There is ample research (Bova & Phillips, 1994; Cordeiro & Smith-Sloan, 1995; Daresh, 2002; Ginty & Gaskill, 1993; Playko, 1995; Riche, 1979) to demonstrate the need for and benefits of mentoring both in the business world and with first year teachers. Mentoring allows a more experienced person to work directly with a less experienced person. Some benefits of such a relationship can include knowledge transfer, increased learning, creation of a support network, a decrease in job stress and anxiety, and an opportunity for the prot&#233;g&#233; to learn the big picture. School administrators face an increasing number of challenges in a job where new responsibilities are created almost on a daily basis. Many states will experience a shortage of qualified administrative applicants for open positions. This shortage is due to the retirement in the next several years of many existing administrators in addition to a larger number of positions accompanying increased school enrollment. Many states are exploring ways to address this concern. The first is through a reevaluation of certification criteria (training). The second is through the development of mentoring programs for new administrators (keeping the administrators we have). However, there is little research available on the mentoring of new administrators. This study identified the existing opinions, beliefs, and attitudes, including perceived value that administrators have towards mentoring for their job assignment. Statistical significance was determined at alpha < .01 for each analysis of variance between the groups. There was one item on the survey where a statistically significant difference was found between gender; assessment and grading (p(F) = .007). There was one item on the survey where a statistically significant difference was found between principals and assistant principals; school management (p(F) = .008). There was one item on the survey where a statistically significant difference was found between administrators who have and have not served as a formal mentor; time for discussion together (p(F) = .003). There was one item on the survey where a statistically significant difference was found between administrators who have and have not served as an informal mentor; mentor at same school level (p(F) = .005). However, the final two items of statistical significance are from Section B of the survey. Section B had a reliability of Cronbach's alpha = .50 (see Table 1). Therefore, results of these items must be viewed with caution. It is important to note that 400 out of 414 (96.7%) individual item analyses found no statistically significant differences between the various groups. / Ed. D.

This study investigated the variation in rate of upward mobility among public school superintendents. An explanation for that variation was provided in a theory which involved upward mobility as a function of professional attractiveness and inside sponsorship operating in a perceived paternalistic environment. Attractiveness variables included in the theory were categorized as physical, attitudinal, technical, or political. The sample consisted of 427 educational administrators, 294 superintendents, and 133 non-superintendents. A total of 251, 172 superintendents and 79 non-superintendents, or 59 percent participated in the study. Data were collected by mail return of the Questionnaire for Career Development of Educational Administrators within which four instruments were contained. The Modified Career Orientations Survey, Educational Work Components Study, Fundamental Interpersonal Relations Orientation-- Behavior, and Background Information Form measured the professional attractiveness variables, inside sponsorship, and perceived paternalism. Data were analyzed using multiple regression and discriminant analysis. / Ed. D.

The problem of this thesis is to develop a technique to evaluate administrative personnel practices in schools.

Thesis (Ed.D.)--Boston University / PLEASE NOTE: Boston University Libraries did not receive an Authorization To Manage form for this thesis or dissertation. It is therefore not openly accessible, though it may be available by request. If you are the author or principal advisor of this work and would like to request open access for it, please contact us at open-help@bu.edu. Thank you. / Schools and school officials are not immune from the substantial increase in litigation that has occurred over the past few decades in the United States. Public school administrators need to understand the laws that affect their daily decisions and actions. However, most of the available resources on the law are designed for attorneys and other legal experts. The objective of this project is to create a single text for Massachusetts public school administrators that addresses the major legal issues, las and court rulings that apply to their daily decisions and actions. This publication is not designed for attorneys. It is intended to be reader-friendly, and therefore the legal jargon is kept to a minimum. Please note that this text is for informational purposes only and is not intended as legal advice. If you are in need of legal advice, you should contact an attorney. The process for determining the appropriate content for this publication involved initial research on the primary legal issues facing public school administrators, and also interviewing several Massachusetts public school administrators for their input. (A description of the study and the findings is in Appendix A.) Once the subject matters were determined, extensive legal research and analysis were conducted to find appropriate court decisions, statutes, administrative regulations, arbitration rulings and articles relevant to the selected subject areas. When this was done, the dissertation was written covering the following topics: public school administrators' need to understand tre law; an overview of the legal system; issues related to teachers, such as hiring, firing and suspensions; issues related to students, such as student discipline, suspensions and expulsions, and special education; students' constitutional rights; other important matters for school administrators, such as the requirements for reporting abuse, student records and individual liability; and worthwhile resources including contact information. This publication is intended to be a valuable resource for Massachusetts public school administrators. They will obtain an understanding of the relevant laws, and this knowledge will enable them to be more effective administrators and more comfortable in addressing the numerous issues they face on a daily basis. / 2999-01-01

The problem of this study was to determine the perceived needs of selected Texas public school administrators in the areas of competence addressed in the PEEL (Performance Evaluation of the Educational Leader) definition of administrative competence. The conclusions included the following: 1. Between levels of administrative activity, differences were indicated in the high indexes of perceived need on the competency statements between the superintendency-level staff members (superintendent and his advisory staff who hold "line" positions) and the building-level administrators (elementary principals, junior high principals, and senior high principals). 2. Superintendency-level staff members tend to exhibit higher perceived needs on the competency statements relating to instruction and student-oriented responsibilities than do building-level administrators. 3. The size of a school district in which an administrator is employed, the number of years that an administrator has in educational administration, and the highest degree earned by an administrator cause no significant differences to appear in the manner in which an administrator assesses his perceived need on a particular competency statement.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between special education directors' self-perceived leadership practices, self-perceived stress types, and self-reported demographics. The study included three parts: a demographic profile consisting of six variables; the self-report form of the Leadership Practices Inventory; and the self-report of the Administrative Stress Index. The forms were sent to all 115 special education directors in the state of Indiana and a response rate of 60% was utilized. The first null hypothesis that mean scale scores would not differ across the five leadership practices was not supported. Enable Others to Act and Model the Way scores were significant. The second null hypothesis that participants' scores would not differ across task-oriented and relationship oriented stress types was supported. There were no statistically significant relationships reported between leadership practice and self-reported task or relationship-oriented stress to support the third null hypothesis. The fourth null hypothesis that stress types will not differ when comparing the demographic variables was not supported. Directors with 16 or more years of experience in education and employed by a single planning district indicated more task-oriented stress compared to directors from both joint services and interlocal districts and those with less than 16 years experience in education. The fifth hypothesis that leadership practices would not differ when compared to demographic variables was not supported. Years of experience in education indicated significant results in three leadership practices, Model the Way, Challenge the Process, and Enable Others to Act. This may indicate a shift in leadership practices as experience increases. / Department of Special Education

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Toronto, 2004. / Adviser: Sandra Acker.

Thesis (M. Ed.)--University of Hong Kong, 1994. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 107-113).

Thesis (M.Ed.)--University of Hong Kong, 1994. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 107-113). Also available in print.

Dissertation (Ed.D.)--The University of North Carolina at Greensboro, 2009. / Directed by Carl Lashley; submitted to the Dept. of Educational Leadership and Cultural Foundations. Title from PDF t.p. (viewed May 11, 2010). Includes bibliographical references (p. 192-198).