Showing papers in "Educational Administration Quarterly in 1996"
TL;DR: This article reviewed the empirical literature on the relationship between the principal's role and school effectiveness during the period from 1980 to 1995 and specifically focused on the conceptual underpinnings of several theoretical models to study the role, relationship between models and methods of investigation, an4 consequently, to what has been learned about the nature of the principal impact.
Abstract: Although the is little disagreement conquering the belief that principals have an impact on the lives of teachers and students, both the nature and degree of this effect continues to be open to debate. The relationship is complex and not easily subject to empirical verification. This article reviews the empirical literature on the relationship between the principal's role and school effectiveness during the period from 1980 to 1995. We specifically focus on the conceptual underpinnings of several theoretical models to study the role, the relationship between models and methods of investigation, an4 consequently, to what has been learned about the nature of the principal impact. We conclude by framing a possible research agenda for the next generation of studies on the effects of school administration.
1,775 citations
Journal Article•
696 citations
TL;DR: The authors developed a theoretical account of how teachers' perceptions of transformational school leadership are formed and provided an initial empirical test of the theory, developed from cognitive science views of human thought and perception, explains the formation of teachers' leader perceptions as a function of both alterable conditions found in the school context and unalterable characteristics of both leaders and followers.
Abstract: This study has two purposes: to develop a theoretical account of how teachers'perceptions of transformational school leadership are formed and to provide an initial, empirical test of the theory. The theory, developed from cognitive science views of human thought and perception, explains the formation of teachers' leader perceptions as a function of both alterable conditions found in the school context and unalterable characteristics of both leaders and followers. Survey evidence from a sample of 423 elementary and secondary schools about their principals suggests that alterable school conditions explain most of the variation in teachers' leader perceptions.
189 citations
TL;DR: Two alternative methodologies that acknowledge the importance of context in the social construction of leaders and leadership systems are ethnography and biography, and discuss the problems and possibilities inherent in each, and provide illustrative examples of their advantages for theory building as discussed by the authors.
Abstract: Leadership is one social scientific field that has escaped the ubiquitous "paradigm wars." Leadership theorists have always attached great, perhaps exaggerated, significance to the agency of leaders. Traditional research methodologies (e.g., questionnaire surveys) normally associated with positivist approaches remain theorists' predominant modes of inquiry. Such methods, however, pay insufficient attention to the role played by institutional contexts in the definition and structuring of human agency. Two alternative methodologies that acknowledge the importance of context in the social construction of leaders and leadership systems are ethnography and biography. Each provides a better way for dealing with followers' implicit theories than mainstream conceptions of leadership. This article outlines the purposes of both modes of inquiry, discusses the problems and possibilities inherent in each, and provides illustrative examples of their advantages for theory building.
160 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors compare organizational analysis and studies of teacher thinking to clarify and suggest ways to combine divergent images of the good teacher, and suggest that recommendations for reform are incomplete and argue that these ideas need to be put into a wider frameworke.
Abstract: Organizational analysis and studies of teacher thinking both contribute to discussion about how to professionalize teaching, but these two bodies of research have not been well synchronized. Teacher-thinking research examines teachers' thought processes and makes recommendations for training. Organizational analysis emphasizes the importance of teacher commitment and the redesign of existing schools to increase teacher collegiality and participation. This article juxtaposes these two literatures to clarify and suggest ways to combine divergent images of the good teacher. It also suggests that recommendations for reform are incomplete and argues that these ideas need to be put into a wider frameworke.
103 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors describe how school administrators operating from an ethic of care conduct their daily practice and how that practice differs from administrators operating solely from traditional leadership models, and show how the practices of these assistant principals do not fit traditional administrative theories.
Abstract: The primary purpose of this article is to describe how school administrators operating from an ethic of care conduct their daily practice and how that practice differs from administrators operating solely from traditional leadership models. Via a secondary analysis of data that were gathered in our previous work with career assistant principals, we show how the practices of these assistant principals do not fit traditional administrative theories. Instead, the ethic of care was evident. Because it is difficult to separate administrative practice from organizational structure and professional norms, a secondary purpose of this article is to identify how the demands of both the organization and the profession interfere with enactment of caring.
97 citations
TL;DR: The authors discuss extant knowledge about the location and contexts of women's and men v superintendencies and relate evidence of gender stratification to the issue of retaining women in the superintendency.
Abstract: In this article, we discuss extant knowledge about the location and contexts of women's and men v superintendencies. We share findings from our study of women who have exited the superintendency. And we relate evidence of gender stratification to the issue of retaining women in the superintendency.
