This study analyzes the status and job functions of the 546 elementary school assistant principals in Texas during the 1985-1986 school year. It is concerned with the status of the position and the degree of responsibility assigned to the assistant principal for forty-eight specific job functions in the actual and ideal practice. A sample of 125 assistant principals, 125 supervising principals and a population of 135 superintendents whose districts employ assistant principals were included in the study. All three groups completed the role survey instrument. The results were analyzed by using the one-sample chi-square test to determine whether significant differences existed among the perceptions of the superintendents, principals, and assistant principals at the .01 level. The return rate was 60.8 percent for the assistant principals and principals and 84.6 percent for the superintendents.

The purpose of this study, in addition to measuring and comparing attitudes of teachers, principals and library media specialists toward the role of the school library media specialist, was to identify and measure factors contributing to those attitudes. Nine factors were identified. Further path analysis revealed that the performance level of the library media specialist had the most influence on principals' and teachers' attitudes toward the Consultant, Technological and Instructional Roles. For principals and teachers, staff development had the most influence on attitudes toward the Management Role, while involvement in the school-wide program was most influential for library media specialists.

In recent years, the federal No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act has increasingly had a major impact on daily decisions in schools, especially for principals' performance. Depending on the accountability rating, schools are in jeopardy of closing, and principals and teachers are at risk of being fired (McGhee [and] Nelson, 2005). As a result, it is increasingly difficult to make daily ethical decisions on behalf of students and teachers when much of the focus is on standardized testing and accountability. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to describe the leadership practices used by an elementary principal in her effort to balance accountability and ethics. Models of ethical, educational leadership including Servant Leadership, Transformational Leadership, Moral Leadership, Ethical Leadership, and Democratic, Ethical, Educational Leadership have described the practices implemented by ethical leaders. However, research concerning how an elementary principal is able to balance the pressures of accountability and ethical practices to meet the needs of the students, teachers, and parents is less prevalent. This qualitative single-case study of a principal in one high achieving, low socio-economic status elementary school examined the leadership practices in an accountability context. Semi-structured interviews, field notes of observations at the school, and relevant documents were collected and used as the data for the study (Marshall [and] Rossman, 1999). Findings revealed that a clear vision, positive relationships, honest communication, and school-wide systems lend strong support to teaching and learning. Meaningful curriculum, instruction, and assessment; caring, supportive relationships; and a student-centered school culture, are essential components of intended efforts to balance the pressures of accountability and the needs of the students. Resources, shared decision-making, and a culture of mutual respect and responsibility may lead school leaders to address the pressures of accountability and meeting the needs of the teachers. A welcoming environment, pertinent information in English and Spanish, and opportunities for parents and families to get involved are critical avenues to meet and address the concerns of parents. This information may generate recommendations to educational leaders and serve as suggestions for pre-service and in-service training programs which are designed to prepare future ethical school leaders. / text

The problem of this study was to answer the question, of whether or not there is congruence between Texas elementary school counselors' and elementary principals' perceptions of the role of Texas elementary school counselors. Research questions were formulated to carry out the purpose of this study. A review of related literature revealed that only two studies of the role of the elementary school counselor had been conducted in Texas. Both studies polled only elementary school counselors; therefore, Texas elementary principals' perception of the role of the elementary counselor was unknown. Christian's Elementary Counselor Inventory (ECI) was the instrument used in this study. The ECI contains 60 items describing tasks likely to be part of the counselor's role. Respondents were asked to consider each task twice; once according to the ideal role (should this be part of the counselor's role?), and once according to the actual role (is the elementary school counselor actually performing this function?).

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between a principal's emotional intelligence and personality and his or her ability to implement and develop professional learning communities within the school. The Professional Learning Community Assessment (PLCA) was administered to principals and teachers in 13 schools in Texas ranging from elementary to high school. Based on the strength of the PLCA scores, two elementary schools were selected to participate in case study research. The principals of these two campuses were administered an emotional intelligence instrument (MSCEIT), a personality instrument (DiSC), and were interviewed along with three of their teachers. The findings indicate that both of these principals scored high in the Influential and Conscientiousness subscales and low in the Dominance subscale. The principals also possessed either near-average or above-average emotional intelligence with both principals scoring particularly strong in the Strategic subscale.