This descriptive study was undertaken for the purpose of identifying the problems, benefits, and recommendations for improving secondary substitute teaching as perceived by administrators, regular teachers, substitute teachers, and students. Participants in the study included the total populations of administrators, regular teachers, substitute teachers, and students of the four secondary schools in a southwestern school district. The objectives of the study were to identify the perceptions of these groups regarding their views of the problems and benefits associated with substitute teaching and their recommendations for the improvement of substitute teaching in their school district. A two-questionnaire modified Delphi Technique was developed and used to gather the data. The Delphi I questionnaire was open-ended and asked the participants to list five problem areas; five benefits; and five recommendations for improving substitute teaching. Items for the Delphi II questionnaire were developed from the responses gathered on the first questionnaire. The population surveyed consisted of 15 administrators, 293 regular teachers, 93 substitute teachers, and 6,401 students. The participants were asked to respond on a five point Likert-type scale as to the degree of agreement or disagreement with the 27 items identified as problems; the 23 items identified as benefits; and the 25 items identified as recommendations for improvement. The data from the Delphi II questionnaire was analyzed and the means, standard deviations, and modes were determined. An analysis of variance was computed to determine differences among groups. This study is unique in that it is the first study to determine that there are perceived benefits associated with substitute teaching. It is also unique in that it surveys all four groups that are directly involved in the substitute process. The findings of this study validate the previous research in terms of the identified problems and the recommendations suggested. The fact that all groups agreed that there were numerous benefits associated with substitute teaching gives rise to the suggestion that maybe substitute teaching is more than just a babysitting service. It is recommended that, to improve substitute teaching, all four groups must realize that they are both responsible for the existing problems, and the potential solutions as well.

A recent study conducted by the National Association of Secondary School Principals found that 45% of principals report that pandemic working conditions are accelerating their plans to leave the profession (2021). The current principal attrition crisis has only been exacerbated by the chaos and uncertainty of the global health pandemic. These conditions combined with the stressors that already exist in public education have created a crisis that cannot be ignored. On average, 1 in 5 principals turn over each year (Levin, et al., 2020). In order to create strong schools, it will be important to prioritize the needs of current principals and recruit and train future aspiring leaders to take the helm (NASSP, 2020). The purpose of this phenomenological study is to explore with a group of female high school principals how they manage stressors in their professional and personal lives--specifically, what health and wellness strategies are used to remain in their roles over time, feel satisfied in their role, and experience a sense of efficacy. Four overarching research questions will guide this study to focus on how female principals identify challenges and stressors experienced by school leaders and examine how strategies are utilized to manage and overcome the inevitable occupational stressors associated with the role of the school leader. This dissertation study examines (a) how female principals in urban high schools describe the challenges they face in carrying out their dual role as leaders at work and at home, (b) how female principals in urban high schools learn to overcome the challenges they face, (c) the factors that female principals in urban high schools say facilitate and/or impede their ability to manage the personal and professional demands they face, and (d) the strategies that female principals in urban high schools use to improve job satisfaction, professional efficacy, and longevity in the role. A select sample of six female principals shared their experiences in in-depth interviews. This research makes an important contribution to the field of educational leadership by facilitating a more sustainable female workforce, strengthening school leadership, and increasing support not only for women in the role but for all school leaders who experience occupational stressors and role conflict.

The central problem of the study was to determine the nature of the workday of the urban high school assistant principal. Specific questions guiding the investigation were as follows: (1)What are the workday activities of an assistant principal? (2)How long is this day? (3)How might the pace of the workday be described? (4)With whom does an assistant principal interact? How? Why? (5)To what extent is daily work proactive? Reactive? (6)Do the workdays of the various urban high school assistant principals differ? The investigator, in the nonparticipant observor role, employed five data-collection techniques: field notes; structured interview; review of written materials; and structured observation, employing the framework of Mintzberg (1973), whereby chronology, written communication, and verbal contact records were kept. The sample was composed of five assistant principals, representing a cross-section of administrative functions, in an urban school district on the West coast. Each assistant principal was observed throughout five days and evenings of school-related activities. The worktime of the composite sample was apportioned in the following manner: six percent, telephone calls; 17 percent, desk work; 24 percent, scheduled meetings; 24 percent, unscheduled meetings; and 34 percent, observational/informational tours. The average work week was 42 hours and 33 minutes; the average workday, 8 hours and 31 minutes. The dimensions of brevity, fragmentation, and variety were evident in daily work. In twenty-five days, 1,280 separate activities were undertaken. The average duration per activity was quite short: telephone calls, two minutes; unscheduled meetings, five minutes; desk sessions, nine minutes; tours, 12 minutes; and scheduled meetings, 36 minutes. Seventy-five percent of all activities lasted less than nine minutes. Only one percent exceeded an hour. The assistant principal interacted with many participant groups, with heaviest emphasis on subordinates within the building (64 percent of input mail, 79 percent of output communications; 49 percent of all verbal contacts) and clients, or students and their families (26 percent of all verbal contacts). Fifty-eight percent of all meetings and tours were with one other person. The prime purpose for interactions was to convey, receive, review, or exchange information (66 percent of input mail, 74 percent of contacts, and 79 percent of contact time). The assistant principals initiated 54 percent of their verbal contacts and 46 percent of the number of pieces of mail received. The factors tentatively isolated as related to workday differences were physical facilities, personal style and philosophy of assistant principal, time of year, and assigned functions.

