This qualitative case study explores how Maude, a female principal, leads her school and reaches decisions on a daily basis. The study took place in a private, Catholic all girls' school in an urban setting in the province of Quebec. Over the course of the four months spent in the research site, data was collected through observation, interviews and the collection of artefacts. / The findings of this study suggest that Maude played three distinct leadership roles to which metaphoric labels were associated. She was a peacekeeper when assuming a socio-political stance, a gatekeeper when establishing and preserving the instructional standards of the school and a gardener when tending to the health of both individuals and the institution. / Few studies have investigated how female principals lead their school and reach decisions. Much of the literature on leadership has focused on the male perspective. Only recently have researchers acknowledged the androcentric bias found in the leadership literature. This study provides an other perspective on leadership, a female perspective. As such, the emergent educational leadership framework takes into consideration the influence values, mainly attributed to women have on both leadership and decision-making. The framework proposed outlines the fluidity associated with leadership and decision-making when seen through a gendered filter. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)

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The purpose of this study was to explore and describe the nature of local school-community human service agency collaboration undertaken to address the needs of at-risk youth. The study focused on the experience of four youth services teams in two Oregon counties. A qualitative, multiple-case study approach was used as the research design. Inquiry was guided by four questions: 1) Why and how was the collaboration initiated?, 2) What is the structure of the collaboration?, 3) What are the characteristics of the process?, and 4) What are the outcomes of the process? Data were collected through interviewing, observation, and document review. The analysis of the data proceeded inductively using a content analysis strategy. Based on a preponderance of evidence, conclusions were drawn. They included: 1. Collaboration became a viable response strategy when organizations realized that unilateral solutions were ineffective. 2. Organizational support for collaboration at. both the administrative and staff level was important. 3. The conveners of the collaboration exercised informal rather than formal authority. 4. In-kind contributions of a limited nature constituted the resource base of the collaboration. 5. Attention was paid to facilitating the process of collaboration itself. 6. Leadership of the collaboration rested primarily with the education sector. 7. While the broad vision of the collaboration was embraced by all members, at a more personal level the vision was translated into differing objectives. 8. Both direct and indirect benefits sustained members' commitment to the collaboration. 9. Generally, parent involvement was felt to be integral to the success of the collaborative effort. 10. The issue of confidentiality was addressed. 11. Collaboration resulted in improved communication among schools and agencies, but the increased understanding was largely confined to team members. 12. Collaboration appeared to facilitate access to services and service delivery for some at-risk students; however, limited documentation made it difficult to assess the team's impact on student outcomes. / Graduation date: 1993

Learning disabled students in special education programs have not been demonstrating equal achievement gains in reading when compared to their non-handicapped peers. The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of Accelerated Learning methods in teaching reading to ten learning disabled middle school students in southwest Washington. Accelerated Learning (AL) was developed by Georgi Lozanov in Bulgaria in the 1960's. The method incorporated the fine arts, suggestion and visualization techniques with a dynamic, active instructional presentation. A multiple-case study design was conducted using ten learning disabled middle school students. Each case study used information gathered from school cumulative, confidential and special education files, parent, teacher and student interviews and observation. Their achievement in reading was measured using the Woodcock-Johnson Psycho-Educational Battery. Their reading gains, as measured after experience in their regular classes and after special education instruction using Englemann and Hanner's Direct Instruction methods, were similar to Educational District #112's learning disabled population's average gain of five months a year. Under Eclectic instruction the subjects' gains averaged nine and a half months per year and using AL instruction the gain was approximately fifteen and one half months a year. No patterns emerged to substantiate an effect between instructional reading treatment and behavior or attendance. Pattern matching for grade point average was inconclusive due to paucity of data. / Graduation date: 1992

Bibliography: leaves 129-137 / viii, 137 leaves, [27] leaves of plates : ill. (some col.) ; 30 cm. / Title page, contents and abstract only. The complete thesis in print form is available from the University Library. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--Dept. of Entomology, Waite research Institute, University of Adelaide, 1986

