DPA, can implement to make family and community involvement a reality. (Contains 1 figure and 1 table.) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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