Principals have performed many tasks which either promoted or hindered facilitation of the learning process for all students in their schools. One of these tasks has been compliance with federal and state legislative procedural requirements for special education. Though there has been relative progress in special education, compliance has not been 100% in program visits performed by State Department of Public Instruction. The purposes of the study were to: (a) determine the relationship between the level of administrative knowledge of compliance requirements with the degree of application of legislative regulations of special education (b) identify the constraints or factors which prevented total compliance in a local education agency. A two-part study was designed to fulfill the researcher's purposes. The initial phase of the study consisted of an opinionnaire to determine the amount and source of administrative knowledge of state and federal procedural legislative requirements. The second phase of the study involved individual interviews to identify the constraints to compliance with special education legislative requirements. Major conclusions were (a) knowledge did not make a difference in the school system's compliance with state and federal procedural legislative requirements (b) there were numerous constraints six of which permeated the study as knowledge understanding of regulations, excessive paperwork, money, time, parent/community awareness and maintenance of records (c) local educational agencies who were in 100% compliance did not differ significantly from schools who did not comply in the identification of factors which prevent compliance with state and federal legislative procedural requirements. / Ed. D. / incomplete_metadata

This study investigated the relationships between two personality variables, Machiavellianism (i.e., manipulativeness) and locus of control as well as the combined relationships of these two variables with a third, affective variable, job satisfaction. A sample of 225 public school secondary level administrators were given the Mach IV Scale, the Mach V Scale, the Facet-free Job Satisfaction Questionnaire, the Rotter I-E Scale and a bibliographic personal status questionnaire. The literature reveals that high Machs outperform low Machs When three personal and situational conditions occur. Moreover, Mach orientation correlates with external locus of control and low job satisfaction. All three of the predicted relationships were found to be significantly related as hypothesized. / Ed. D.

The purpose of this study was to investigate Virginia public secondary school principals' knowledge of and attitude toward P.L. 94- 142, personal background, and the relationship of these variables to the provision of special education services at the building level. Provision of services was defined as the proportion of students receiving special education services, the number of students served in self-contained classes, and by a special educator's rating of the principals' influence and support for special education. Knowledge and attitude scores were normally distributed for the 46 principals. A mean score of 14.18 was obtained on the 29 item instrument, Knowledge of P.L. 94-142. A mean of 70.82 (100 possible, the higher the score the more positive the attitude) was found on the instrument, What is Your Opinion? Regression analysis using the three dependent variables accounted for 11 to 20 percent of the variance in the provision of services. Twenty percent was controlled when using the special educators’ rating of the principals' influence and support for special education. Fifteen percent of the variance was controlled for using the number of students in self-contained programs. Eleven percent of the variance was controlled for using the proportion of students served in the building. Special education administrators consistently reported their perception that principals' knowledge and attitudes strongly influence the provision of special education services in their buildings. They also attributed more influence over special education at the building level to the principals than the principals perceived. The relationship between special education administrators' perceptions and principals' perceptions and scores were consistently low and in some cases negatively correlated. / Ed. D.

Shrinking budgets and swelling public accountability characterize public education in the 21st century. Pressures to increase achievement while assuring the emotional and physical safety of all students make the work of the secondary principal daunting. A leader for equity must be a symbolic, visionary, and instructional leader that creates positive change that leads to student achievement, especially for students that are traditionally underserved. The demands placed on school administrators generate leadership burnout. As we strive to meet the rigorous goals of improving academic achievement while teaching and caring for each child, we must create environments for effective administrators to thrive in their schools long enough to impact a school's culture and produce equitable outcomes. The purpose of this dissertation is to describe and explain the issues around nurturing the human spirit of high school principals. Chapters One and Two will describe the context of the problem and a literature review. In Chapter Three, the research will be described including the methodology, instruments, and the process for data collection and analysis. Chapter Four will describe the findings of the research that examines how a clear focus on equity and relationships lead to feelings of satisfaction, self efficacy, and career/personal fulfillment for each of the leaders in this study. The study includes two groups, Principals of Color and White principals that are allies to people of color. Chapter Five synthesizes the findings and makes recommendations for future practice and policy.

The purpose of this study was to discover how ethnicity, gender, and mentoring influenced the career experiences of Jamaican administrators in Sunshine County Public Schools (SCPS), a pseudonym that was used for a large public school district in Florida. This qualitative, phenomenological study focused on the career experiences of eight Jamaican administrators in SCPS. Seven of the participants were all native-born Jamaicans and one was a first generation Jamaican, born in England to Jamaican parents and raised in Jamaica until the age of 14. The researcher gained this understanding by interviewing participants in-depth about how their Jamaican ethnicity, gender, and personal mentoring experiences impacted their personal and professional journey as administrators in SCPS. Findings and conclusions will inform mentoring and educational leadership literature on strategies for success geared toward this understudied population. / by Denise P. Barrett-Johnson. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2012. / Includes bibliography. / Mode of access: World Wide Web. / System requirements: Adobe Reader.

Law Yi-Shu Louise. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2001. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 390-403). / Electronic reproduction. Hong Kong : Chinese University of Hong Kong, [2012] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web. / Mode of access: World Wide Web. / Abstracts in English and Chinese.