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Recent factors identified as contributory to poor mathematics performance in South Africa include lack of parental involvement coupled by the divorce of mathematics education to children’s everyday lives. This exploratory study, therefore focused on home activities grandmothers engage their Grade 2 grandchildren that may promote mathematical skills of Foundation Phase learners. This study followed a qualitative, interpretive and case study research design, to explore home activities grandmothers engage their Grade 2 grandchildren that may promote mathematical skills of Foundation Phase learners. A small scale study of six grandmothers and three Grade 2 teachers were sampled through purposive and snowball sampling. In line with the protocol of the case study, semi-structured individual face to face interviews and shadowing were used to collect data. One striking feature of the main findings was the diversity mathematics applications home activities contained. These include physical, financial and fun playful home activities. Data also revealed that these home activities could reinforce numbers and what numbers mean; reinforce shape recognition and spatial relationships; complement matching, classification and sorting and reinforce measuring and time. This implies that curriculum must incorporate children’s social capital. Both teachers and grandmothers acknowledged that children’s mathematics education is complex and an effective partnership between grandmothers and teachers is needed if children are to be competent in mathematics.

The management of Nigeria high schools are noted for administrative practices in the management of their schools; hence the term administration is commonly used in their daily operations. This fact on ‘administration’ was emphasised by the Nigerian government in the National Policy on Education (Nigeria, 1981, p. 21). Therefor as a researcher from Nigeria, my rationale for embarking on this research study was to find out to what extent a public high school in Nigeria was still operating in a hierarchical, individualistic, authoritarian style of leadership or whether it has started embracing contemporary approaches such as distributed leadership. The main goal of this study was to explore leadership practices in the case study school with the main focus on how different people relate to each other in the various leadership practices of the school, such as staff and briefing meetings of the school. In addition, my research questions aimed at exploring the respondents’ perceptions of leadership and factors enabling or constraining the distribution of leadership in the school. The study is located within the interpretive paradigm. As a researcher in a wheelchair studying in South Africa I needed to find alternative ways of accessing the research site and gathering data. I was able to use electronic communication for the collection of my data. I used four different tools of data collection methods namely document analysis, observation, questionnaire and stimulated recall interviews. Findings from the study indicated that there was limited evidence of contemporary leadership approaches in the case study school. The school was still operating traditional leadership, while school activities were dominated by a hierarchical chain of command. What emerged from the leadership practices of the school could be termed authorised distributed leadership which was under the command of the school principal. Data also indicated that there were some forms of restricted teacher leadership in the management and administration of the school. In addition, findings revealed that the case study school was very good at the management and administrative functions. The school was very effective and efficient in the controlling and management of both human and material resources. Lastly, findings from the case study school indicated some enabling factors to the distribution of leadership in the case study school which include a culture of respect and cordial relations among the SMT and the teachers, Prominent among constraining factors to the distribution of leadership in the case study school were: cultural orientation of the people where the case school was located, exclusionary religious practices by the principal of the school and the inhibiting role played by the Ministry of Education. Finally, based on these findings, recommendations were made both for practice and for future research.

This study examines the perceptions and experiences of school stakeholders about the practices of participative management in a Namibian Secondary School. Data was collected by using interviews, observation and document analysis. The study revealed that participative management has some benefits for the school such as it promotes democracy in school management, school as an open system, sharing of ideas and skills, teamwork and that ownership and commitment enhance the chances for organization change. Participatory decision making and shared leadership are the practices of PM that emerged from this study. However the school does experience challenges such as lack of knowledge on the practice and potential of PM in school management and leadership, illiteracy among parents that prevent them from participation in management and autocratic management practices from some members in formal leadership. The study suggests that trust, relationships and openness are good interpersonal skills that can help enhance the practices of PM in the school. Other strategies were to sensitize stakeholders on the practices of PM.