88 citations
TL;DR: In this article, theories of cognition are employed as a conceptual lens for reviewing and classifying the theoretical and research literature on values, and the reconciliation of several theoretical and conceptual difficulties and maps out various values theories in a manner that is perhaps more relevant to educational leadership and administration.
Abstract: This article considers the special function of values as an influence on administrative action. Because a significant portion of the practice of educational administration requires rejecting some courses of action in favor of others, values are generally acknowledged to be central to the field. In this article, theories of cognition are employed as a conceptual lens for reviewing and classifying the theoretical and research literature on values. Adopting this perspective allows the reconciliation of several theoretical and conceptual difficulties and maps out various values theories in a manner that is perhaps more relevant to educational leadership and administration.
52 citations
TL;DR: The short tenure and frequent turnover of urban superintendents has been attributed to the growing unmanageability of urban school districts as discussed by the authors, and this instability at the top is said to limit the prospe...
Abstract: The short tenure and frequent turnover of urban superintendents has been attributed to the growing unmanageability of urban school districts. This instability at the top is said to limit the prospe...
50 citations
TL;DR: The authors argue that much of the dispute is misconceived owing to the widespread acceptance of foundational assumptions about knowledge justification, and advocate the adoption of a non-foundational, coherentist view of knowledge justification that leads to a much broader conception of science, one more suitable for developing a systematic new science of administration.
Abstract: Arguments about the strengths and weaknesses of traditional logical empiricist conceptions of science have figured prominently in debates over the nature and content of theories of educational administration. In this article, we briefly review some of these debates and their consequences for administrative theory, concluding that much of the dispute is misconceived owing to the widespread acceptance of foundational assumptions about knowledge justification. As an alternative, we urge the adoption of a nonfoundational, coherentist view of knowledge justification that leads to a much broader conception of science, one we think is more suitable for developing a systematic new science of administration. We conclude by outlining some consequences of our new science for postmodern developments in the field and approaches to organizational design and leadership.
40 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the metaphor of fighting fires was used to describe the nature of educational administrators' work and five conditions that determine whether volatile conditions in schools will escalate or be contained.
Abstract: Educational administrators often invoke the metaphor of fighting fires to describe the nature of their work. Recent research on wild and firefighting illustrates that the use of this metaphor is unusually apt. Nuances associated with fire fighting shed light on subtle conditions in educational organizations that increase their vulnerability to failure. These parallels suggest five conditions that determine whether volatile conditions in schools will escalate or be contained
Journal Article•
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors present a critical perspective to review the administrative discourse, surfacing issues it fails to address, and suggesting alteratives that lead us down the critical path.
Abstract: Two discourses inform the discussion of teacher participation: one is administrative, the other participatory; the first is dominant, whereas the latter is incipient. This article apples a critical perspective to review the administrative discourse, surfacing issues it fails to address, and suggesting alteratives that lead us down the critical path. The administrative discourse draws from theories of human relations management, culture, and community building, obscuring hierarchies and power differences. In urban settings, the hierarchies that need to be addressed exist not only within the system and school, but between the school and the neighborhood The alternative, participatory discourse must expand and deepen the concept and practice of democratic participation, addressing not only teachers but students, communities, and system change. Drawing insights from the literature on worker democracy feminism, new movements, and critical educational theory, the article presents the main issues that need to be...
TL;DR: Theories are abstract, general explanations which are not strictly true or false but, rather, useful or not as mentioned in this paper, which are those that help administrators solve the problems of practice; hence theoretical perspectives in educational administration must be open, fluid, and pluralistic.
Abstract: Science is a dynamic process; its basic goal is to develop theory. Theories are abstract, general explanations which are not strictly true orfalse but, rather, useful or not. Such theories in educational administration are those that help administrators solve the problems of practice; hence theoretical perspectives in educational administration must be open, fluid, and pluralistic. Although administrators ground their knowledge in problem-solving experiences, experience is contextual and conclusions are contingent and probabilistic. Today ' propositions should remain open to inquiry and be subject to revision in light of new evidence. Above all, reflective administrative practice is rational, systematic, and reasonable and avoids all dogma that inhibits inquiry.
TL;DR: In this paper, accountability policy research has tended to use systems theory, an objectivist view of social reality, and logical empiricism to identify performance indicators of learning and make the case that policy knowledge production should permit a more holistic and causally interdependent view of teaching, learning, and leadership services.
Abstract: This article shows that accountability policy research has tended to use systems theory, an objectivist view of social reality, and logical empiricism to identify performance indicators of learning. It makes the case that policy knowledge production should permit a more holistic and causally interdependent view of teaching, learning, and leadership services. It argues that the accepting of responsibility in education obliges leaders to provide reasonable and coherent forms of accountability in a context of formative evaluation, educative reporting relationships, and politically sensitive planning. It then offers a methodology whereby accountability policies can be developed in a demonstrably educative manner. This methodology reflects a consequentialist moral theory, argues for the reconciliation of stakeholder perspectives through their active engagement, and applies a nonfoundationalist account of knowledge production.
TL;DR: A naturalistic perspective on inquiry is presented as a compelling philosophy for educational administration as discussed by the authors, grounded in a view of inquiry as open, growing, self-corrective, and fallible, ending in tentative explanations that are plausible and probable given current knowledge.
Abstract: A naturalistic perspective on inquiry is presented as a compelling philosophy for educational administration. It is grounded in a view of inquiry as open, growing, self-corrective, and fallible, ending in tentative explanations that are plausible and probable given current knowledge. Ethical inquiry is similar to scientific inquiry. Those facing moral choices can use its methods to explore the likely consequences of alternatives with the aim of attaining valued outcomes while mitigating negative consequences. Initially, it is shown that the influence of philosophical positivism and sociological functionalism on educational administration is greatly exaggerated by some, often those espousing various forms of subjectivism, critical theory, postmodernism, and identity politics. Those views fit the current spirit of the times as reflected in academic disciplines that influence educational administration. Nevertheless, the meaning of concepts with a history ought to reflect that history and not be dictated by ...
TL;DR: In this paper, the first year of a longitudinal study that compared the performance and attitudes of academically talented or gifted fifth grade students in homogeneous classes with gifted students in heterogeneous classes, five statistically significant differences were found-all in favor of the homogeneously grouped students: academic selfconcept, independent development, self-acceptance, perceptions of the degree to which teachers reinforce student self-concept, and peer relations.
Abstract: This article identifies administrative implications of the findings from the first year of a longitudinal study that compares the performance and attitudes of academically talented or gifted fifth grade students in homogeneous classes with gifted students in heterogeneous classes. Data regarding school-level differences and teachers' instructional strategies provide contextual information. At the beginning of the fifth grade, no statistically significant differences were found on student attitudes and perceptions measured by the Educational Process Questionnaire. By the end of the year, five statistically significant differences were found-all in favor of the homogeneously grouped students: academic self-concept, independent development, self-acceptance, perceptions of the degree to which teachers reinforce student self-concept, and peer relations. Student interview data supported these findings and suggested additional differences in understanding intelligence, reading, cognition, and metacognition.
TL;DR: In this article, the replacement of labels for stigmatized students, using the cases of culturally deprived/disadvantaged (CD terms) and at-risk, has been examined.
Abstract: This study examines replacement of labels for stigmatized students, using the cases of culturally deprived/disadvantaged (CD terms) and at-risk It questions whether at-risk merely replaced the CD terms, and thus did not represent any substantive change among policymakers and educators. A theoretical framework for understanding label replacement is synthesized from the sociolinguistics and policy analysis literature and then applied to the two cases. A review of education titles from 1961 to 1994 suggests a pattern of replacement, with a wave of CD titles in the 1960s and 1970s, followed by a wave of at-risk titles in the 1980s and 1990s. The two labels did apply to the same categories of students. However, analysis suggests that label replacement is not a simple process. Educational administrators must be skeptical of each new labeling trend and its effects on educational funding and programs.
TL;DR: In this paper, a postpositivist methodology (Problem-Based Methodology) is outlined that incorporates a theory of problems and problem solving and a set of normative criteria for judging solution adequacy.
Abstract: A much neglected reason for the limited contribution of educational research to the improvement of practice is the mismatch between our various research methodologies and the generic features of practice. After a conceptual analysis of practice as problem solutions, a postpositivist methodology (Problem-Based Methodology) is outlined that incorporates a theory of problems and problem solving and a set of normative criteria for judging solution adequacy. The application of PBM to inquiry into administrative practice is illustrated in two school-based case studies of the design and implementation of schemes for the collective assessment of children's learning. The case analyses are discussed in terms of the preservation of the practical context and the capacity of PBM to produce generalizable knowledge.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors provide a thorough legal analysis of the issues and examine the successes and failures of five major urban districts' attempts to achieve meaningful choice for students with disabilities.
Abstract: Intradistrict parental choice programs are increasingly prevalent in the American educational landscape. How those programs include students with disabilities while maintaining compliance with federal special education statutes has received little attention This article addresses that issue. It provides a thorough legal analysis of the issues and examines the successes and failures of five major urban districts' attempts to achieve meaningful choice.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors argue that basic assumptions built into the governance of higher education obstruct an effective response to problems in higher education and make a case for redesigning higher education governance.
Abstract: There are ominous signs that America's higher education sector is declining. However, why have higher education institutions and their leaders had such difficulty in addressing the problems the sectorfaces? We argue that basic assumptions built into the governance of higher education obstruct an effective response. After presenting the assumptions, we make a case for redesigning the structure of higher education governance.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors investigated both types of validity for one such system, the Administrator Diagnostic Inventory (ADI), and concluded that caution and a lot more research accompany the use of performance assessment systems, particularly for purposes of certification and selection.
Abstract: A number of administrator performance assessment centers and systems are in use or are being advocated for use for diagnosis, certification, and selection. However, the construct and predictive validity of such systems are still open to serious questions. The present study investigated both types of validity for one such system, the Administrator Diagnostic Inventory (ADI). Based on the results of this study and the review of research on performance assessment centers more generally, it is concluded that caution and a lot more research accompany the use of performance assessment systems, particularly for purposes of certification and selection.
TL;DR: The imposition of public schoolfees may be growing in importance as a supplement to general revenues that support schools as discussed by the authors, and the authors of this paper consider user charges from the perspective of taxation theory.
Abstract: The imposition of public schoolfees may be growing in importance as a supplement to general revenues that support schools. This article considers user charges from the perspective of taxation theor...
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors investigated the discrimination in compensation for female and male employees by including sources of compensation other than gross annual salaries and by expanding the type of focal positions investigated.
Abstract: Literature addressing employee compensation within the educational context has identified several different types of focal positions where females are compensated at a rate less than male counterparts. Knowledge about discrimination in compensation for female and male employees is expanded by including sources of compensation other than gross annual salaries and by expanding the type of focal positions investigated. Salary and fringe-benefit data were regressing against a well-defined model for chief financial officers in public school districts. Results indicate an equitable situation for fringe benefits and an inequitable situation for salaries received Female chief financial officers were found to be paid less than comparable male chief financial officers.
TL;DR: Greenfield as discussed by the authors argued passionately for a theory of organizations that would begin with their social construction and argued that researchers should concentrate on the subjectively held meanings of those within organizations, and illustrated his own theory with persona from the discursive arts, blending two axiological concernsaesthetics and values.
Abstract: Thomas Greenfield, between the early 1970s and 1992, argued passionately for a theory of organizations that would begin with their social construction. Greenfield advised researchers to concentrate on the subjectively held meanings of those within organizations. In choosing to illustrate his own theory with persona from the discursive arts, he blends two axiological concerns-aesthetics and values. He accomplishes this boldly and dramatically through a "shock aesthetic" and, in an interdisciplinary vein, through bringing other ways of seeing to the field of educational administration. Greenfield's experiment in the art of inquiry also holds broad implications for the preparation of administrators.
TL;DR: The authors examined the politics of year-round education in a California community during the early 1970s and found that Mexican Americans challenged the 45-15-week schedule because they were excluded in the decision-making process and because it conflicted with the employment pattern of Mexican migrant agricultural workers.
Abstract: This study examines the politics of year-round education in a California community during the early 1970s. As one of the few school districts in the nation to experiment with the concept, and one of the first to test it that served a large Mexican migrant student clientele, the findings show that Mexican Americans challenged the 45-15 year-round plan because they were excluded in the decision-making process and because it conflicted with the employment pattern of Mexican migrant agricultural workers. Whereas most studies have primarily focused on middle-class concerns in urban and suburban environments, this article gives special attention to how Mexican migrant resistance differed from conventional accounts.
TL;DR: For more than a decade, the Department of Educational Administration (now Educational Policy Studies) at the University of Alberta, Canada, has been involved in the development and instructional use of computer-based simulations of the school principalship as discussed by the authors.
Abstract: For more than a decade, the Department of Educational Administration (now Educational Policy Studies) at the University of Alberta, Canada, has been involved in the development and instructional use of computer-based simulations of the school principalship. The success of the simulations as an instructional tool has been attributed to theirability to "invite " students to suspend disbelief and thus to engage in the simulations as though they were real work. Recent developments, taking advantage of advances in technology and informed by experience with the simulations, have focused on further enhancements to this aspect of the simulations.